Inspection

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

ROOF CONSULTANT

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 Project What 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

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.
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