Thermal imaging in Hamilton

RGBThermal

Compare RGB and Thermal

Flown with our DJI Matrice 4T. In this pass the ridge line and the ribs of the roofing iron read warmer, and the solar panels read cool and even.

What thermal imaging shows on a Hamilton home

A thermal camera records surface temperature. From the air we can compare a whole roof and the outside of a building in one pass, which is hard to do from the ground.

• Heat loss. On a cool morning or evening, warm patches on a roof can show where heat is escaping from the house.
• Missing insulation. Gaps or shifted insulation often show as warmer areas compared with well-insulated parts of the same roof.
• Moisture clues. Damp materials heat up and cool down at a different rate from dry ones, so wet areas can show as cooler or warmer patches.
• Roofs. Ridges, flashings, penetrations and roofing sheets that behave differently from the rest of the roof and are worth a closer look by a roofer.
• Solar. Hot cells, bypass diode patterns and panels that aren't producing on rooftop arrays.

When we fly

Thermal works best when there's a clear temperature difference between inside and outside, or between wet and dry materials. For heat loss and insulation that usually means a cool early morning or evening after a clear day. For solar it means strong, steady sun around the middle of the day. We fly in daylight under CAA Part 101 and pick a weather window rather than force a poor day.

What thermal imaging can't tell you

Thermal imaging shows temperature differences. On its own, it doesn't tell you why an area is warmer or cooler. A warm patch could be missing insulation, an air leak, a heat source in the ceiling or sun reflecting off a surface. A cool patch could be moisture, or just a different material.

So our findings are a guide to where to look, not a diagnosis. It isn't a building inspection report, a weathertightness report or a moisture-meter test, and it doesn't replace a building surveyor, a licensed builder or roofer, or an electrician. We annotate what we see and suggest who should check it.

Where we fly in Hamilton

Homes, lifestyle blocks and commercial buildings across Hamilton, including Rototuna, Flagstaff, Chartwell, Hillcrest, Dinsdale, Te Rapa and Frankton, and out toward Tamahere, Gordonton and Horsham Downs. Some Hamilton sites sit inside controlled airspace near Hamilton Airport, so we check every site before we quote and tell you straight away if a flight isn't possible under Part 101.

What you get

Annotated thermal stills, matching RGB reference photos, a plain-language summary of what we saw and suggested next steps for your builder, roofer or electrician. Thermal roof inspections start from $599 +GST. See thermal roof inspection for pricing and turnaround.

Related services

• Thermal roof inspection: heat loss, moisture and insulation clues across the whole roof.
• Solar panel inspection: hot cells, diode faults and string outages on home, farm and commercial arrays.
• Drone services in Hamilton: everything we fly across the city, with starting prices.
• Forestry drone services and pest control and biosecurity: the same thermal camera used on rural land, for burn hotspots and dawn or dusk animal spotting.