Thermography Tracks Roof Repairs

by Jay Bowen
Instructor – ITC Level III

At one time or another, almost all windows and roofs leak, which can be a huge problem because of the concerns about molds in the home. Molds and decay organisms need water to grow, and the growth can be inside the walls, out of view.

Flashing is one of the most critical details of construction and is often improperly installed. It is the component that keeps water from entering joints between dissimilar building materials or other locations subject to water penetration. A large number of construction problems are water issues that can many times be traced back to the omission of or incorrect installation of roof and wall flashing.

In this narrative, Jay Bowen relates a true story about how leaks can go from bad to worse with the wrong contractor. Here is his tale.

I came home from a long week of training in California and found my roof window had developed a leak. Before I called for a repair I imaged the window to determine the extent and the possible entry point of the water (Figure 1). This was in mid June. I could not see a point of entry but the surrounding drywall was still wet.

 
Figure 1. Moisture around the window

Finally, I arranged for a roofing contractor to repair the roof. Now it is the first part of September. I had the roof completely removed and reflashed. But somehow, this contractor did not understand that the roof was to be repaired.

Figure 2. Thermal pattern during a rainfall

Figure 2 shows the window while it was raining quite significantly outside and correspondingly inside. My floor was acting quite well as a sponge (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Wet spots on the floor

But this contractor actually created another significant leak in another part of the roof (Figure 4).

 
Figure 4. New leak created by the roofing contractor

Which … reached down to the outside wall and found a convenient place to come out; my electrical switch box (Figure 5)!

Figure 5. Water exiting from the switch box

After many towels, phone calls, and contractor visits, I fired this contractor and he (after seeing these images and my intent to sue him for damages) refunded my money.

Another contractor was retained … and some more repairs were made to the flashings and such. Now in December I can say I think it’s fixed or … we are just frozen and I can expect this all over again in spring. I need my camera to catch up with me so I can image it once more.

Make sure your job gets done right, use your infrared camera to check the quality of work by your contractors.