Thermal Inspection

Moisture, hot spots and heat loss, located by temperature.

Drone thermal inspection of roofs, solar arrays, electrical plant and building fabric across Newcastle, the Hunter and regional NSW. Radiometric thermal images paired with matching visual images, with annotated findings on request. Scoped to the site and the question, and quoted for the deliverable, not by the hour.

Overview

What a standard camera cannot show.

A roof that leaks after rain but looks sound from above, or a solar array producing less than it should with no visible damage. A standard camera records what a surface looks like. A thermal imaging camera records how warm it is, and the pattern of warm and cool across a roof, an array or a piece of plant points to what is happening underneath. We return radiometric thermal images, each paired with a matching visual image of the same spot and numbered on an anomaly plan, with annotated findings on request, so the trade or inspector working from it knows where to look.

Each thermal job is scoped to the asset and the question. Trapped moisture and heat loss show when the temperature difference across the material is clearest, and solar and electrical plant show under load, so the capture is timed to the asset's heating and cooling cycle and the weather. Each anomaly is marked, measured against its surroundings and reported as an observation, not a diagnosis. Every job returns a dated, verified record as a minimum, and a rated condition report where one is instructed.

Led by a reliability and asset management professional and NSW-licensed investigator.

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Uses

What thermal shows.

Roof moisture inspection

Water trapped in insulation or under a membrane or metal deck holds heat differently to dry material once the roof starts to cool. We map those areas across the roof and pair each with a visual image, so a roofer or building inspector has a plan of where to open up, core or test.

Solar panel and array inspection

Panels and cells running warmer than their neighbours, strings reading cold against the rest of the array, and anomalies at connectors and junction boxes, each located by panel on an array layout for the solar contractor to test and repair.

Electrical plant and switchgear

External switchgear, transformers, bus connections, motors and drives inspected under load. Each component running hotter than its neighbours, or than its own earlier reading, is located and its temperature contrast recorded for the electrical maintenance team.

Building fabric and heat loss

Heat loss through roofs, walls, glazing and junctions on commercial, school and strata buildings, mapped by elevation so facilities and strata managers can see where the envelope is losing heat and have the insulation, seals or detailing checked by the relevant trade.

Post-storm checks

After hail or wind, a thermal pass over a roof shows the pattern consistent with water under sheeting or membrane that looks intact to the eye, paired with visual imagery of the same spot for the insurer, loss adjuster or strata manager handling the claim.

Maintenance planning and fault finding

The same roof, array or plant captured on a set cycle, so new anomalies are picked up early, tracked against their last reading and placed in the maintenance plan with a priority rather than found after the failure. For a one-off fault, the same capture locates the warm component or wet area so the trade goes straight to it.

Deliverables

What is delivered.

A thermal inspection is a data capture first. The paired imagery is returned as a dated, verified record, and where a rated report is instructed the anomalies are annotated, rated and written up in an Asset Condition & Evidence Report. The outputs below are specific to thermal. Formats are agreed at scoping so the files open in the client's software.

Radiometric thermal (infrared) images with temperature data in every pixel, so each frame can be re-read and re-scaled after the flight rather than fixed as a coloured picture
Matching visual image for every thermal frame, taken from the same position, so each anomaly can be placed on the real surface
Anomaly plan: each thermal anomaly numbered and located on a roof plan, array layout or elevation set
Annotated findings on request: each anomaly described as an observation, with its temperature contrast against its surroundings and the pattern it is consistent with
Capture conditions record: time of day, ambient temperature, sky, wind and surface state, so the reader knows the conditions the images were taken under
Solar array anomaly map: each affected panel and string identified on the array layout, ready for the solar contractor's test and repair list
Baseline set with a stable reference for each anomaly, ready for repeat capture and change tracking

The report

Reported as an Asset Condition & Evidence Report, where the decision needs one.

Every job returns at least a dated, verified record with its capture log and chain-of-custody statement. Where a rated report is needed, these six parts are added and the service-specific outputs above sit inside it.

01
Capture to a stated specification
Ground sample distance, overlap and accuracy are set before the flight and recorded.
02
Defects mapped to asset IDs and zones
Every finding is located on an orthomosaic or model, not left in a folder of photos.
03
Condition grade and criticality
Criticality rated to asset-management practice: severity by likelihood, on a risk basis declared in the report.
04
Recommended maintenance action and timeframe
Monitor, planned maintenance, prompt repair, or refer to engineer.
05
Evidence annex
Hashed originals, metadata, capture log and a chain-of-custody statement.
06
Areas not inspected and limitations
Stated plainly, so the report is read for what it covers.

Criticality to asset-management practiceIllustrative

Process

How a thermal job runs.

Brief

Send us the asset, what you suspect, the size of the roof or array, what the data is for and when it is needed. We reply within one business day, scope the capture to the site and the time of day it needs, and send a fixed quote for the deliverable.

Capture to specification

The flight is planned around the site, the airspace, the weather and the timing window set at scoping. Each thermal frame is paired with a visual frame from the same position, and the conditions on the day are logged with the capture.

Review and annotate

The principal reviews the paired imagery, marks each anomaly, records its contrast against the surrounding material and describes what it may indicate, for the trade to confirm. Where a rated report is instructed, each anomaly is tagged to a zone, rated against the declared asset-management standard and given a recommended action and timeframe.

Report

The record, or the rated report where one is instructed, is issued with the paired imagery, the anomaly plan, the capture conditions and the evidence annex of hashed originals and the capture log, together with a statement of areas not captured. The delivery date is set in the quote.

Limits

What a thermal finding is, and is not.

A thermal inspection records surface temperature patterns on the day, under the conditions stated in the report. Findings are observations, not a diagnosis: a warmer or cooler area, a pattern consistent with trapped moisture, a component running hotter than its neighbours. Confirming a roof defect, a faulty panel or an electrical fault is a matter for the roofer, the solar or electrical contractor or the client's engineer, and the report says so against each finding. Areas that were shaded, wet from recent rain, obscured or outside the flight plan are listed as not captured, and the conditions on the day are stated so the reader knows what the images can and cannot show.

Thermal jobs are scoped to the site and the question, because the result depends on the time of day and the weather. Captures run in daylight or up to the end of civil twilight; anything later needs a CASA approval and is scoped separately. The platform and sensor are matched to the job and named in the quote. Outputs are not a cadastral or registered survey, and the ratings, where given, are an asset-management rating of the visible condition, not an engineering assessment or certification, which remain with the client's engineer.

Common questions

Thermal Inspection, answered.

Can drone thermal imaging find a roof leak?

It records the pattern trapped water leaves. Water trapped in insulation or under a membrane holds heat differently to dry material, and that shows as a distinct area in the thermal image once the roof has started to cool after a sunny day. The report locates each of those areas on the roof plan and pairs it with a visual image of the same spot. Confirming the leak and its source is a matter for the roofer or building inspector working from the plan.

What time of day is a thermal roof inspection done?

At the time of day the question needs. Roof moisture and heat loss show best when there is a clear temperature difference across the material, often towards dusk after a sunny day or early the next morning, so a dry, settled day is chosen and the capture is timed to it. Solar arrays and electrical plant are captured while under load. Captures run in daylight or up to the end of civil twilight, and the conditions on the day are recorded in the report.

How much does a drone thermal inspection cost?

Each thermal inspection in Newcastle, the Hunter or regional NSW is quoted as a fixed price for the deliverable, not by the hour. The quote is set by the size of the roof, array or plant, what the data is for, whether a dated record or an annotated and rated report is needed, the output format and the timing window the capture needs. Repeat passes over the same asset are quoted as a programme.

Can the thermal images be used in an insurance claim or a dispute?

They are captured and handled for that purpose. Each radiometric frame keeps its temperature data, is paired with a visual image, hashed and logged, and the report carries the capture conditions and a chain-of-custody statement recording who handled each file, when, and that it has not been altered. Whether it is admitted is a matter for the tribunal or court that hears the dispute.