WATER DAMAGE ASSESSMENT USING INFRARED CAMERA
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How to Reduce the Cost of Property Repairs by Determining the Extent of
Property Damage using Thermal Imaging
This past winter
was brutal on the structures: from
frozen pipes, to water leaks due to ice damming, to roof collapses, to rain gutter
damage, etc. One of the questions frequently
posed by our clients is whether the structure is leaking or not and how can we
find out.
There are a number
of ways of finding out if a structure is leaking or not: visual inspections, infrared camera inspections
and invasive (drilling holes, etc.) testing are three of the methods we
typically employ. We receive a lot of
questions regarding the use of thermal imaging and this blog addresses these
questions.
Thermal imaging is
a non-destructive method of inspection useful for locating moisture intrusion, building,
electrical, and mechanical problems where temperature changes occur. This includes locating water leaks behind wall
claddings or coverings, roof leaks, air infiltration resulting from poor insulation,
and many more applications. A
thermographic camera measures the heat emitted in the infrared spectrum, and
can operate in complete darkness.
You should note
that a small amount of the leaks are typically visible. Most of the time, the visible inspection will
reveal a damage only after the damage is already done and is manifested by rotted
and/or decayed wood framing, peeling paint, stained or moldy walls and carpets,
and so on. Furthermore, the invasive
methods involve drilling holes or removing sections from the structure for
inspection. On the other hand, the
infrared inspection is non-invasive.
Flat Roof Leaks
We have found that
infrared camera is one of the best tools for finding leaks in flat roofs and
this past winter we had the opportunity to assist a number of our clients with
the flat roof leaking issue. When
inspecting a flat roof for signs of water intrusions, it is best to perform the
inspection shortly after sundown because the moisture trapped beneath the
roofing membrane will cool down at a much slower rate than roofing surface,
rendering problem areas as cooler spots on thermographs.
In all cases we
were able to find where the water moisture impact was located and where the
water was getting into the building.
Most of the time, the area of water intrusion was located far away from
the area of the manifested impact on the flat roof, and this is where the
roofing contractor focused the repair efforts.
Basically, the roofing contractors addressed the “symptom”, without finding
and fixing the leak area.
Reduction of the Cost of Repairs
In a number of
cases, we were able to better focus the scope of repairs provided by a roofing
or wall cladding contractor through the use of the infrared camera. The roofing contractor typically prepares an
estimate for a complete roofing material removal and replacement, including
decking, insulation, and roofing membrane. In one case, we performed an infrared
investigation of the roof to obtain additional information regarding the cause
or the source of the water damage to the flat roof, including the extent of damaged
roof insulation.
We performed both still
images and video recording of the entire roof and were able to map out
suspected wet areas of the roof insulation.
These areas were located in the vicinity of the roof drains and were
less than 15% of the total roof area.
Afterwards, we were able to develop a repair recommendation that
required the removal and replacement of only the wet insulation and decking,
thus reducing the cost of repairs by over $24,000. Poor roof drain maintenance and poor flashing
had contributed to the water intrusion.
Metropolitan Engineering, Consulting & Forensics (MECF)
Providing
Competent, Expert and Objective Investigative Engineering and Consulting
Services
P.O. Box 520
Tenafly, NJ 07670-0520
Tel.: (973) 897-8162
Fax: (973) 810-0440
E-mail:
metroforensics@gmail.com
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