Commercial roofs must be inspected regularly to perform adequate maintenance and repair. However, climbing onto a roof is dangerous and the act of walking on the roof can lead to damage or possible injury. Fortunately, many commercial roof services have begun using drones to perform inspections.
Traditional Roof Inspections
In the past, roofers were required to either climb onto a roof or perform inspections from a ladder. This is inconvenient and can even be dangerous with steep roofs or with roofs so damaged that it is difficult to walk on it. For example, if a roof has suffered fire damage or storm damage, there might be sections that could collapse and the roofer could fall through. Also, in the past, not every inch of a roof was inspected due to cost and time restraints. While roofers would inspect areas most likely to be suffering from damage, other areas might go overlooked.
Drone Inspections
A drone is a flying device that allows a roofer to inspect the roof with a camera. This eliminates the risk that the roofer will fall from the roof and the drone does not have to touch the roof. Also, because the drone can fly anywhere, it may be able to inspect sections of the roof that would be more difficult to inspect without a drone.
Assessments carried out by drones are much faster because a drone can fly to the top of even a tall commercial building in a matter of minutes. This can lower costs by reducing labor. A drone is much less expensive than the costs associated with physically climbing onto the roof. A very large building can take a long time and a lot of manpower to inspect. However, a drone can carry out a comprehensive scanning of the roof.
High Resolution and Infrared Imaging
The images generated by the drone can be at a very high resolution, which can allow the roofer to identify defects that wouldn't be visible to the naked eye. Thermal imaging can help a roofer more easily detect problem areas. Infrared moisture surveys can be used to scan your roof for moisture issues. Water retains heat, so an infrared imaging technology can discover moisture this way.
By using drones, you can avoid having issues overlooked and can avoid liability issues. You won't have to worry about performing more expensive roof repairs down-the-road due to problems not being fixed when they could have been fixed more cheaply.