Commercial Uses for Infrared: Regular infrared roof scans increase the lifespan of commercial roofs by as much as 300%

A quick search for infrared turns up many medical uses. It’s really quite fascinating how infrared images can help detect inflammation and injury of the human body – infrared scanning is even being used to detect some cancers! Another wide application is infrared scanning for residences, to detect roof leaks and especially to conduct energy scans to detect loss of heat.

Although part of my business is residential infrared scans, the main part of what I do is commercial infrared scanning. I thought I would take the next few weeks to briefly review commercial uses for infrared.
Easily the most popular reason I get called is for infrared roof scans. Replacing a commercial roof can easily cost thousands of dollars. Or sometimes a new roof has been put on a structure that has been renovating and random leaks occur. 

Waterproofing problems manifest in two ways: leakage and entrained moisture contamination. Visible leaks inside the building rarely directly relate to the exact spot on the roof. Since water flows down the roof slope to a vulnerable spot and into the building it can be hard to identify what part of the roof needs repair.

Most entrained moisture contamination occurs where the waterproofing termination is sealed or where there is a penetration of the roof. Since most types of roofing systems absorb some water, finding the exact spot of water contamination in the insulation can be difficult. Building leaks may not occur until well after the insulation has absorbed all the water it can hold. If the originating problem cannot be found and fixed, many building owners feel they have no choice but to replace the entire roof.

However, a commercial roof scan easily locates the compromised portion or portions of your roof. This allows you to replace just the part of the roof (and insulation) that needs to be replaced. In most cases, this extends the lifetime of your commercial roof! Roof Scans enable you to develop a more sophisticated roof asset management program, make more informed decisions regarding roofing budgets, and to plan effective repairs.

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 us on the web or follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/infraredscans. We are proud to offer the very best thermography services in North Carolina and South Carolina!

Happy Holidays from IR Infrared Services

Happy holidays everyone! We hope you enjoyed our December series on Predictive Maintenance and the use of thermal imaging. We look forward to working with you next year and providing you with quality service for your facility! IR Infrared Services thanks you for your business and we look forward with you toward a safe and prosperous 2011!


Brian

Faulty Breaker Box Can Cause Thousands of Dollars of Damage

Quick! Go take a look at one of the breaker boxes in your building. I bet it looks normal doesn't it? Maybe a little like this?












Here is a Thermal scan of the same breaker box. Note the abnormal heat level on the left. Scary isn't it?

This is why most commercial insurance companies provide discounts for property managers who conduct regular thermography scans of their buildings. What could be a horrific issue is easy to fix when you know it's there.

Thermal imaging is the only non-intrusive safe way to inspect for issues that you can't see with the naked eye.

Thermography picks ups other issues as well, including energy leaks. It's a win-win!





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

Federal Tax Credit to Renovate Your Home

I just read a couple of interesting blogs about the tax credits.

If you own your own home and it is your principal residence, this federal tax credit program provides up to 30% of some of your upgrade costs in tax credits back to you. Wow! That can be alot of money at the end of the day.

What is included? The easiest way to find out is to visit the Energy Star website here: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=tax_credits.tx_index.

The U.S. Department of Energy has a great article that discusses how a thermographic inspection can detect defects and air leakage. http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/energy_audits/index.cfm/mytopic=11200

So how does this tie in with a thermographic inspection? Easy. In this economy, you want every penny that you spend to count. An infrared inspection can quickly identify areas where heat is leaking (for example, drafts around windows and doors), where you need to replace insulation, or other structurally weak areas (does your roof need replacing?). This allows you to make informed decisions about what areas of your home need renovating.

The federal tax credit applies to such areas as adding, replacing or upgrading:

Biomass Stoves
Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning (HVAC)
Insulation
Metal and Asphalt Roofs
Water Heaters
Windows and Doors

Please visit the Energy Star website for detailed information about the homeowner tax credit program and call us for your affordable thermography inspection!

IR 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.

ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes

When a builder says his homes are Energy Star Qualified, what does that mean? Curious about the requirements?

Here's a quick downloadable file that contains the requirements for the ENERGY STAR Builder Option Package (BOP). A home must meet the specified requirements, and be field-tested
in accordance with the HERS Standards by a RESNET-accredited Provider. More information can be found at www.energystar.gov/homes or we'd be happy to assist!

IR 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.

Infrared Thermographic Testing Can Prevent Electrical Failures

I recently read an interesting article by CNA (you can read the whole article here: http://www.irinfraredservices.com/pdffiles/ElectricalFailuresAreaMajorCauseofLosses.pdf )
that claims the "largest single cause of dollar losses and more than 30% of all Fire losses" are due to electrical failure. In fact, electrical failure is the LEADING cause of industrial monetary loss.

Can you imagine knowing that you could effectively reduce the chances of devastating loss to your company through electrical failure simply by performing periodic thermographic inspections? Thermographic inspections can detect loose or corroded connections, overloaded or unbalanced circuits, and can show where corrective action should be focused.

It simply doesn't make financial sense to ignore the facts.


IR Services provides top quality thermographic service at a competitive price to commercial and residential end users in North Carolina and South Carolina.

What Issues Can Be Found With Thermography?

I'm often asked why I think thermography is so effective. What makes it better than a normal inspection?

All components within a building generate infrared radiation. This heat is invisible to the human eye and can only be detected by infrared thermography. Infrared Thermography can be used to locate a number of issues related to buildings ranging from energy loss to leaks in flat roofs and damp location surveys.

The camera observes the infrared signals and displays the image electronically on a LCD screen. Professional Thermographers can diagnose which elements are generating heat or losing heat and advise on remedial action.

The following list details some of the types of surveys we routinely carry out:

Location of leaks on flat roofs
Identification of water leaks or damp
Assessment of energy loss from buildings
Identify faults or leaks in underfloor heating systems
Location of pipes in floors or walls
Survey and inspect underfloor heating systems
Identify insulation defects in walls
Locate drafts or air infiltration in buildings
Check window or door seal integrity
Check cold store insulation and air integrity