Condominium

Roof Inspection

ROOF INSPECTION

Have a roof inspection done today! A roof inspection is good to do every year.  A commercial roof is a very large expense.  If you wait until your roof leaks through the ceiling to start caring for your roof, you've waited far to long.  At Drone Infrared Imaging one of our specialties in roof inspections.  Roofs of all ages need to have inspections.  I don't know what it is about flat roofs but things happen up there.  Anything from people vandalizing to bullets puncturing the roof from people shooting in the air.  What goes up must come down.  Yes I have seen it.  Animals can cause havoc on a roof.  People storing things on the roof can also damage a roof.  And lastly one of the biggest causes of a commercial flat roof being damaged is neglect.
Roof Inspection, Drone
Core sample of a flat roof
One of the most important part of an inspection is to do a core sample to know what is going on.  The above pictures reveals a poured concrete deck with multiple layers of felt and tar.  It also have a modified bitumen cap sheet.  We know from this that a leak would take a lot of time to penetrate all the way through the concrete.  As a result, inspections for this type of roof should be performed often.  By that I mean once or twice a year. A roof inspection is not an expensive proposition.  They range anywhere from $450-$1200 per building.  They could cost a little more depending on the circumstances.  Or they could cost less depending on how many buildings.  At Drone Infrared Imaging we can also provide an aerial picture and or an infrared picture of you roof.  This would all depend on what service you would prefer for your roof.  Thanks for checking out my blog.  We look forward to hear from you.  Drone Infrared Imaging.
Roof system x-ray

ROOF SYSTEM X-RAY

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. roof system x-ray 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!
Drone Infrared Imaging

Commercial Real Estate Roof Inspection

Commercial real estate roof inspection with infrared will take the unknown out of the equation in purchasing a building.  With the new codes for roof insulation on a flat commercial industrial roof, commercial roofs have become a very expensive proposition.  As an owner, if you are purchasing a building, an infrared scan of the roof can reveal what current owners probably don't want you to know.  Moisture underneath a roof system will serve as a catalyst to deteriorate the roof system from the underside of the system.   What does this mean?  Replacing your roof could cost between $10-$20 per sq ft.  This needs to be negotiated before the sale of the building! The above infrared roof scan can reveal whether there is moisture trapped under the system.  Is the above infrared something that will make us fearful or something that will make us feel secure?  The answer is secure.  The above system has very little changes in temperature all the way across the roof system thus giving it an "A" rating.  There are no signs of moisture or leaks for that matter. Drone Infrared Imaging can give security knowing for sure the roof on your future facility is in good condition.  We can take the guess-work out of a roofing contractor taking core sample to see if moisture is found.  ONE other important point: Roof insulation can absorb a lot of water before it actually leaks into the building.  So just asking if there are any leaks is not a good determination that the roof is safe and sound.
Drone Inspection

DRONE INSPECTION

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 inspection
Drone water tower inspection
Drone inspection
Drone construction site inspection
Drone Inspection
Drone 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 Roof Leak Detection

INFRARED LEAK DETECTION

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.
Infrared Leak Detection
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

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 Imaging    Infrared Imaging    Infrared Imaging    Infrared Imaging 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. Roof Infrared 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

Infrared Drone

PIC AND AN INFRARED DRONE PIC used to stand for Picture.  No longer, the FAA has taken it for there very own.  It stands for Pilot in Command.  The FAA wants every person that is going to fly commercially to be trained.  Flying without an Airman Certificate is Illegal.  That's why everyone at Drone Infrared Imaging must pass the Aeronautical Knowledge Test before they fly.  If nothing else its gets you to think about more than just picking up a controller and taking off.  There is a lot to think about, like the weather, obstacles, wind current around buildings, aircraft, line of sight, visual observer, magnetic fields, down drafts, updrafts and the like.  Our ultimate goal is to be safe.  An infrared drone is a very expensive proposition and believe me we don't want anything to happen to it. Infrared Drone               Infrared Drone Airspace Yes we have to share airspace.  The above images were taken in Class D airspace.  Because the airport has a Control Tower, they had to be contacted so we could get permission to fly.  It is a little bit of a hassle to actually speak to the tower, however the overall process was quite painless.  They gave permission and we were able to fly. https://www.droneinfraredimaging.com/infrared-scans/
Roof Safety

Roof Safety

BASIC PRACTICAL RULES FOR ROOF SAFETY If it looks unsafe it probably is unsafe.  I don't know how many times we have been on job sites to see obvious glaring violations.  The worst is when the owner comes on the roof and they can tell the violations without knowing the violations.  Point being make sure your roof projects look safe!  One final note here, if your job site looks crappy even though you are safe, it gives the appearance of being unsafe.  Let's keep job sites cleaned up. Roof safety should be taught and caught.  Don't get caught in the trap of, well we didn't have many accidents last year so let's skimp on safety this year.  It always works out bad.  Having Drone Infrared Imaging capture pictures and video from your projects to use in the roof safety class room is priceless.  Not only to point out the things that need correcting but hopefully to point out perfectly staged job sites. When safety equipment looks old, it looks unsafe.  Yes I know some of us are conservative and we like to use things until it dies but let's try to stay clear of doing that regarding safety. AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION.. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  A little precaution before a crisis occurs is preferable to a lot of fixing up afterward.  Roof safety can prevent a lot of personal injuries.  It can also prevent the ultimate tragedy which is loss of life.  Workman's compensation claims can cost a tremendous amount of money and can drag on for years.  If there is time given in the class room with pictures from Drone Infrared Imaging, that's a great start.  After that having tool box talks with your guys on a weekly basis.  One more thing, your foreman should be very safety conscious and as a result should hold all the guys under his care to a high standard of safety. BE SAFE!
Commercial roofs need infrared imaging

DRONE INFRARED IMAGING

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
Drone Infrared Imaging

PROPERTY MANAGERS NEED TO KNOW HOW THEIR ROOFS ARE PERFORMING

ROOFS LEAK! When do people usually take care of their roofs... when they leak!  There is another alternative.  Taking care of roof begins with a good inspection to access to see if there is any damage.  Buildings that are over two stories tend to get neglected the most.  Every storm has the potential to blow off one shingle, chimney cap, ridge cap or exhaust vent.  Would you want to know if these are missing and schedule to fix them before it leaked into the plywood, then onto the insulation and finally through the drywall.  I believe the answer would be... YES. PROPERTY MANAGER INSIGHT Commercial flat roofs can experience the same kinds of damage.  Actually flat roofs are more susceptible to larger roof blow offs that are shingle roofs.  Inspections are a good way to know for sure that your roof is safe and secure.  At Drone Infrared Imaging, we can put a drone in air and quickly assess damages.  Property managers especially need to be in the know.  Dealing with complains all day is exhausting for property managers.  Wouldn't it be great to know your roof is safe and secure thus eliminating that headache. DRONE INSPECTION We recommend have properties inspected at least 2-4 times a year with possible drone inspection right after a severe storm.  The drone can take pictures of every aspect of the building, not just the roof.  Drones have the ability to capture pictures like a 3-D.  So the perspective is different from a straight up google earth picture (although they are starting to use some 3-D).  To be able to see if there is soffit or fascia torn off or gutters missing or plugged can save money in the long run.  How can it save you money?  By being able to fix the issues before it causes inside damage. Inside damage is costly to fix, so anytime this can be avoided, it will be beneficial for all involved.