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Infrared Consulting Services roof moisture

Five Reasons You Should Get Your Roof Inspected… Before It’s Too Late!

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A leaky roof can cause some serious damage to a building. Not only will the building be affected, but businesses sometimes have to shut down temporarily if the leaking is bad enough. The bad thing is once you notice a leaking roof, it’s too little too late. It usually takes a long time for roof moisture to become visible to the naked eye, which is why a frequent commercial roof inspection is critical. Not convinced? Here are several things that could happen if you don’t get your roof inspected often enough.

1. Mold and Mildew Health Concerns

When you have roof moisture, mold and mildew will begin to grow. As the temperature heats up and cools down, it will only continue to grow and become more harmful. The worst possible scenario is the mold moving toward air ducts where everyone will be breathing it in. Infrared roof inspections can detect areas where mold and mildew are susceptible to growing. This way you can fix the issue before the growth occurs.

2. Wasted Energy

If your roof is leaking, chances are there are holes in the insulation, drywall and everywhere in between. This gives your interior hot or cool air the chance to escape, leading to higher energy bills. An infrared thermography inspection can see weak spots in a roof where air could be leaking out.

3. Fire Hazards

Everyone knows electricity and water don’t mix. If nothing else, a commercial roof inspection needs to be done often enough so you can rest easy knowing water won’t be entering your building and dripping on electrical equipment.

4. Interior Damage Potential

Even the smallest leak in your roof could cause some serious damage. You could experience ceiling tiles or drywall peeling off and falling if a water leak doesn’t get fixed soon enough. Not only will you be putting your inventory at risk, but you’ll also be putting your employees and potential customers in danger as well. You can avoid all this possible damage by simply scheduling a commercial roof inspection on a regular basis.

5. Roof Deterioration

From a cost perspective, there’s nothing that can hurt a business’ finances than having to replace a roof unexpectedly. Roofs aren’t going to last forever, but with a regular infrared thermography inspection, you can extend its lifespan. Standing water is the biggest reason why a roof fails, but there are plenty of other reasons as well.

At Infrared Consulting Services, we have over 30 years of experience providing commercial customers with the highest quality roof inspections. You never know when disaster can strike your business, but we are here to help make it a little more predictable. Don’t wait to get your roof inspected. Be sure to contact us today.

commercial roofing thermography

Dangers of Wet Insulation in a Commercial Roof

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Roof moisture may appear to dry in the sun and wind. Yet, once roofing insulation gets wet, hazardous and costly problems get started almost immediately. A commercial roof inspection using IR thermography is imperative to detect and stop these potentially devastating issues in their tracks.

Fixing a Leak Isn’t Enough

Do you know why you can’t just fix a leak, but have to remove any wet insulation, too? It’s because water conducts energy, so instead of keeping energy inside the building, insulation that’s wet takes it out of the building.

Wet insulation also adds weight to your building’s roof, which can cause structural damage such as warping. Trapped wetness degrades materials throughout the roofing system, rusting steel components and weakening energy efficiency. In fact, since the wetter the insulation the heavier it is, your entire building’s integrity is at risk.

Of course, mold and mildew is dangerous to people, too. Mold takes hold within 24 to 48 hours. FEMA warns that besides being known allergens, some molds are seriously toxic. All molds, however, are capable of being detrimental to someone’s health.

A Sound Maintenance Plan Includes IR Testing

Every sound commercial roofing maintenance plan includes an annual IR thermography inspection. Wet insulation isn’t always noticeable until the mold and mildew become visible … and the problems become much more expensive to correct. They can also interfere with your operations, adding additional costs to an already unbudgeted expenditure.

If your enterprise is under a low-slope or flat roof, commercial roofing thermography now could save you tens of thousands of dollars later.

Call Infrared Consulting Services today, and let us find your wet insulation now!

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Goals of a Roofing Plan Review

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Infrared applications can sometimes be difficult to understand. This is especially true with commercial roofing thermography, since there are many different shapes, sizes, insulations, decks and more when it comes to the design of a roof. However, the main goal of any type of roof is to keep water out of the interior of the building, which is where thermographic imaging comes into play. When maintaining a commercial flat or low-sloped roof, there are many ways a thermography inspection can fit into the plan.

Inspect and Scan Before Replacing

A low-sloped roof generally has a slope of less than 3:12, while a flat roof has no slope at all. These types of roofs can cause major challenges for maintenance professionals, since mechanical drainage systems are used to ensure water is quickly removed from the roof. But if the roof eventually leaks, how do you know whether it’s time to replace it or if the holes can just be repaired?

Replacing a roof can be an expensive burden for companies. However, getting a commercial roofing thermography inspection can help save a lot of money, time and headaches. Thermography inspection professionals can use their thermography instruments to find any hidden roof moisture trapped inside the roof. At this point, the owner can decide whether they just want to patch up the problem areas or spend the extra money to replace the entire roof. Many factors go into making this determination.

Conduct IR Testing Prior to Purchasing a Building

Prior to purchasing a commercial building, business owners should conduct a commercial roof inspection to determine what kind of shape their roof is in. Roofs are not cheap, so if a building has a roof that is 30+ years old, there’s a chance it has some wear and tear if it hasn’t been replaced recently. A simple thermographic roof moisture survey can help you determine whether you’re making a good investment in the building.

How IR Testing Works on Roofs

The science behind thermographic imaging is fascinating. When the sun transfers energy to the roof during the day, it heats up. At night, the roof radiates the heat back with a process known as radiational cooling. If a roof has any sort of moisture in the walls, it will remain warmer longer since wet areas retain heat longer. When a commercial roofing thermography inspection is conducted, these areas of uneven heat can be quickly identified as areas needing attention due to the presence of moisture.

What Infrared Testing Accomplishes

By completing a commercial roof inspection on a flat or low-sloped roof, business and property owners can save a lot of money and potential damage later on. When reviewing a roofing plan for a new building, an older building you’re looking to purchase or if you’re determining whether the roof needs to be repaired or replaced, a thermography inspection is the most efficient and effective way to go.

Infrared Consulting Services has been in business for nearly 30 years and has helped keep thousands of commercial properties in great shape due to thermographic imaging. If you need help setting goals for your roofing plan review, be sure to contact us to see how we can help.

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4 Types of IR Roof Moisture Surveys

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Identifying roof moisture in a commercial property’s roof system is vital to protecting a business owner’s investments and securing the safety of workers, visitors, residents and anyone else who has cause to be inside the facility. Thanks to today’s infrared detection technology, even the largest roofs can be inspected without destruction and in a timely manner.

IR thermography technicians use four types of surveys to detect moisture on commercial roofing:

  1. On-the-roof (also called on-roof or walking the roof) moisture survey

Most roof moisture surveys done with infrared thermography are performed by technicians using their equipment while standing on a business’ roof. A visual inspection by trained individuals can identify tears and poor seals around equipment and pipes on the roof where water is draining inside the facility, as well as detect places where unseen leaks may be wreaking havoc on the roof’s structure and underlying insulation.

  1. Under-the-roof (or under-roof) moisture survey

IR detection can be done from underneath the roof, between the interior ceiling and the roof structure. By using infrared thermography, IR Test technicians can find specific spots where moisture is being trapped under the roof so that you can repair only those areas.

  1. Elevated roof moisture survey

From an elevated position above the roof, IR thermographers can create a highly accurate roof moisture map of even the largest commercial roof. Few signs of leaks are missed from this perspective. Naturally, an elevated roof moisture survey is best done on a clear day.

  1. Aerial roof moisture survey

This is the most efficient way to conduct a commercial infrared roof moisture survey. Every nook and cranny of the roofing is exposed, so nothing prevents the IR thermography from detecting even the smallest signs of a leak.

Keeping a commercial building’s roofing insulation dry will help the roof last longer, keep electrical systems from malfunctioning, prevent the interior ceiling from falling in and eliminate mold growth. Infrared thermography identifies specific areas in need of repair, which means owners and contractors know exactly where to concentrate their work. Spot repair is significantly less expensive than replacing an entire roof.

Before any business owner or manager makes the decision to repair or replace the roof of a commercial building, an IR thermography roofing moisture survey is vital to saving time and unnecessary expense. Don’t assume your new roof is leak-proof, either! Get it inspected now for peace of mind (and safety) the rest of the year.