Thermography Acts as Water Detective

Thermography is the use of an infrared imaging and measurement camera to see and measure thermal energy emitted from an object. Thermal, or infrared, energy is light that is not visible because its wavelength is too long to be detected by the human eye; it's the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that is perceived as heat.

Almost all materials on earth emit heat energy in the infrared portion of the spectrum. Unfortunately, the unaided human eye cannot see in the infrared. Infrared images allow the camera user to see thermally, revealing temperature anomalies that in turn identify potential problems in buildings and their component electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and waterproofing systems.

Unlike visible light, in the infrared world, everything with a temperature above absolute zero emits heat. Even very cold objects, like ice cubes, emit infrared. The higher the object's temperature, the greater the infrared radiation emitted.

Infrared thermography cameras produce images of invisible infrared radiation and provide precise, non-contact temperature measurement capabilities. Nearly everything gets hot before it fails, making infrared cameras extremely cost-effective and valuable diagnostic tools in many diverse applications. As the restoration industry strives to improve manufacturing efficiencies, manage energy, improve product quality, and enhance worker safety, new applications for infrared cameras continually emerge.

Today's lightweight and rugged infrared cameras can see not only in real-time, but also can record infrared images and measure the temperatures of target objects quite accurately — usually within .25? F. Points of possible concern show up clearly as hot or cold spots in relation to their surroundings. Recorded thermal images can be easily inserted into reports and widely distributed, greatly facilitating communications among the restoration companies, adjusters, and other professionals, not to mention serving as invaluable, rational, evidentiary data in cases involving controversy.

Universally Accepted

Restoration companies and adjusters have been using infrared cameras for years to trace moisture in building envelopes and confirm the progress of its drying efforts. What makes them so effective in real-world situations?

“The infrared camera's ability to detect the source and extent of moisture, and thus potential areas of mold growth much more quickly than moisture meters and other conventional technologies, has saved our clients countless dollars and inconvenience,” said Gary Gilman, president of SteamMaster, a restoration and cleaning company. “On the first job our camera was used, it found the source of moisture in a kitchen in 30 seconds; it took an engineer looking for moisture 45 minutes without a camera.”

Gilman went on to say that a thermographic inspection is a powerful, non-invasive means of monitoring and diagnosing the condition of buildings. It produces immediate documentation of water-damaged building materials, cause-and-origin data, plumbing and building envelope water leakage, post-flood and fire-damaged material assessment, insulation failures, and cold intrusions. Most importantly, said Gilman, the customer's mind is put at ease when he sees an infrared image — and a company's or adjuster's credibility is enhanced.

“In at least one case, infrared helped preserve a valuable wall mural in a $2 million-dollar condominium, behind which a leak from a fire sprinkler had developed,” said Gilman. “Without infrared, it would have taken much longer to determine where to position our drying equipment, [which would have increased] the chances of mold damage to the costly artwork.”

Because of its Vail, Colo., location, SteamMaster deals with frozen pipe bursts for much of its restoration work. Its FLIR ThermaCAM B-series infrared cameras are able to find the specific area of moisture intrusion and confirm its repair for insurance adjusters during the drying process.

“Infrared also is useful for identifying trapped roof leaks from ice and snow melt,” said David Gardoni, SteamMaster's water restoration manager. “[It can help] identify leaks from damaged or improperly installed radiant heater tubes under concrete entrances and driveways as well as identify the position of tubes when new flooring is being installed, to avoid inadvertently driving nails through them.”

In an Aspen, Colo., hotel, the company was able to use infrared to help a contractor correct a moisture problem during construction by identifying where the moisture was entering the building. Every time there was driving rain, moisture would enter the building envelope.

“We left our dehumidification equipment to dry the wet areas, and a moisture meter to monitor the progress,” said Gardoni. “This is a pro-active approach for new construction inspection.”

Lastly, Gardoni described another incident in a six-story hotel, where water had discharged from a fire sprinkler on the sixth floor for 15 minutes, flooding five units below, plus an office and kitchen. Over a five-day period, infrared located the wet portions, but after three days, there were still areas that were not completely drying out. After removing two layers of drywall, workers saw that water that was standing in C-channels.

“We would have spent significant more time monitoring the drying process without the infrared cameras,” said Gilman.

Raj Manickam is chief executive officer of SteamMaster Cleaning and Restoration, a network member of Disaster Kleenup International. He can be reached by e-mail at raj@steammaster.com, www.steammaster.com.