Water Leaks
Once water has entered a building, it can travel, making it difficult to find the sources of the leak. Infrared thermography is very useful for detecting water trapped inside walls and under roofs. Water can get underneath the roofing membrane, go behind walls, and travel far and wide. Infrared thermal surveys are effective for detecting moisture that has found its way under the surface of the roof and the roofing insulation.
By employing thermal imaging and a moisture meter, we can locate moisture issues before they become large problems and lead to serious damage. While an infrared camera does not specifically detect moisture itself, it does detect differences in temperature. When a material becomes wet and saturated with water, its temperature will be cooler than the surrounding areas because water takes longer to warm up than, wood or drywall. In order to verify what the infrared camera is seeing, we use a moisture meter to verify the present of moisture.
For easy location our Flir Infrared cameras include digital photographs of the areas of the thermograph.
Flir infrared cameras are popular for finding moisture intrusion problems because of the many advantages they provide over conventional methods. Mainly they are a non-invasive method of inspection. Using an infrared camera along with a moisture meter allows us to see the problem areas to be located and are able to easily document the problem area.