Roof Moisture Analysis

Infrared Surveys Extend Roof Life

Statistics show that 3 out of 10 new roofs start to leak within the first year. Infrared inspections locate problems and roof leaks quickly to save time, money, and headaches. On a new roof, scheduling an IR roof moisture survey should be done before the warranty runs out to find problems and allow for warranty repair/replacement. With both new and old roofs, data collected during the survey indicates how a roof can be remediated and/or provide evidence to justify a replacement.

How It Works

Infrared surveys are performed after sunset following a clear sunny day. During the daytime, the roof system absorbs the sun’s infrared energy, and then the roof cools, releasing this energy while areas of entrapped moisture retain the heat absorbed during the day. The remaining heat is detected in the survey using a thermal camera.

Infrared Works Best With:

• Single Ply Membrane Roofs (black, grey, or white)
• Tar & Gravel Built-Up Roofs
• Ballasted Roofs (up to 1″ river rock)

Roof Systems Not Suited for Infrared

• Silver/Aluminum Coated
• Pitched/High Slope Roofs
• IRMA (Inverted Roof Membrane Assembly)
• Metal Roofs
• Green/Vegetation Covered Roofs
• Heavily Pavered Roofs

The HOT/SHOT Experience

HOT/SHOT utilizes a unique approach to infrared roof surveys. Unlike other providers, we offer the flexibility to use either a handheld camera, a drone, or a helicopter-based camera.

By using aerial cameras, we can view the entire roof to quickly and accurately pinpoint the location of subsurface moisture. Ballasted roofs, which are typically not good candidates for IR surveys, are inspected from the overhead view of a helicopter-mounted or drone-mounted unit. Unevenly distributed ballast will often mask subsurface moisture. This becomes less of an issue when the survey is performed from the air with a high-resolution camera.

Physical inspections, upon request, are available to help locate potential sources of water penetration.

Our Drones and Helicopters

Helicopters allow for a large amount of square footage to be inspected and are not inhibited by drone flight restrictions. Drones are a good choice for performing infrared roof inspections where they are not limited and when used in single or smaller applications without incurring the cost of a helicopter. HOT/SHOT provides FAA drone-certified pilots for our inspections overseen by our Level III, Master Thermographer.

Documentation

• Digital thermograms of the aerial inspection indicating areas of moisture
• A complete survey report of the roof to determine repair and/or replacement allows clients to formulate long-term budget plans