Bud Buxton, Owner/Chief Pilot, Aerial Visions LLC
The roofing industry is entering a period of technology renaissance that will dramatically change the way roofing professionals’ approach and manage commercial roofing projects. Roof system manufacturers and good roofing practices require the detection of trapped moisture and wet insulation beneath a roof system, especially when evaluating an existing roof to develop a plan for repair, recovering or replacement. This critical aspect of the project development is not to be taken lightly or ignored because failure to locate, quantify and replace moisture compromised areas could result in premature failure of the roof system. The trapped moisture could also cause deterioration of the underlying roof deck and lead to potential cancellation of the roof system warranty among other things. The liability attributed to these issues represent an enormous risk to the roof system designer and installing contractor, as well as irreparable harm to customer relationships and professional reputations.
Drones carrying FLIR Thermal Infra-Red Scanners and high resolution digital cameras provide the ability to inspect the roof systems of entire facilities with amazing accuracy and detail, without the risk and exposure of walking across the actual roof surface. These drones carry military grade, high resolution FLIR Thermal Infra-Red Scanners to perform very accurate, non-destructive inspections of roof systems on commercial buildings. Aerial Thermal Infra-Red Scans do not see light images, but rather detect the slightest differences in the temperature of materials. The aerial scans are usually conducted just after sunset, when the roof area that has absorbed heat from the sunlight begins to cool down. Wet or moist roof materials cool at a different rate than surrounding dry areas and therefore show up on the scans as “anomalies.” These anomaly areas are easily detected by the very sensitive FLIR Thermal Infra-Red Scanners, which provides a thermal signature of the entire roof area. The scan report generated can show the location and quantity of the trapped moisture or wet insulation areas, providing invaluable insight necessary to evaluate the actual condition of the entire roof system. Reviewed and analyzed by a trained FLIR Certified Infra-Red Thermographer, preferably with roof system experience, the scan reports are a highly accurate tool for evaluation and developing a project plan for repair, recover or total replacement of the existing roof system.
Projects are often planned for total roof tear-off and replacement only to find the Thermal Infra-Red Scan detected a minimal amount of trapped moisture or wet insulation that can be easily removed and replaced with new dry materials. The entire roof area can then be recovered with additional insulation and a new roof system with increased R-value to qualify for a full system warranty. The direct savings can be enormous, but additional benefits include a less intrusive project due to minimal tear-off operations, an expedited completion schedule, reduced impact on the environment and huge savings on tear-off debris hauling and
disposal fees.
The building owner will be happy because there is total transparency, eliminating the inevitable change orders for cost of wet roof area removal and replacement with minimal interruption to the facility operations. Rather than removing the entire roof and existing insulation, owners often benefit by additional insulation installed and continued enhanced energy savings.
The roof system manufacturer is satisfied the installing contractor is compliant with the specification requirement for wet roof area detection and replacement as required for issuance of a roof system warranty.
The roofing contractor benefits by offering an enhanced level of professionalism, improved relationships with the building owner or roof system designer due to project transparency, expedited project completion within budget and reducing their long-term liability through compliance with the spec requirement to locate and remove moisture-compromised materials. The digital images taken along with the Thermal Infra-Red Scans also serve as pre-start documentation of actual roof level conditions and can be invaluable when developing the job estimate and even serve as a time and date stamped reference for actual site conditions.
The costs for Aerial FLIR Thermal Infra-Red Scans of commercial roofs and the related scan reports reviewed and generated by a FLIR Certified Thermographer are relatively incidental to the total cost of a major roofing project. However, the return on investment for the service is immediate and most projects can expect savings for the project budget and building owner that far exceed the cost of the scans, usually in multiples.
Roofing professionals have a rapidly developing array of hi-tech tools available to provide an enhanced level of professionalism and better end product to their customers. Advances in technology, such as aerial or satellite imagery, site measurements and
reporting services have all but eliminated many of the laborious efforts required to accurately compile basic project information. The days of measuring wheels and rolling tapes are now a fading memory for most roofing professionals and that’s just the beginning. The rapid development of drones and their related software programs can provide unlimited opportunities for proactive roof professionals for jobsite documentation, project management, safety compliance and monitoring.
The use of drones and the innovations they bring to the roofing industry and construction sites in general will continue to develop and soon the site of drones flying over and around a project site will be as common as hard hats and fall protection systems.
But Aerial FLIR Thermal Infra-Red Scans represent cutting edge technology that can result in huge savings and better installations for all roofing professionals, building owners and property managers. The level of professionalism in the roofing industry has made huge strides in recent years and embracing technology, such as the use of drones and Aerial FLIR Thermal Infra-Red Scans, will provide the tools needed to meet the complex challenges facing all roofing professionals.
Bud Buxton is the Owner and Chief Pilot of Aerial Visions LLC, a roofing and building envelope consultant specializing in aerial inspections and FLIR Thermal Infra-Red Scans. Bud is also an FAA Part 107 Drone Pilot with over 2,500 hours operating drones specifically on roofing systems, historical and complex building envelopes and tall structures and he is a FLIR Certified Infra-Red Thermographer. Bud was formerly active as an owner of a commercial roofing contracting firm for over 40 years and currently lives in Auburndale.
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