FROM OBSERVATION TO UNDERSTANDING
A better image starts
with a better question.
Do I really need another new roof?
Not necessarily. A failing membrane may need replacement, but replacing it without understanding why water is collecting or entering can leave the underlying problem intact.
What can thermal imaging add?
Thermal analysis can help identify patterns consistent with trapped moisture and show where further investigation should be concentrated. It can help connect visible symptoms with the larger behavior of the roof system.
Why do slope and drainage matter?
A roof is a water-management system. If slope, drains or scuppers do not move water effectively, ponding can subject the replacement membrane to the same conditions that affected the previous roof.
Should the investigation stop when the thermal scan is finished?
No. The important question is what caused the condition and what corrective work will prevent recurrence. Depending on the project, that can require design, drainage correction, demolition oversight, reconstruction and verification.
What should a good consultant be asking?
Not only “Where is the anomaly?” but “Why is it there, what else could explain it, and what must change so the problem does not return?”
THE FIELD REFERENCE
TAKE THE NEXT QUESTION FURTHER
The Environment
Decides.
The Discipline of Defensible Thermography
Understand the roof as a system, not just a surface.
Environmental history. Measurement physics. Competing explanations. The book explores the discipline behind acquiring, interpreting and defending thermal evidence.
- Before the missionPlan the question and the conditions.
- In the fieldReconsider when the scene changes.
- At the deskExamine what your evidence supports.