What are Infrared Roof Inspections and How do they work?
Infrared roof inspections are nothing new to Hawaii building owners, facility engineers, or property managers. But in case you need a quick understanding of what an infrared roof inspection is, here we go:
An infrared roof inspection or infrared roof moisture survey is performed to detect temperature anomalies on a flat roof that is commonly associated with moisture intrusion.
Using an infrared imager we are able to detect these temperature anomalies. How? Well, when you go to the hospital or clinic nowadays, you’re required to get a temperature check from the nurse (thanks COVID). The nurse uses a thermometer that emits an infrared laser to measure the temperature of your forehead. That single laser point reads a single temperature. Our infrared imagers measure thousands of points to get thousands of temperature readings. These points are then assigned a color according to the temperature reading via the computer in the infrared imager. These points then show up on a display and depict an image according to the temperature readings. It is this image that allows us to find temperature anomalies on your roof.
Now, instead of hearing “this is a wet spot” from a roofer or your maintenance man, you can actually see what that really means. Pictures are worth a thousand words. But! Our cameras are only part of the solution. The whole solution is having a high-quality infrared imager paired with a thermographers ability to understand what is being detected. When we conduct an infrared roof moisture survey and see a blob (amorphous) shape with a temperature that doesn’t match its surrounding area, we’ve possibly just discovered a point of moisture intrusion on your roof. However, if a temperature anomaly with a uniform pattern with uniform spacing is detected, it could be some type of plate or bracing under the top roofing layer. It’s our responsibility to know what we are looking at in order to provide the most accurate interpretations possible. This is why we use non-invasive moisture meters to confirm the presence of moisture.
How Roofing Material Affects Infrared Inspection Results
Our thermal findings and our ability to interpret our findings rely heavily on the roofing system and roofing substrate. Why is that important? Even though infrared roof inspections are totally awesome with numerous benefits, they are NOT foolproof. Not all roofs can be inspected. Correction: All roofs CAN be inspected, but not all flat roofs are candidates of an infrared inspection that can yield useful results.
Knowing the substrate and roofing insulation type is critical to know if paying for an infrared roof inspection will be worth the costs. Different roof materials can make conducting an infrared moisture survey very difficult with a high chance of inconclusive readings or even no findings at all. White or reflective top layers such as white TPO, EPDM, or roofs coated with aluminum paint can be difficult for thermographers to see any temperature anomalies. Besides a highly reflective top membrane, the type and age of the insulation can be a key factor in being able to find thermal anomalies during a roof moisture survey.
Different Insulation Types Have Different Thermal Readings
Different insulation materials interact with water in different ways. The thermal pattern that is associated with each insulation type depends on this interaction. The following are some insulation systems and the thermal patterns they result in:
Low absorbent insulation such as polyisocyanurate (Polyiso), extruded polystyrene (XPS), expanded polystyrene (EPS) is insulation with a tightly bound makeup which means any moisture that comes into contact with them won’t be absorbed. Moisture will tend to collect at the edges of the insulation board resulting in an outline-type pattern. Low absorbent insulation will eventually break apart from the sun’s UV rays and become somewhat absorbent but that process can take years.
Highly absorbent insulation such as mineral wool, spray foam, or fiberglass is a thermographers dream because it acts like a sponge and is incredibly obvious to detect. Moisture will collect until the insulation board is saturated then seep to connected nearby boards. These types of thermal anomalies result in a checkerboard pattern.
Monolithic or Seamless insulation types like lightweight concrete, gypsum, or foamed-in-place polyurethane will give off a blob-like, or amorphous, thermal shape.
The best option for future roof maintenance and construction is to add a top layer of highly absorbent insulation over their normal insulation layer. By doing this, any moisture intrusion at any point of the roof’s life will increase the chances of being able to pinpoint the exact location where a repair or patch needs to be made.
Hopefully, your understanding of infrared roof inspections, their functions, and their limitations are a little clearer. We want you to be informed so you can make an informed decision before ordering an infrared roof moisture survey. If you need more information or have a project on hand, we would be excited and happy to give you the lowdown on how we can help. Infrared Inspections Hawaii has conducted roof inspections on apartment buildings, colleges, retail stores, and government buildings all throughout Hawaii. We’ve seen and inspected it all. We follow the trade standards established by the Infraspection Institute and ASTM C1153. Providing fully certified, fully insured, fully equipped, and fully full of Aloha thermographers state-wide, if you have questions, you’ll be greeted with the experience and aloha expected of a locally established, Hawaiian-owned, and Hawaii operated company.