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Infrared Imaging
Roof Inspections
Roof moisture surveys complement visual inspections since it is virtually impossible to determine the extent of wet insulation visually. An infrared imager senses the temperature of the surface of the roof.
Wet insulation changes the ability of the roofing system to store and conduct thermal energy, thereby causing changes in the temperature of the surface, which the infrared imager can detect.
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 Flat roof inspections can provide valuable information during moisture assessments to building owners, facility maintenance personnel, roofing contractors and roofing material manufactures. Thermal imagers can be used to assess various roof systems (BUR, EPDM, PVC ) for high moisture content, due to the differences in temperature.
Wet insulation is the primary reason for dimensional changes, decay, blistering, corrosion, causing complete roofing failure. Moisture is the root of all evil when it comes to flat roof systems.
It increases heating and cooling cost because it decreases the thermal efficiency of the insulation and adds unwanted loads to a building system. A typical BUR (built up roof) has a life expectancy of 16-20 years. This can easily be extended by 10 years reducing the life cycle costs if a predictive maintenance program (PDM) is established.
 Thermography will identify saturated insulation due to workmanship, low grade materials, design flaws and non existent maintenance. This inspection should be conducted 6-10 months after construction and periodically thereafter to detect inevitable flaws while problems are still small. Flat roof replacement cost are in the area of $7.00 - $9.00 sq/ft, compared to pennies per sq/ft it costs to thermally inspect the roof on a routine basis. This should be a no brainier for all building owners and managers.
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