Thermal Imaging Survey London

Do you require a Thermal Imaging Survey in London?

A thermal imaging survey identifies insulation defects and conductive heat loss within the fabric of a building, showing where air and therefore heat, is leaking out of a given structure. Thermal imaging surveys are designed to build a comprehensive picture of the thermal efficiency of your property, showing where heat is being lost to the outside atmosphere and providing a key informational tool for any following remedial actions required.

Ascertaining insulation efficiency can be vital tool when looking in to the selling or buying of a property, gauging quality assurance of a new build, mapping damages caused by flooding, to helping assess the effectiveness of cooling and heating installations; such as central heating or underfloor heating.

Thermal imaging surveying has numerous benefits when applied to the investigation of building damage, structural assessment and energy efficiency. A thermal imaging survey could be instructed to satisfy a large number of issues that may be present, whether you wish to investigate;

• Thermal Bridging
• Air Leakage
• Energy Loss
• Discontinuous Insulation
• Water Ingress
• Water Damage
• Structural Defects
• Damp Mapping
• Heat Mapping of Water Pipes

Thermal imaging surveys are designed to generate a primary or comprehensive picture of the targeted issue, relying upon energy and density differentials. Thermography can be an essential non-destructive technique for anything from predictive maintenance, to non-destructive leak detection. Thermal imaging can help establish a plan for proposed future action or necessary remedial actions without the need to undertake destructive investigate works.

When you request a thermal imaging survey, after a non-invasive inspection of the property in question you will receive a full Thermographic report. This report will provide you with a detailed analysis on the efficiency of your thermal insulation. In this report you will be provided with a series of thermal imaging photographs, detailing surface temperature measurements and thermal dissipation. This will be accompanied by a full written report of the professional opinion of the surveyor as to the quality of the thermal insulation and if any remedial actions are required.

Understanding Thermal Images within the Thermal Imaging Survey Report

When reviewing thermal images, a general rule is that colder or damper surfaces are represented by darker colours, and therefore lighter colours are representative of where heat energy may be dissipating at a higher rate comparable to the background environment. When viewed externally, darker colours in thermal images represent areas where heat energy may be being lost a lower rate comparable to areas of brighter colour in the same image.

Where one material has a higher density than another, it is often a better conductor of energy and therefore energy may pass through areas that are shown in darker colours at faster rates. Accordingly, areas that take longer to warm up may be shown as damper or darker. The difference in density and energy transfer provide patterns observable using thermal images.

What is Thermal Bridging

Thermal bridges occurs where there are gaps between structural surfaces and materials, or when materials with greater conductivity interrupt the continuity of less conductive materials. A wall or floor will almost always consists of several components assembled or combined together by various methods, such as nailing, screwing, bolting, pasting etc. It is these materials along with items such as lintels, window frames and window sills amongst others, that are the most common bridges. In thermal imagery, areas of thermal bridging tend to show up on an internal elevation as either a particularly dark, or on an external elevation as a particularly bright colour.

Discontinuous Insulation Highlighted During a Thermal Imaging Survey

In thermal imagery, discontinuous insulation tends to show up as either particularly dark colours on an internal elevation, or particularly bright colours on an external elevation. The most common examples of discontinuous insulation are when loose insulation on the floor of an attic or roof pitch has been moved by wind, leaving gaps in the insulation later across the elevation, similarly where water, wind, or poor fixing of cavity wall insulation has resulted in collapsing, compacting or slipping from its place, these can appear as anomalies in thermal images.

Thermal Imaging Leak Detection Survey

A leak detection survey identifies sources of leakage within a water system or from weaknesses of a structure itself. These can include blown pipes, cracking in walls to improper fittings to roofing. You may believe you have a leak if your water or electricity usage suddenly jumps without explanation, faucets discharge dirty or murky water, or you receive reports of low pressure from customers. Causal factors leading to a water leak can range from corrosion or a lack of maintenance on an aged infrastructure, poor installation and workmanship to external factors side as subsidence and land slip.

Detection of a potential leak is very important, as if left unresolved, can lead to significant proprietary and monetary damage. When performing a leak detection survey, our surveyors utilise a number of techniques, such as listening devices and imaging equipment, to identify potential water leaks. Dependent on the nature and severity of water loss found in the Leak Detection Survey, our surveyor can write-up a full report advising appropriate actions, to performing vital repairs immediately on location.