Infrared Roof Image
Click on the picture above to see a bigger image. Infrared roof images in the winter can be tricky. Most of the time they are impossible from the outside because the air is too cold causing any moisture under the roof to be frozen. Also most drones like it to be 32 degree or warmer in order to fly. This is because we are using a drone with an infrared camera to perform the infrared inspection. Visit http://droneinfraredimaging.com for more info.
Sometime there is the possibility of doing the infrared from the underside of the roof if the decking is metal otherwise it is impossible. The metal decking actually reads opposite of the outside infrared. The wet spots on the roof will read cold and the rest of the roof warm from the underside. This is tricky and I don't recommend this situation, only in an emergency. Visit http://matthewsroofing.com to meet all of your roofing needs.
Sometimes the infrared investigation can be a GOOD RESULT!
This owner had questions and concerns for his building. They had a few leaks and some of the roofing contractors had a hard time finding the leaks which caused them to be concerned. We all want the real scoop. Finding the real scoop allows hitting the issues head on. Building owners worry because their roof has a few leaks. Getting a roof infrared gives a clear picture as to where the water is coming from. This building below had some issues so we performed an infrared on the building flat roof.
Commercial building to perform an infrared
The result of the scan is shown below. Some of the brighter yellows and reds are a result of some of the HVAC Units operating on the roof not that there is a significant leak. This is why it is very important to know how to read an infrared scan of your roof. Some could look at this and say, yes there are leaks all over. This is not the case. There are no leaks on this roof.
Aerial Infrared scan of the roof system.
Roof System x-ray (sort of read on)
A roof system x-ray or better known as an infrared of your roof system, performed with a drone, can be both cost-effective and eye-opening. The featured picture is an infrared of the below building. Drone Infrared Imaging flew about 80' off the ground to capture the below image. The pvc roof system has seen its better days. The roof is now dull and dingy. The black stained areas usually have to do with the lack of drainage on the system. A roof that has poor drainage does not mean those areas are leaking. In this example, it is revealed that it is opposite.
What would a roof consultant say?
A roof consultant would probably recommend a complete tear off for this roof system. Good plan if the owner of the building could afford it. The infrared drone is just reading the moisture of the layer of insulation directly under the roof system. It can't read the other layer which is under the initial roof system and over the deck. The only way to know the moisture content in that layer would be to investigate leaks by doing a series of core samples.
Infrared Scan helps to provide economical roof system option
The roofing contractor removed the top layer of roofing. The infrared helped make this decision. The moisture did not penetrate the initial layer of insulation over the deck so they could leave that roof in place. This made it very affordable and something that the owner was willing to do. The requirements for roof insulation are very high. Roof insulation is now the highest component of the roof system. A recovery board was installed instead of all the different layers of insulation which saved money. There was a labor saving by not tearing off the bottom roof. As a result, a building owner was happy!
When should I hire a Roof Consultant?
Never, if you want to make the mistake that so many others in your shoes have made. Understanding your roof system and have a professional make some decisions regarding that roof can go a long way in saving you money in the end. Also a lot of building owners, property managers, condominiums, apartments need the security of hiring a roof consultant.
What would a Roof Consultant do for me?
He should make a clear and concise assessment of your roof. He should know every component of the roof system from the deck to the top layer of roofing. There should be an explanation of how he got to the decision of picking the roof system he chose. Pictures are a must for explaining each item involved in the roof system. We at Drone Infrared Imaging, use a drone with a HD Camera to allow us to capture pictures and video to put in our presentation.
Specifications are probably the most important piece to the puzzle because it keeps everyone on the same page. How many times have we been in a position of making a decision based on three or four different types of roofing systems. This leaves us guessing which roof system will be best for our situation and it leaves the door wide open for massive price differences. If all contractors are bidding from the same specification then the price differences should be small. Roofing contractors tend to give better pricing if they know they are bidding the same system and are bidding against other who are doing the same.
The last piece is to decide on a roofing contractor to confirm their pricing and set up the project. The consultant can also be involve with the entire roof project to make sure things are getting done correctly. Aerial photography can be taken periodically to inform all involved where we are at in the progress of the roof project. Video Overview of a Roof ProjectWhat about Roof Consultant pricing?
There are many price points which can be used. The consultant can just assess the roof system currently install to see if repair can be done which would be a low-cost item. Or they can be involved in the whole roof replacement process from start to finish relieving the burden of others having to take large amounts of time and energy out of our busy schedules. All price points will be available after an assessment of the project is done depending on how small or large the project is.
Aerial Photography
Aerial Photography in roofing can highlight any project from start to finish. Any contractor can use these services. Aerial Photography can be used as a safety check, project progress or project completion photographs. This is a completed roof photograph with no editing, just a raw photograph shot by DJI Inspire 1 pro camera. What is amazing is that during the time of the photograph it was abundantly windy yet the picture turned out clear. These amazing machines can be used for so much and will continue to be used for so much more as we learn all of there capabilities.
Aerial Video
One of the most impressive features of a drone is the ability to capture 4k video. What we are trying to achieve is a butter smooth video to be used on some type of promo website hopefully capturing the magnitude of this building Front of Building Video 1. This building seems to go on forever, but with the help of a professional drone we can capture a new perspective or as one person on the ground said as he was watching me film on my Ipad, "The building doesn't look so big anymore". The contractor who did the roof installation used these pictures to really impress the building owner. This in turn caused the owner to use the photos in many different departments of their company. In the end all we want is happy customers.
Drones are going to be used in many industries in the years to come, way more than what you think.
Will drones be delivering packages? I don't know. Currently a drone in between .5 lb and 55 lbs cannot be flown if it is out of our line of sight. You would be hard pressed to flight a drone two towns over and maintain line of sight. Oh and by the way no help of anything to enhance vision can be used according to the FAA. A drone inspection can reveal so much more information we could not see in the past. Drone inspections can be performed on roofs, construction sites, water towers, electrical towers, stacks, walls, siding, water treatment, agriculture, condominiums, townhouses, factories, commercial buildings and all of these can have infrared imaging.
Drone water tower inspectionDrone construction site inspectionDrone agriculture inspection
A drone inspection is done to discover and plan for the future. At Drone Infrared Imaging, we can inspect whatever property, building, obstacle or object that you may need inspected. Drone inspections are especially useful for bigger complexes but certainly not limited to them.
Infrared leak detection is a smart way to see how your roof is doing, EVEN IF IT IS NOT LEAKING!
Owners, property managers, entrepreneurs and companies usually take the same approach, if my roof isn't leaking we are good. Not smart. The smart money is on having an infrared done today by Drone Infrared Imaging to see how your roof is doing.
We are heading into the wintertime months, which are going to accentuate every roof leak, even the small ones. What is going to happen is the small amount of water that is getting under the roof is going to freeze and blow your seams apart causing big leaks. This doesn't have to happen.
See complete report for this roof: Infrared Roof Report The contractor installed 5 different types of roofing on this building on purpose to see how they would perform.
The above picture taken from an infrared drone indicates a leak by a skylight. The roof overall should cool down the same temperature at night, this small area by the skylight remained hotter than the rest of the roof.Infrared leak detection is not just for roofs
Note that leak detection does not have to be localized to just roofing. It can be used on any surface that has radiant heat emitted from it. Walls for instance is a good example. Many times leaks are improperly diagnosed because the point of origin is not the point at which the moisture gets into the building. The infrared drone can capture images and or video which take the guess-work out of it.
Infrared imaging on a rainy, windy day
So what does an infrared drone guy do on a rainy windy day... practice. Happily Flir in conjunction with DJI has upgraded their camera and software to give so many more options. All the colors and palettes become more vivid and dynamic. You can even tell how hot your cup of coffee is if you have your drone fired up and running (no propellers) and facing yourself. The Starbucks coffee was 140 degrees when I first set it on the desk. Within the first 10 minutes it decreased 20 degrees. Enough about coffee.
Infrared Drone Uses
The use of drones and infrared imaging are growing. A lot of people don't even realize how useful it can be. I recently had my DJI Inspire Pro with the XT Flir camera flying over a commercial building. Now I didn't know were the leaks on the building were, but after careful examination I circled areas of concern on the infrared and presented this to the owner. Surprise surprise the areas that I circled on the infrared turned out to be close to the leak areas on the building. Now the owner is educated about his roof leaks on his building and a roofing contractor can come out and accurately repair the roof.
Hvac contractors can use infrared to see how hot the units are running and believe me some run very hot compared to others (see picture above, two units running hotter).
Electric companies can inspect transformers and any other part of the electrical systems to find out what is operating inefficiently. Any type of piping that runs on the outside of a building can be inspected.
Cellular towers can be inspected.
Search and rescue, especially at night reveal vivid pictures of human being trying to hide or run from something.
The energy efficiency of any building can be determined.
Drones provide quick infrared results
There are many ways to evaluate a commercial building. One way is to do a visual inspection by walking the entire roof. Another is taking core samples of various areas of the roof. Still another is through aerial photography. If a professional roofer is able to look at an aerial detailed picture, many areas diagnosis can be given just from the picture alone. Probably the most promising is to do an infrared scan of the roof. Some infrared cameras even allow you to take video. Isn't technology wonderful. After getting to the facility and mapping out a plan, making sure it is safe to fly, it is only a matter of 15 minutes and the infrared drone can be up and flying over the facility. There is so much information that can be gained from the infrared pictures and video.
Discover roof leaks, heat duct leaks and energy deficiencies
It is important to note, not all roof types can have an infrared scan. If the roof is scanned for leaks, roof leaks will be obvious. Roof leaks will allow water to saturate into the insulation causing those areas to be hotter as emissivity is happening. Emissivity is the ability of a surface like a roof to emit radiate energy. Roofs during the warming of the sun can cause some roofs to get to 180 degrees. If a roof is dry and free of leaks, emissivity will happen consistently across the roof. Wet insulation under the roof will cause the radiant heat of the roof to stay hot.
Some HVAC units are equipped with side mount discharge, meaning the duct comes out of the side of the unit. These ducts can also be tested for leaks through the infrared scan.
Lastly the roof can be scanned to discover potential energy deficiencies. For example, over time the roof insulation shrinks causing gaps under the roof membrane. These areas can be detected through an infrared scan. If it is cold outside and the building is being heated then the lines along the edges of the insulation will test hotter because the hot air is trying to escape.
To learn more about emissivity go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75PmF7KLf4A
What would a roof consultant say?
A roof consultant would probably recommend a complete tear off for this roof system. Good plan if the owner of the building could afford it. The infrared drone is just reading the moisture of the layer of insulation directly under the roof system. It can't read the other layer which is under the initial roof system and over the deck. The only way to know the moisture content in that layer would be to investigate leaks by doing a series of core samples.
Infrared Scan helps to provide economical roof system option
The roofing contractor removed the top layer of roofing. The infrared helped make this decision. The moisture did not penetrate the initial layer of insulation over the deck so they could leave that roof in place. This made it very affordable and something that the owner was willing to do. The requirements for roof insulation are very high. Roof insulation is now the highest component of the roof system. A recovery board was installed instead of all the different layers of insulation which saved money. There was a labor saving by not tearing off the bottom roof. As a result, a building owner was happy!
What would a roof consultant say?
A roof consultant would probably recommend a complete tear off for this roof system. Good plan if the owner of the building could afford it. The infrared drone is just reading the moisture of the layer of insulation directly under the roof system. It can't read the other layer which is under the initial roof system and over the deck. The only way to know the moisture content in that layer would be to investigate leaks by doing a series of core samples.
Infrared Scan helps to provide economical roof system option
The roofing contractor removed the top layer of roofing. The infrared helped make this decision. The moisture did not penetrate the initial layer of insulation over the deck so they could leave that roof in place. This made it very affordable and something that the owner was willing to do. The requirements for roof insulation are very high. Roof insulation is now the highest component of the roof system. A recovery board was installed instead of all the different layers of insulation which saved money. There was a labor saving by not tearing off the bottom roof. As a result, a building owner was happy!
Hvac contractors can use infrared to see how hot the units are running and believe me some run very hot compared to others (see picture above, two units running hotter).
Electric companies can inspect transformers and any other part of the electrical systems to find out what is operating inefficiently. Any type of piping that runs on the outside of a building can be inspected.
Cellular towers can be inspected.
Search and rescue, especially at night reveal vivid pictures of human being trying to hide or run from something.
The energy efficiency of any building can be determined.
Infrared Drone Uses
The use of drones and infrared imaging are growing. A lot of people don't even realize how useful it can be. I recently had my DJI Inspire Pro with the XT Flir camera flying over a commercial building. Now I didn't know were the leaks on the building were, but after careful examination I circled areas of concern on the infrared and presented this to the owner. Surprise surprise the areas that I circled on the infrared turned out to be close to the leak areas on the building. Now the owner is educated about his roof leaks on his building and a roofing contractor can come out and accurately repair the roof.
Hvac contractors can use infrared to see how hot the units are running and believe me some run very hot compared to others (see picture above, two units running hotter).
Electric companies can inspect transformers and any other part of the electrical systems to find out what is operating inefficiently. Any type of piping that runs on the outside of a building can be inspected.
Cellular towers can be inspected.
Search and rescue, especially at night reveal vivid pictures of human being trying to hide or run from something.
The energy efficiency of any building can be determined.