How Infrared Thermography Can  Find Your Hidden Roof Moisture

Are you tired of unreliable inspections and costly downtime?

Discover how thermal imaging cameras can revolutionize your electrical and mechanical inspections and help you detect hidden issues with ease!

Being unaware of what’s going on behind your back makes you vulnerable. The deterioration of your building also happens without your knowledge and you have no control over it. If not detected on time, roof moisture may cause serious damage resulting in you having to dish out a hefty maintenance fee affecting your bottom line seriously.

The roof along with the entire building can be seriously damaged by water leakage and moisture infiltration. Things can get too late before you act. You can locate hidden water and moisture with a thermal camera when the conditions are favorable.

Building moisture, especially on the roof comes from many sources like condensation, snow, humidity, leaking pipes, and the rains. You don’t need to be alarmed by the moisture if it’s at a low level. However, leakages and a high degree of condensation is enough reason for alarm as they can cause serious damage. With a thermal imaging camera, while you don’t see the moisture in your roof, you can locate where water is present by detecting the subtle anomalies in surface temperature on it.

As a Professional, You Know Where to Look

Roofs are of many types. You won’t see moisture getting trapped in all of them at exactly similar places. You can locate the portions of the roof where problems exist with an infrared thermal imaging camera when you carry out an infrared roof moisture survey.

The presence of moisture is indicated by a difference in the colors on the image that appears on the screen of the infrared thermal imaging camera. Water leakage is denoted by the colors red, yellow, and orange which is an indication of a warmer temperature caused by the leaking water. The surrounding areas have lower temperatures denoted by the colors purple and dark blue/black. This is because when the heat is released back into the atmosphere after sundown, those parts of the roof where water is present remain warmer longer than the dry parts.

Locate Wet Spots from Dry Spots

Roofs are heated when the sun radiates heat onto them during the daytime. At night, the heat is released back into the atmosphere triggering the process of radiational cooling. It’s an important occurrence for detecting water presence as the wet spots caused by the water stay warmer for a longer time than the surrounding dry areas that have cooled down faster as water isn’t present there.

With infrared thermography equipment, you can locate the warmer areas from the others thereby detecting the heat distribution on your roof. The warmer spots are a clear indication of the presence of moisture. Once you are done with the detection, you can gauge the severity of the problem. That will help you decide whether immediate remedial action is needed or you have enough time on your hands and hence, things can wait. However, if you find moisture where it shouldn’t be, we urge you to take immediate action.

You need to possess the required expertise, skill, and experience to locate the hidden presence of moisture in your roof through infrared inspection. Since there are no visible signs, the presence of moisture may come as a bit of a surprise to you. We can’t stress enough how important it is to detect moisture presence before it’s too late. It’s only stating the obvious that avoiding timely action can cause severe damage, even the collapse of the roof.

Zeroing In on the Best Thermal Camera for Moisture Detection

Only very subtle differences in heat are caused due to the presence of moisture. Therefore, to be able to detect moisture presence, you’ll need a thermal camera with a high resolution and impressive thermal sensitivity (NETD). Such a camera will be able to display even the smallest of temperature differences. Cameras with lower sensitivity are better suited for detecting thermal sensitivity.

Hence, you should look for a 30mK sensitivity camera that’s ideal for detecting moisture presence. On the other hand, cameras with 100mK sensitivity are better at detecting wider differences in temperature. They are more suitable for industrial applications.

Additionally, you would do well to use a camera on which it’s possible to adjust the thermal image’s level and span manually. When you adjust the image to about a 10°C or 20°C span, even the minutest differences in temperature will show prominently so it becomes less challenging to detect moisture issues.

The Necessity of Thermal Inspection

With infrared thermography, you can detect hidden leakages in your roof without having to carry out any dismantling or demolition. What’s more, the information obtained after thermal imaging is very reliable and accurate.

A thermographic survey can detect temperature differences that are an indication of the presence of moisture in your roof. Thermal imaging shows portions of the roof with leakage that may invite mold or mildew causing severe damage to it.

Thermal imaging is very useful as it helps in locating leakages in the roof on time. Timely detection helps you have the roof repaired without delay. If you were to delay action, the damage to your roof could get even worse resulting in you having to bear a heavy cost for repairs. Thermal imaging is therefore a great tool for preventive maintenance. You can carry out necessary repairs before things get too late. Your search for moisture seepage is narrowed down as thermal imaging can detect the exact source of the leakage.

Conclusion

Thermal imaging helps you locate the presence of moisture in your roof accurately. It can locate water leakage by detecting even the minutest differences in surface temperature on the roof. The image on a good thermal infrared camera can tell exactly where the moisture is present. Thermal imaging can help in preventive maintenance greatly. You can detect water leakages in your roof and take timely action before things get too late. You must carry out an infrared inspection of your roof at regular intervals so you can avoid high repair costs due to delayed action. The importance of thermal imaging can, therefore, never be understated.

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