Sometimes, stuck in the everyday rat race, we tend to forget about some aspects of our life that are too essential to get out of order. One of these aspects is our home and, more specifically, the roof. It is crucial to have the roof inspected at least twice a year – once before and once after the most unfavorable season in your climate zone. In the northern hemisphere this tends to be the winter season, whit its cold weather, rain and snow and regular snows, while in the southern hemisphere the summer is more dangerous, as it is characterized with strong UV radiation and regular temperature change due to the cool summer rains. That’s why it is recommended to inspect the roof once before the hard season in order to prepare it and once afterwards – to repair the damages.
In addition to these regular inspections, you should make sure that your roof undergoes occasional formal moisture survey. The specialist carrying out the survey may use each of the three methods for moisture survey mentioned below. Practically, neither of these has to do anything with real water – they check what the properties of the roof are in wet weather.
• The moisture survey that checks the qualities of your insulation is known as infrared scan. This method checks how much heat remains in the house and how much of it is lost. The specialist will use an infrared camera which is designed to collect information about the radiation of heat when the materials are wet. If they heat is radiated excessively, you should consider changing of the insulation, as this will help you reduce your electricity bills in the winter.
• Another way to carry out a moisture survey is to use a nuclear isotopic meter. This tool transmits hydrogen ions in your roof and then collects information about how many of these ions have turned back. If there is water in the roof, the ions that come back will be significantly more, as every H2O molecule has 2 hydrogen ions that are attracted. If the survey shows that the roof materials are too wet, you will need to take certain measures to repair your roof and to change the materials with others of better quality and ‘health’.
• If you want to find out how much electricity does your roof conduct, you should ask for the use of electrical capacitance and resistance meters. The more electricity conducted, the wetter the roof, as water increases conductivity. This survey can give you the same information as the previous one, but it is advisable to use them both in order to determine the level of humidity more accurately.
Each of these methods has its advantages and disadvantages. In order to find out which of them is the best for your purposes, we advise you to consult with a specialist. Whichever moisture survey you decide to use, you have to have your room undergo it minimum one time every five years. If the roof obviously needs repairs, these tests can help you decide where to start from and what exactly to do. Good luck!