What's Going On Behind YOUR Walls?

Hmmmm...all references to Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart aside, what really IS behind your drywall? How do you know that your concrete masonry walls are properly reinforced using concrete grouting and rebar?

Concrete Masonry Unit (CMU) or 'block' walls are everywhere - in buildings of every kind, size, and shape. After the CMU wall is built, it can be painted or it might get a brick facing or a stucco finish. It's almost impossible to see any structural integrity issues at this point!

In the past, the only way a building owner could tell if quality work was done was to drill or hammer holes into the concrete wall. Of course, this only gives you a small sample size - which means you could have massive structural integrity issues only a few feet away from the hole! The most popular way to make sure that grouting and rebar in place is to require the builders to install inspections port, cut into the block faces. This is a very costly, time-consuming and sloppy method.

Of course with infrared thermography, we now have an easy way to find structural deficiencies in either the components (like the concrete blocks, grouting, and rebar) or in the building's thermal envelope. Make sure your building is safe and efficient!

IR Infrared Services provides top quality thermographic service at a competitive price to commercial and residential end users in North Carolina and South Carolina. For more information, visit www.irinfraredservices.com or follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/infraredscans

May is Roof Scan Month!

Since May is my self-designated “Roof Scan Month”, I wanted to review some of what we’ve covered this month. (Relax, there’s not really a quiz!)

Infrared roof scan inspections can save you hundreds of thousands of dollars in labor and materials.

Benefits of using Infrared Thermography for Roof Scans are:

* Flat roof leak detection for buildings, plants, facilities
* Identify water damaged portions of a roof quickly and accurately
* Eliminate unnecessary replacement of good roofing
* Document problems before the warranty/bond expires
* Locates wet insulation which may indicate a failing roof system
* Identifies areas of heat loss

Infrared technology is used by to detect moisture through temperature differentials across virtually every type of roof surface. Infrared analysis is a non-destructive testing method that quickly identifies both large and small areas of saturation.

IR Infrared Services provides top quality thermographic service at a competitive price to commercial and residential end users in North Carolina and South Carolina. For more information, visit www.irinfraredservices.com or follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/infraredscans

Using Infrared Thermography Surveys to Scan Your Roof Finds Areas of Damage

Infrared roof scans and surveys are all performed following ASTM guidelines for locating wet roof insulation.

So How Do Roof Surveys Work?

Roof Scans are usually scheduled 2-3 hours after sunset. This is because the sun radiates energy (heat) onto the roof and roof substrate during the day. After sunset, as it starts to cool, the roof radiates the heat back into the atmosphere. This process is called radiational cooling and it is what makes roof surveys using thermography possible.

The areas of the roof that are wet retain heat longer than dry areas. Infrared imagers can “see” these areas. In addition to detecting areas of damage that lead to roof leaks, it’s also the perfect time to conduct heat loss and other infrared services!

The reports provided from a Roof Scan Infrared survey give your roofing professionals the information they need to recommend cost-effective removal and replacement of the wet areas – extending the life of your roof!

IR Infrared Services provides top quality thermographic service at a competitive price to commercial and residential end users in North Carolina and South Carolina. For more information, visit www.irinfraredservices.com or follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thermalimageguy

Why is My Roof Leaking?

Do you wince when you see the weather report calling for rain, knowing that the pesky leak the roofers can’t seem to fix is going to start dripping water down the walls of your business – or worse – dripping water onto your equipment?


It can be frustrating when you see evidence of water seepage but no one can locate the reason why!


Did you know that as much as 90% of all water intrusion problems occur within 1% of the total building or structure exterior surface area?


Even more amazing is that approximately 99% of waterproofing leaks are from reasons other than material or system failures!


Part of the reason that the source of the leak can be hard to locate is that water travels. Where the water breaks through may actually be quite a distance from the actual leak. In commercial buildings, that means that literally thousands of feet of roof space is suspect.


Roof scans, sometimes called roof surveys, use infrared thermography to spot thermal anomalies in the roof. It’s like providing GPS coordinates to the needle in the haystack!