Have you ever been inside a building and looked up at the ceiling and seen that tell-tale black mold in the ceiling tiles? Or seen a discoloration around a bulge in a wall? Eeew yuck, right?
Mold, rot, and mildew can be a real threat to a building. Mold is a microscopic fungus that can destroy a building, and cause serious health issues in individuals. It can be exceedingly hard to remediate. Painting over the problem doesn't solve the issue.
How does mold occur? Several ways - all of which have to do with undetected moisture sources. Design flaws, entrained moisture in roofs and walls and water leaks can all be sources of mold growth. This sources of moisture intrusion can often be tracked to poorly installed insulation and vapor barriers.
When insulation and water vapor barriers are missing or poorly installed, condensation problems can occur - creating a nice, dark, moist place for mold to flourish. By the time the mold is actually visible on a ceiling or interior wall, it can be quite a severe infestation.
The answer to the question, "Can Infrared Detect Mold" is No. Mold doesn't exhibit a heat reaction strong enough to be seen by an infrared camera. What a certified infrared thermographer CAN do, however, is to detect moisture. Without moisture, mold growth is very limited.
Interested in learning more? Call me at 803-328-2889 and let’s talk!
IR Infrared Services provides top quality thermographic service at a competitive price to commercial users in North Carolina and South Carolina. For more information, visit our website or follow us on Twitter: We are proud to offer the very best infrared thermography services in North Carolina and South Carolina!
The ideas for this series of blogs are derived, in part, from Greg Stockton's excellent article Infared (IR) Thermography for Building Managers.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
4 Types of Buildings Where Infrared Thermography is Effective
How can a building manager manage the building asset in such a way as to save energy and money?
Infrared thermography is a useful tool for four different types of commercial buildings:
1. Residential
2. Commercial
3. Industrial
4. Institutional
Residential buildings include multi-family dwellings like apartments and condominiums. A condominium facilities manager can make effective and cost-efficient decisions regarding roof replacements and other moisture intrusion issues by using a thermal scans of the roof and building envelope.
Commercial buildings include office buildings, retail stores, and malls. In this case, building managers successfully engage commercial thermographers to determine building integrity, and areas of heat loss. E especially in the case where the buildings are spread out over several acres, many commercial building managers are turning to aerial thermography where large areas can be scanned quickly from above.
Industrial buildings including manufacturing facilities and factories. Apart from the obvious use to make sure the building envelope is functioning as it should, infrared thermography can be used for predictive maintenance of electrical and mechanical systems, and quality assurance within the manufacturing process.
Institutional buildings such as colleges and universities, hospitals, and government buildings are great candidates for infrared thermography. Many these institutions are housed in aging buildings where it might be difficult to ascertain where moisture intrusion or heat loss originate. For example, at one university client of mine, we used infrared thermography to detect a break in steam pipes buried in the ground that provided some of the power for the older section of the university.
Infrared thermography is simply not a one-size fits all solution, but can be used for many applications depending on the building type.
Interested in learning more? Call me at 803-328-2889 and let’s talk!
IR Infrared Services provides top quality thermographic service at a competitive price to commercial users in North Carolina and South Carolina. For more information, visit our website or follow us on Twitter: We are proud to offer the very best infrared thermography services in North Carolina and South Carolina!
The ideas for this series of blogs are derived, in part, from Greg Stockton's excellent article Infared (IR) Thermography for Building Managers.
Infrared thermography is a useful tool for four different types of commercial buildings:
1. Residential
2. Commercial
3. Industrial
4. Institutional
Residential buildings include multi-family dwellings like apartments and condominiums. A condominium facilities manager can make effective and cost-efficient decisions regarding roof replacements and other moisture intrusion issues by using a thermal scans of the roof and building envelope.
Commercial buildings include office buildings, retail stores, and malls. In this case, building managers successfully engage commercial thermographers to determine building integrity, and areas of heat loss. E especially in the case where the buildings are spread out over several acres, many commercial building managers are turning to aerial thermography where large areas can be scanned quickly from above.
Industrial buildings including manufacturing facilities and factories. Apart from the obvious use to make sure the building envelope is functioning as it should, infrared thermography can be used for predictive maintenance of electrical and mechanical systems, and quality assurance within the manufacturing process.
Institutional buildings such as colleges and universities, hospitals, and government buildings are great candidates for infrared thermography. Many these institutions are housed in aging buildings where it might be difficult to ascertain where moisture intrusion or heat loss originate. For example, at one university client of mine, we used infrared thermography to detect a break in steam pipes buried in the ground that provided some of the power for the older section of the university.
Infrared thermography is simply not a one-size fits all solution, but can be used for many applications depending on the building type.
Interested in learning more? Call me at 803-328-2889 and let’s talk!
IR Infrared Services provides top quality thermographic service at a competitive price to commercial users in North Carolina and South Carolina. For more information, visit our website or follow us on Twitter: We are proud to offer the very best infrared thermography services in North Carolina and South Carolina!
The ideas for this series of blogs are derived, in part, from Greg Stockton's excellent article Infared (IR) Thermography for Building Managers.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Infrared Thermography for Building Managers
With building and energy costs rising, many building managers are under increasing pressure to save money by reducing energy costs.
First, what do I mean when I say "building managers?" Because the core of my business is infrared thermography scans for commercial buildings, including roof surveys, energy audits, and the like, I work with building managers who are responsible for the smooth functioning of buildings, with managers who manage tenant expectations, and with facilities management.
Each of these positions may play a slightly different role and have a different viewpoint about commercial infrared thermography. The next few blogs are going to address 4 areas where building infared can be used detecting heat loss, moisture intrustion, insulation quality, and structural and pest surveys.
Interested in learning more? Call me at 803-328-2889 and let’s talk!
IR Infrared Services provides top quality thermographic service at a competitive price to commercial users in North Carolina and South Carolina. For more information, visit our website or follow us on Twitter: We are proud to offer the very best infrared thermography services in North Carolina and South Carolina!
The ideas for this series of blogs are derived, in part, from Greg Stockton's excellent article Infared (IR) Thermography for Building Managers.
First, what do I mean when I say "building managers?" Because the core of my business is infrared thermography scans for commercial buildings, including roof surveys, energy audits, and the like, I work with building managers who are responsible for the smooth functioning of buildings, with managers who manage tenant expectations, and with facilities management.
Each of these positions may play a slightly different role and have a different viewpoint about commercial infrared thermography. The next few blogs are going to address 4 areas where building infared can be used detecting heat loss, moisture intrustion, insulation quality, and structural and pest surveys.
Interested in learning more? Call me at 803-328-2889 and let’s talk!
IR Infrared Services provides top quality thermographic service at a competitive price to commercial users in North Carolina and South Carolina. For more information, visit our website or follow us on Twitter: We are proud to offer the very best infrared thermography services in North Carolina and South Carolina!
The ideas for this series of blogs are derived, in part, from Greg Stockton's excellent article Infared (IR) Thermography for Building Managers.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Detecting Hidden Leaks Using Infrared Thermography
As we have discussed, infrared thermal imaging is becoming the tool of choice for professionals in the construction industry, building maintenance, and even construction law.
Infrared imaging is an amazing diagnostic tool for large college campuses as well. I came across this
really terrific blog the other day - it's a great read and I thought I'd pass it along to you!
Interested in learning more? Call me at 803-328-2889 and let’s talk!
IR Infrared Services provides top quality thermographic service at a competitive price to commercial users in North Carolina and South Carolina. For more information, visit our website or follow us on Twitter: We are proud to offer the very best infrared thermography services in North Carolina and South Carolina!
IR Infrared Services provides top quality thermographic service at a competitive price to commercial users in North Carolina and South Carolina. For more information, visit our website or follow us on Twitter: We are proud to offer the very best infrared thermography services in North Carolina and South Carolina!
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