Infrared thermography, long used with success by the military, law enforcement agencies, research and development engineers, manufacturers and broadcasters, to name a few, is finding increasing use among insurance adjusters as a tool to settle claims quickly and with minimum cost.

The non-invasive technology has proven particularly effective in the settlement of water intrusion and mold claims, where it does not require the walls or ceilings under investigation to be torn apart to locate the source. It can scan an entire room in minutes, pinpointing the extent of water damage and mold, with minimal disruption of the infrastructure. And most important, today's infrared camera images can be printed out, in living color, for use as evidence that is hard to argue with.

For adjusters, the lightweight cameras, like the ThermaCAM(R) B1–no bigger or heavier than a flashlight–can resolve and settle water intrusion and mold claims in a matter of days.

“The savings in time and money are huge, and it all but eliminates the need for costly destructive testing, where a whole wall might be taken down only to find there is no moisture after all,” says Mike Eggman, President, Certified Restoration & Construction Inc., in Sacramento, CA, who is often called upon by adjusters to perform infrared surveys on their behalf.

“In addition to being able to scan every square inch of an area in a fraction of the time it would take with a moisture meter — if indeed a 4″ by 6″ moisture meter, which is limited to the surfaces it actually touches, could guarantee 100% coverage of a 20-ft. wall and ceiling — infrared provides graphic documentation of areas of suspected moisture intrusion,” adds Eggman.

“We use the moisture meter only to identify an abnormality we might see on the IR thermogram, to confirm that the temperature differential we're seeing is actually an indication of moisture, and not something else, like an insulation void or multiple layers of building material.”

“In the past, if you had a 20 ft. wall with eight windows, you would probably open the entire wall, or many portions of it, to find a moisture problem because you really couldn't see the abnormality and its scope,” says Eggman. “But anything you ripped out you had to put back in place, and that could become costly and inconvenient for someone.”

Moisture intrusion is not the only building defect that infrared can be used to detect quickly, decisively, and non-destructively. Other instances where adjusters can use the technology to help determine cause and responsibility include:

oLeaking roofs Roof leaks can cause costly damage to a building's contents and discomfort to its inhabitants. An infrared inspection can quickly identify missing insulation under a flat membrane roof, which can be the source of roof leaks. Once responsibility for the missing insulation is determined, the surgical repair of failed areas rather than the much more costly replacement of the entire roof is possible.

oConstruction defects The increased use of EIFS (Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems) and stone, stucco, brick veneers, and siding as facades on residential as well as commercial buildings invites the possibility of water intrusion if they are not properly installed. IR can detect or verify moisture infiltration in these weatherproofing barrier systems, usually the result of insufficient detailing such as inadequate or improperly applied flashing or sealants. In addition, IR can monitor and track moisture migration paths within the wall cavity.

oMissing insulation An IR camera can quickly and non-destructively detect areas of missing insulation in walls, crawlspaces, and attics or around doors, windows, electrical outlets, and other access plates. All of these problems can increase a building's energy costs by allowing cold air to enter the building and heated air to escape in the winter, and vice versa in the warmer summer months. IR can also identify poorly or uninsulated pipes, another source of costly heat loss.

Ron Lucier is a Regional Thermography Course Manager at FLIR Systems. He can be reached at the Infrared Training Center (infraredtraining.com) or 800-464-6372.

Special Reports /

Infrared Imaging Speeds Settlements; Keeps Costs Down

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