Infrared Roof Moisture Survey

Some low slope roofs can develop problems in as little as one to two years. Low sloped roofs have a slight pitch to allow for drainage. These roofs are composed of a structural deck with an insulation and a waterproof membrane on top. An on roof infrared moisture survey is a very economical method to determining the state of your flat roof.

The damage from a leak in the membrane can be at a minimum a nuisance inside the building but the damage to the roof from the trapped moisture can be very costly. When the moisture enters the roof and becomes trapped it can cause damage and possible failure of the roofing system. Locating the wet insulation with an infrared roof inspection the wet areas can be removed and replaced and the life expectancy of the roof will be increased. This is a great cost savings to the owner of the building as only the wet problem areas will be repaired. A roof moisture inspection completed with a thermal camera is nondestructive.

Benefits of an Infrared Roof Survey:

Detect moisture in insulation quickly
Eliminate replacing good portion of roof
Extend the life of the roof
IR scans are non-destructive
Reduce maintenance cost
Verify absences of moisture after recover for warranty

Infrared Roof Moisture Survey

Some low slope roofs can develop problems in as little as one to two years. Low sloped roofs have a slight pitch to allow for drainage. These roofs are composed of a structural deck with an insulation and a waterproof membrane on top. An on roof infrared moisture survey is a very economical method to determining the state of your flat roof.

The damage from a leak in the membrane can be at a minimum a nuisance inside the building but the damage to the roof from the trapped moisture can be very costly. When the moisture enters the roof and becomes trapped it can cause damage and possible failure of the roofing system. Locating the wet insulation with an infrared roof inspection the wet areas can be removed and replaced and the life expectancy of the roof will be increased. This is a great cost savings to the owner of the building as only the wet problem areas will be repaired. A roof moisture inspection completed with a thermal camera is nondestructive.

Benefits of an Infrared Roof Survey:

Detect moisture in insulation quickly
Eliminate replacing good portion of roof
Extend the life of the roof
IR scans are non-destructive
Reduce maintenance cost
Verify absences of moisture after recover for warranty

How Thermal IR Roof Scans Work

The mass of wet insulation is much higher than that of dry insulation. The cooling of the roof will leave the areas of wet insulation warmer and easy to spot with an infrared thermal scan.

During the roof inspection at night these areas of moisture can be marked for confirmation or removal. The length of time on the roof to perform the infrared survey depends on the size of the roof and the number of indications found. If the conditions are good the window of opportunity to scan can last for a number of hours. The surface of the roof must be dry and clear of any debris.

Here is a list of some roofs that are candidates for IR scans:

Asphalt Built-up
Coal Tar Built-up
Slag Embedded on Built-up Roof
EPDM Mechanically Attached with In-Seam Batten Bars
Pea Gravel Embedded on Built-up Roof
Granule Surfaced Modified Bitumen BUR
Smooth Surfaced Modified Bitumen BUR

Gravel should be less than 1/2" in diameter and less than 1" thick.

Here is a list of some insulation types that are candidates for IR scans:

Fiberglass
Wood Fiber
Cane Fiberboard
Perlite
Some Ployisocyanurate

Why Advanced Infrared Roof Scan Service?

We provide detailed, high-quality and easy to understand certified infrared inspection reports that thoroughly documenting our findings.

Some manufactures such as GAF may require an infrared scan for a warranty after a new installation.

If you need an infrared roof moisture survey in Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth, Katy, or anywhere we can help.

Visual Image of roof scan & infrared indicating possible moisture (hover)

Possible area of moisture and moisture found with thermal scan (hover)

We outline identified areas of moisture with marking paint directly on the roof and take both infrared and digital photographs of the area. Our inspection is designed to comply with ASTM Standard C1153 -"Standard Practice for Location of Wet Insulation in Roofing Systems Using Infrared Imaging" with the exception of core sampling.

Download sample pdf report

The images below are from the inspection of a roof

Infrared roof survey finding

Thermal image of roof finding

We are in Katy, Texas and serve the state of Texas and more.
If you are not near those areas we have affiliates around the US that can help.

Infrared scan of shopping center with drone

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