Certain plumbing problems and concerns are evident. Clogged toilets, slow drains, and faulty water heaters are difficult to overlook. Other current plumbing concerns, such as leaks, can be far more difficult to locate. They typically develop out of sight, in walls, floors, and ceilings, where they can persist for an extended period of time and cause harm before being found.
Professional water damage restoration specialists make use of thermal imaging technology to aid in water leak detection. Learn more from the experts of ServiceMaster by PWF.
Common Signs of Water Leaks in Homes and Businesses
An increasing water bill
- Have your water bills hiked up lately? If so, you probably have a leak somewhere in your home or place.
- To make sure the spiking isn’t caused by a seasonal change, compare your latest water bills to those from the same month last year.
Water meter repeatedly ticking
- You do not have to wait until you receive a huge water bill to know if an undetected pipe is leaking.
- If your water meter continues to tick, you've got a water leak somewhere.
- Leaks oftentimes cause damp spots on floors, walls and/or ceilings. These damp spots can cause mold to develop and the nasty odor that comes with it.
- If you discover that you have a musty smell around the home, regardless of how frequent you clean, you may have a leaking pipe.
Foundation cracks
- Water that continually and regularly seeps out of your pipes can weaken a home’s structural parts and components, which can give rise to cracks in the foundation, walls, and other possible areas.
- Over time, cracks can appear on various places in your home. However, if you start to notice foundation cracks suddenly developing, you could have a leak for sure.
Presence of wet spots
- Visually and clearly inspect the area near sinks, tubs, and toilets. Have you seen wet spots, or is the floor around the corner plumbing features discolored?
- If so, take it as a red flag that you could have a leaking pipe.
What is Thermal Imaging?
Thermal imaging is the process of viewing and recording actual surface temperatures, signatures, and anomalies distinctly observed at surfaces like walls, ceilings, floors, pipes, and ducts, among others.
With a non-invasive method such as thermal imaging, technicians are able to find hidden moisture without further damaging the structure.
How Does the Thermal Inspection Process Work?
- Thermography or thermal imaging measures surface temperatures by utilizing infrared video and still cameras. These mentioned tools see the light that is in the heat spectrum.
- Images appearing on the video or film record the temperature variations of the building’s skin, ranging from white for warm regions to black for cooler areas.
- The resulting images help and assist the auditor to determine whether insulation is badly needed.
- A thermographic inspection can be done both on the interior or exterior survey perspective. The energy auditor decides which procedure would yield the best results under certain weather conditions.
- Interior scans are considered more common since warm air escaping from a building does not always move through the walls in a straight line.
Benefits Of Thermal Imaging
Thermal imaging offers several benefits both for residential and businesses, such as:
- An early fault condition detection—an easier, faster, reliable and safer method
- Inspection, over time, of equipment under the same running conditions, permitting thermal anomalies to be easily detected
- A non-contact and non-invasive inspection technique
- Can inspect hard-to-do and tricky-to-access live electrical equipment
- Less maintenance and repair costs and expenses
- Longer equipment and machine lifetime-use
Schedule a Water Damage Restoration Appointment 24/7
If you need a water damage or mold inspection expert, contact ServiceMaster by Disaster Relief. We are a full-service water damage restoration company in Pinellas County, Florida. We manage all work from the initial water removal to reconstruction. We will also provide you with 24/7 assistance regarding your concerns.
For more information on keeping your home safe from water damage, call ServiceMaster by Disaster Relief. You can contact us at (813) 295-7797. You can also connect with us online to schedule an appointment.
