THERMAL ROOF INSPECTION
Wouldn’t You Want To Know The Condition Of Your Roof?
Infrared Thermal Roof Inspections Detect and Document Roof Moisture Problems
Alta Roofing & Waterproofing now offers the following Infrared Thermal Inspection services to its customers in San Diego and surrounding neighborhoods:
- Roof surface moisture scan
- Interior leak inspection
- Non-destructive testing
- Water testing
What is Infrared Thermal Roof Inspection?
Infrared Thermal Roof Inspection is a proven method for detecting trapped moisture problems in flat roofs. Infrared roof Thermography can prevent equipment down time, production losses and help building owners and property management companies find roof problems when apartments below have become compromised by roof leaks.
Due to the high cost of replacing a damaged roof, Thermographic roof inspections should be performed whenever a building is purchased, sold or leased.
Infrared roof surveys provide the diagnostic information necessary for developing an effective roof maintenance program, planning capital budgets and for making informed decisions when considering roof repairs, replacement or resurfacing with one of the popular new roof coatings.
Water enters a roof through defects in the waterproofing layer(s) due to deterioration, tears, cuts, poorly sealed penetrations, seams, failed flashings or caps causing the insulation to become laden with trapped moisture. The building experiences energy loss because wet insulation has a lower “R” value than dry material thus providing less thermal resistance.
Water intrudes into the building’s interior causing damage and loss of productivity. If left in disrepair, the concrete deck absorbs water, the wood deck rots or the metal decking components rust. Infrared roof inspection is the perfect tool for detecting moisture intrusion and directing repair efforts to only the areas, which need it, minimizing costs and maximizing repair dollars.
Our high-resolution Infrared thermal imaging cameras, find the trapped moisture as shown in the images below. Wet areas are identified and marked to show exactly where tactical repairs are to be made. By marking wet areas directly on the roof, they can be seen by building owners and roofing contractors after the survey is performed. Often, we find that the infrared survey shows is it is not necessary to replace an entire roof that only a few sections are “wet” and repairs can be made surgically to only these areas.
Here’s how infrared roof scan works:
During the day, the sun radiates energy onto the roof and into the roof substrate, and then at night, the roof radiates the heat back into outer space. This is called radiational cooling. Areas of the roof that are of a higher mass (wet) retain this heat longer than that of the lower mass (dry) areas. Infrared imagers can detect this heat and “see” the warmer, higher mass areas, during the “window” of uneven heat dissipation. Heat loss and other IR services can be performed at the same time.
THE BENEFITS OF COMMERCIAL INFRARED THERMAL ROOF INSPECTIONS
There are important benefits of commercial infrared roof moisture inspections that building managers should keep in mind. Low slope, insulated and flat roof systems, like anything else, need to be maintained to properly protect your capital investment. Frequent yearly IR roof Inspections should be done not only for your own knowledge but also to comply with Roof Manufactures Warranty.
Here are some of key benefits of using our infrared roof inspection service:
1. INFRARED THERMAL ROOF SCAN IS NON-DESTRUCTIVE
Infrared Thermal Scanning is nondestructive. However verification of the marked areas of wet insulation on the roof need to be confirmed followed up by moisture probing meters or core sampling.
Thermal imaging of flat insulated roofs with an infrared (IR) camera quickly and accurately identifies areas of a roof that may have been compromised long before any ill effects are discovered inside a building.
2. EARLY INTERVENTION – REDUCE OVERALL MAINTENANCE COST
By performing regular roof scans you’ll be able to intervene early, before a small problem becomes a large one. And building owners will be pleased to reduce the overall cost of roof maintenance.
3. INFRARED THERMAL ROOF INSPECTION IS COST EFFECTIVE
When compared to dealing with a catastrophic loss of a failed low slope, insulated or flat roof, annual IR roof thermal imaging scan and preventive maintenance is a clear winner.
Another cost related benefits is that a properly maintained roof will lower your energy costs. Wet insulation isn’t as effective as dry insulation.
Why ALTA Roofing?
We detect and document roof moisture with Infrared thermography. We create thorough and professional Infrared reports documenting the trapped roof moisture by mapping it. We create the infrared reports so that all parties involved will be able to use the information to verify the wet areas and make an informed decision how to proceed. Our reports can be used to document roof conditions to ensure warranty coverage is maintained, to certify the roof substrate is dry prior to recover or a roof coating material and for due diligence inspections. Infrared roof scan can be used to document the roof prior to work on the building which required being on the roof. Such as scaffolding, cranes anchored on roofs.