A Day in the Life of a Thermographer - Part I

I want to take a little different approach over the next month and walk you through how a Real Estate Due Diligence Infrared project is done. With an thermal inspection project for Due Diligence, there are a lot of moving parts. For this one, I did a commercial roof scan (and other infrared scans as well) as part of a specific Real Estate Due Diligence transaction for a large hotel chain in Myrtle Beach a few months ago and thought it might make for a fun few blogs.

Let me set the scene for you. It's Myrtle Beach, which is lovely this time of year - the ocean is beautiful as always but it's off-season so it's a perfect time to do a roof scan. Not too many tourists and you have enough time between rainstorms to perform an effective infrared roof scan.

The hotel in question is a little over a quarter of century old. It has two different integrated structures and stands about 9 stories tall. At first glance, it looked like a fairly conventional structure with lots and lots of windows.

It had EIFS (Exterior Insulation Finishing System) panels between the rows of windows (and a lovely view of the beach, I admit it). The hotel had a flat roof - perfect for infrared scanning!

Before starting any Real Estate Due Diligence Infrared project, I talk with the client to determine what the overall goals are. We set 4 goals.

1. Check the roofs to see if moisture had gotten into the insulation.
2. Check the Electrical system using infrared scanning to make sure everything is functioning correctly (remember - stuff gets really hot before it fails!
3. Make sure no moisture was getting through the EIFS.
4. Inspect the interior walls to make sure no moisture was present and make sure the wet walls (walls that carry the supply water, waste water and soil stacks from the top floor to the bottom floors) and the bathroom walls weren't wet.

Big job, huh? Next week I'll tell you what I did.

When was the last time you checked what was going on behind the walls? Want more information? Call me at 803-328-2889 or drop me an email!

We believe so strongly in using Infrared Thermal Imaging for your Real Estate Due Diligence, that we created a Discount Membership for our repeat customers. Learn more about it here: http://www.irinfraredservices.com/PremierMember.html

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. We are proud to offer the very best thermography services in North and South Carolina!

Lowering Commercial Electric Costs

Did you see that that Phoenix, Arizona recorded a temperature of 119 degrees last week? It has been unbelievably hot across the United States, resulting in increased use of energy grids and power to keep buildings cool.

If you are responsible for the maintenance of a large building or factory, rising energy bills are an ongoing concern. Proper building insulation is the most significant factor in reducing the energy consumption required to heat or cool a building. Unless you have a very old building, today’s insulation does not “go bad”. This doesn’t mean you can breathe a huge sigh of relief just yet.

Missing Insulation

Two insulation factors can affect energy performance. First, missing insulation is a common problem. Once the walls go up, it’s hard to tell if your insulation is installed properly or if it’s missing entirely in places.

Second, if you have or have had any type of water leaks or moisture seepage, the insulation may be wet. Wet insulation has almost no insulating value at all.

Using infrared thermal imaging, we can accurately determine the areas where insulation is insufficient, areas where there are water penetration problems, and air leakage through the building envelope.

Commercial building thermography is non-invasive and cost-efficient. Local insulation improvement can reduce heat escape during the summer. The larger your building, the greater your potential savings.

When was the last time you checked what was going on behind the walls? Want more information? Call me at 803-328-2889 or drop me an email!

We believe so strongly in using Infrared Thermal Imaging for your Predictive Maintenance, that we created a Discount Membership for our repeat customers. Learn more about it here: http://www.irinfraredservices.com/PremierMember.html

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. We are proud to offer the very best thermography services in North and South Carolina!