Is your roof leaking? Unfortunately for homeowners, a leak in your roof can quite easily go unnoticed, getting progressively worse as time passes. Leak detection is a science that goes beyond simply looking with the naked eye, and that’s when you’d look to the help of thermographic experts. Thermography is a method of scanning that accurately detects leaks in your roof where you otherwise wouldn’t see them.
Leaks and their consequences
They may not be easily noticeable, but by the time they are, leaks are a very serious problem. Not only do they cause mould and damage to your property, but they can increase the cost of electricity usage as well. The longer leaks are allowed to run rampant, the more expensive it is to repair the damages.
But what causes leaks? Leaks can be the result of condensation building in your roof or migration of water that leaks into the membrane of your roof thanks to improper detailing and construction. This builds up moisture in sections of your roof, breaking down materials and causing mould.
A buildup of moisture in your roof also lowers its R-Value, letting the cold in during winter and conversely letting the heat in during summer. This forces us to use more energy to regulate the temperature in our homes, which costs more and is detrimental to the environment.
But what is the R-Value? R-Value is how insulation is measured. The higher the R-Value, the better the thermal performance and insulation. This insulation stops heat and cold from passing through the roof in either direction.
How Thermography Detects leaks
We can’t detect leaks with our eyes alone, but through the eyes of an infrared camera lens, or thermal scanning it’s a lot easier to spot them. A drastic change in temperature is often a sign that something’s amiss, and leaks will show up in pretty vivid colours.
During the day, your roof is heated up by the sun, but wet patches in your roof absorb more heat than the rest of your roof and also releases that heat at a slower rate. Thus with infrared technology, you can see these heat patches clearly and can determine the location of water damage and leaks. This happens quickly and real-time, and a thermography expert can easily read the results to tell you where the problem areas are and their severity.
How it Saves You Money
Thermography takes the guess-work out of repairs, allowing you to immediately pinpoint the damaged sections of your roof. That means you can spot-fix those areas, leaving the non-damaged areas alone and saving you money on repairs. There’s no need to fix what isn’t broken, and if your roof is mostly intact it would be a costly waste to replace the entire structure. By mapping out the problem areas in your roof, you can effectively budget for the repairs that need doing, and direct your attention and funds to urgent repairs first.
And by restoring the R-Values in your home or office you can enjoy a more stable temperature without resorting to heaters and air conditioners, which cost a pretty penny to run. This saves you time and money overall.
Some warranties and insurance policies on roofs also require that you do thermography scans to check for leaks in order for these policies to remain valid, which is incentive enough to check.
Enlist the Help of Thermography Experts
You don’t have to tackle roof inspection on your own; with the help of our thermography experts, we can capture images and read the findings to put you on the right track to effective and efficient roof repairs. Identifying the problem is the first hurdle, and we’re here to help you do just that. Get in contact with us to find out more.
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