Can aerial infrared surveys be used for leak detection? Why or why not?
A4. An Aerial IR survey will greatly assist the leak detection process, but is not leak detection, per-se. We have found that roof leaks are almost exclusively found within the area of water contamination of the roof insulation, which is what our surveys do detect. If roof maintenance personnel conduct a detailed inspection of the indicated water contamination area from the aerial survey, they nearly always locate the leak source. However, there are some leaks that occur from having the water pass directly down through the roof flashing, for instance, at a cracked or ill-fitting skylight, etc.
