Q2, 2014

Cost is almost always a driving factor when replacing commercial/industrial roofs. One option to minimize cost in some instances is installing a new roof system over the existing roof. This option lowers cost by minimizing removal of the existing roof and eliminates purchasing and installing new substrate materials. International Building Code (IBC) and most major roof system manufacturer's limit scenarios when this option may be utilized. This option is limited to systems where there is only one (1) roof already in place and there is zero subsurface moisture.

How do you determine if you roof is a candidate for this less expensive solution? Standard core samples will tell you the existing roof construction and how many roofs are already in place. But how do you determine the extent of subsurface moisture? No amount of core cuts can be performed to give you an exact summary of subsurface moisture. A core cut is very small sample (approximately 3" - 4" in diameter) of a very large area. The best solution is to perform an infrared moisture scan combined with the use of a capacitance meter. This scan should ALWAYS performed by a third-party thermographer, not a roofing contractor. An accurately performed infrared moisture scan will define areas of wet substrate which will help determine appropriate budgets and scopes of work. The photos below are a perfect example what we see versus what the infrared camera sees.

What the naked eye sees:

What the infrared camera sees:

This is just one of many benefits of infrared thermography in the roofing industry. Contact us to discuss this topic in further detail or to schedule an infrared scan of your facility.

Cale Prokopf, RRO

Project Consultant

(314) 687-5687

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