Thermal Leak Detection

Do you suspect your roof may be leaking? Worse yet, have you seen evidence of a leak but can’t find where the water seems to be getting in or your climate-controlled air is getting out? Some leaks are so subtle or well-hidden that it can be difficult to spot them without the proper equipment.

At Royal Crown Roofing, we’re equipped to find those annoying leaks using infrared cameras. We’ll bring our specialized equipment to examine both your roof’s interior and exterior for any weak points.

The infrared cameras will tell us which points in your roof allow in more heat from outdoors, indicating a potential leak. This method can pinpoint active leaks as well as weakened areas that could collapse during a storm. Once we have an accurate picture of your roof’s condition, we can plan repairs.

How Thermal Leak Detection Saves Money

The information provided by thermal imaging is very valuable. 

It can pinpoint hard-to-find leaks. Water spreads, and finding the point of origination can be difficult. 

It can also detect small leaks, including pinpoint leaks, allowing you to address them early before they become serious.

It can identify which parts of the roof have moisture, mold, or moisture erosion; and which parts of the roof are dry and functioning. This helps us create more accurate repair estimates. This also allows you to replace only what is wet, saving you money. 

How Thermal Imaging Cameras Work

A thermal imaging camera is a very sensitive heat sensor that can detect tiny variations in temperature. Objects that radiate heat are actually radiating infrared energy, which is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Infrared radiation isn’t visible to the human eye but can be experienced as heat. 

Thermal imaging cameras capture infrared radiation (heat) the way normal cameras capture visible light radiation. The camera reads the objects’ infrared radiation, assigns each temperature a shade of a color, and creates an electronic image based on the different temperatures. This allows us to compare the various temperatures of the objects in view.

How Thermal Imaging Detects Leaks

Before we do a scan, we will identify warmer objects (like vents), plus any materials with a reflective or foil coating because these all may appear wet on the thermal image.

Water has unique thermal properties that allow it to be identified via infrared leak detection, whether it’s on the surface or within building materials. 

Damp roofing material will absorb thermal energy (infrared radiation) from the sun during the day—and will retain the heat longer than the dry material around it does. Under the proper conditions, the warmer damp spots are visible on the thermal imaging camera.

Water from a leak that has collected on a roof’s surface will evaporate during the day, cooling the building. The lower temperature is easily discernible with infrared leak detection technology. Leak detection is especially challenging on flat roofs, because the water can spread out easily. A simple thermal imaging scan can identify the problem quickly.

Thermal imaging cameras ignore visible light, so their heat readings are unobscured by solid objects like walls or roof components. Once we locate the water and the leak, we can also see the damaged area—and start the repair process.