There are many benefits of thermal imaging. And it isn't just for night vision or hunting. Thermal imaging is a technology being used more frequently in the construction industry. If you want to build safe, durable structures or need to find leaks, thermal imaging helps you exceed construction industry standards.

Top to bottom, thermal imaging provides you, the building owner, terrific peace of mind about the building inspection of your commercial property. MTI will find problem areas of your construction site, and we provide you all the information readily available in a cloud-based report.

What MTI has to offer?

 MTI has both Ariel and handheld thermal equipment that can be used for various applications on your projects. We can quickly scan a building envelope to look for areas of stress or leakage in the building. A façade issue on a tall building may not be visible to the naked eye but can be captured by doing a Thermal and Visual Ariel scan of a building. Mechanical Testing, Inc. has Level 1 and 2 Thermographers ready to help building owners understand various issues happening to their building.

This scan can help identify issues and fix them quickly, saving a building owner from future issues. A thermal roof scan can also identify any leakage or roof membrane issues before the leak becomes a bigger problem. A simple roof scan of a new roof would also help in a natural disaster where the roof's viability for an insurance claim may come into question. New applications for UAV's and Robotics emerge daily and the construction job site will be the next vertical that is positively impacted exponentially.

What Does Mechanical Testing, Inc. use Thermal Imaging for?

Thermal imaging is used to visualize and highlight potential concerns before they can cause a breakdown. These breakdowns can cause many forms of structural damage. Building inspections assess moisture damage and electrical problems for any structure.  Thermal imaging with Mechanical Testing, Inc. will help you find these issues while they are still small. MTI also uses drones to assist with thermal imaging. Whether MTI uses handheld devices or drones, we conduct thermal scanning to assist the building owner find serious issues that may cost significant money.

How Thermal Imaging Works

A thermal imaging camera detects heat radiation from the electromagnetic spectrum to create a 2-D image of your building.Thermal imaging helps:

• Facilitate detection of construction issues
• Pinpoint energy loss
• Detect thermal insulation and HVAC issues
• Inspect in areas where other methods are impossible or dangerous
• Show a visual image over an important area while comparing temperature differences through color variation data.
• As a Building Commissioning tool, thermal imaging helps locate problems and affords repairs while the contractor is still on site.

Weather Conditions

At MTI, we monitor the weather  closely when completing a thermal imaging scan. We need to pay attention to certain weather factors that can influence exterior surface temperatures. First, the difference in temperature between the interior and the exterior of the area you  image impacts how the camera detects the temperature differential.  At MTI, the Certified technician considers lighting conditions and the wind speed as well.

If you are imaging a roof for thermal radiation, the best conditions are:

• A calm day
• Clear conditions the day before thermal imaging

If temperatures are similar, heat radiation imaging can lead to misreading information from the camera; so an object can become indistinguishable.

If the weather is extremely hot, imaging at dusk is your best bet. If you must image during wintry weather, attempt to create a large temperature difference between the building's interior and exterior.

Using Thermal Imaging in Building Inspection

Thermal imaging is the quickest and most efficient method of detecting structural defects, moisture intrusion, electrical problems, and energy waste in buildings. A thermal imaging camera, showing precisely where issues develop, helps focus MTI's Certified technicians and allows them to diagnose the areas needing repair. We provide high-tech building inspection services for all commercial construction projects.

Nondestructive Inspection

MTI uses thermal imaging technology to scan power transmission lines as well as parts in mechanical or electrical equipment. More and more building owners and project managers realize professional non-destructive testing can significantly reduce costs, provide safety and improve building management.

Mechanical Testing, Inc. uses thermal imaging because it can reveal hidden moisture within a critical and costly building component. This technology offers invaluable information to those making expensive building management decisions.

Mold Overgrowth

Wet building materials provide an excellent environment for the growth of mold.  The longer building materials stay wet, the worse the problem becomes. The opportunity to reduce losses, and potential liabilities, decrease as soon as the problem areas are identified and mitigated.  It’s especially important to get a comprehensive investigation of the roof. Is it watertight? Is there a  potential for mold in the roof?

Results You Can Count On

Of course, many business owners order thermal imaging surveys when they face enormous decisions about roof repairs, or if they need a roof replacement. Frequently they need this information to help them select the most cost-effective repair and replacement options.

In our thermal imaging reporting, MTI provides you with thermal images and professional reporting to tell you what is being reflected by the thermal imaging camera. MTI also gives you a hard copy of the cloud-based report.  And Mechanical Testing, Inc. does all this for you. Call MTI at 518-450-7292 or email us at sales@mtidrones.com. Contact us today.