BUILDING ENVELOPE INSPECTIONS PROVIDE THOROUGH, EFFICIENT INSPECTIONS
THE CHALLENGE
Water infiltration, moisture accumulation, air leakage, and thermal bridging are some of the most common and costly failures to affect a customer’s comfort and budget. Recent studies suggest more than 84% of all construction-related claims, defects, and warranty call-backs are related to building envelope issues. These issues are not always easily identifiable nor verifiable by the naked eye. Relying solely on moisture meters, temperature guns, and voltage testers can take time, as these tools require educated guesswork to pinpoint the source of problems.
HIGHLIGHTED SOLUTION
Many companies now use infrared (IR) technology for cost-effective, nondestructive testing on a variety of building envelope issues. An IR—or thermal imaging—camera can identify hidden problems by measuring surface temperature differentials and displaying them as colors. Proper interpretation of IR data is critical, requiring a knowledge of IR theory, moisture migration, heat transfer, environmental effects, and overall building-envelope construction. Because most building inspection companies follow American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and RESNET standards, the thermal camera they use must meet guidelines for specifications such as pixel resolution, spatial resolution, and thermal sensitivity.
THE RESULTS
A thermal imaging camera like the FLIR T540 measures temperatures with the accuracy and sensitivity needed to help inspectors correctly identify pooling moisture, air leaks, and other building envelope issues, and track them to the source. Once the issue is identified, with a pinless moisture sensor, you can calculate metrics like GPP, dew point, relative humidity, etc. based on the multi-sensor input. The inspector can then document his/her findings and make appropriate repair recommendations. The benefits of thermal for building envelope inspections are numerous: improved reliability from visually documenting findings, improved productivity through reduced inspection time, and the improved efficiency that comes with correctly identifying problems correctly and confirming repairs. These all aid in reducing costs to the inspector while at the same time providing customers with the incalculable value of peace of mind.
Learn more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36N7wLtO8HY – FLIR T-Series
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVSQOWq2XqA – building envelope inspection solution using thermography