Moisture in building materials can destroy structural integrity and nurture mold and insect infestations. Mold is a growing concern for insurers, lenders, investors and building owners because of the growing number of claims. In mold remediation, first is to identify the locations and remove all sources of moisture infiltration. Infrared cameras can image entire rooms and reveal moist conditions behind drywall, painted surfaces and wallpaper that maybe undetectable without destructive investigation.
Infrared is an efficient, nondestructive method of locating building defects and moisture in both interior and exterior of the structures. Current building moisture surveys performed using moisture-detecting equipment such as a moisture meter are slow and prohibit surveying of hard to reach locations. Areas inaccessible to the standard moisture meters can be surveyed with the infrared camera quickly, easily and with little hindrance to your customer.
It is not harmful to you, in fact, Infrared is now being used in operating rooms to detect, define and diagnose problems within our bodies. Infrared is also being used to find any problems in animals.
In construction it is used to detect moisture and building defects in exterior and interior structures, such as balconies, electrical, insulation, plumbing, stucco, windows and roofing. Construction professionals find that infrared technology benefits them by;
- Reducing man-hours spent on pinpointing areas that need repair;
- Identifying leak areas before they become a major cause of property damage;
- Reducing total structure replacement;
- Assisting in nondestructive investigation.
State of the art thermal imaging technology is being used to locate termite infestation in buildings and homes. This technology gives the property owners visible proof of termite infestation and record of how great the problem is. There is a significant and growing problem with termite damage to buildings, due to subterranean termites.
Estimated annual termite damage in the United States, is greater than caused by fire and storms, up to 1 percent of the total housing.
Thermal imaging offers a new, high technology detection system that is quick, effective and does not require any damage to the structure.
Thermal imaging detects heat patterns. When termites invade buildings, the normal heat patterns of walls, floors and roofs are changed do to the termite mass. The Infrared Camera records this change in a heat pattern that indicates the exact location of the infestation.
Not all jobs are thermography candidates. Certain characteristics may result in poor inspections:
Insulation with different R-values or different absorption characteristics;
- Different internal building temperatures;
- Large ballast or extra gravel left on the roof;
- Warm or cold air exhausting onto the Structure.
- Internal sources of heat or cold such as lights, heaters and steam pipes;
- Dirt, vegetation and debris;
- Water ponding or water spray.
The ideal conditions for infrared inspection are:
- Clear sunny day;
- Clear night, no cloud cover; (Low Sloped Roofs)
- Little or no wind;
- Dry surface;
- Clean, clear of dirt and debris.
FLIR Systems supplies the infrared camera we use here at Aavon Home Services. They can be found at www.flir.com.
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