Everything You Need to Know About Roof Inspection Drones

Conducting a roof inspection for a large, complex structure can be difficult, risky, and expensive.  Traditionally, roofing structures were relatively simple and generally safe for people to access. Today’s rooflines are much more complicated and harder to navigate physically.

Fortunately, there’s another way: using drone technology. Today, roof inspection companies around the country are using roof inspections drones to survey roof lines and simplify projects.

Utilizing drones in roofing inspection can reduce cost, difficulty, and danger for workers. Additionally, performing checks with drones can significantly reduce liability for the companies backing them.

Here’s what you need to know.

5 Benefits of Using Drones for Roof Inspections

Drones may simplify the roof inspection process, but what other benefits do they offer? Here are their top perks:

1. Drones Improve Accuracy and Consistency

When you’re using on-ground crews, errors are a part of the job. Even the most skilled and experienced roof inspectors are subject to human error. There’s no way around it.

With a drone, though, you remove some of the inaccuracies and inconsistencies associated with typical roof inspection processes.

Drones can aid in the standardization of roof mapping. They’re a fantastic way to create an inspection production line that follows the same process every single time.

2. Drones Increase Safety

The fewer people you have going up on a roof, the safer your operation becomes. The most significant risk of traditional roof inspections is that inspectors will fall and injure themselves. People can also experience collapsing roofs, insect bites, falling off of ladders or scaffolding, and a wide assortment of other pitfalls.

When you turn to unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs to conduct your roof inspections, you reduce these risks. Due to these factors, drone inspections are easier, faster, safer, and less costly than human-led inspections.

3. Drones Collect In-Depth Data

Unlike human inspectors, drones can access virtually any part of a building. This allows them to collect a more extensive selection of useful data.

While roof inspection operations will always require human expertise and intervention, drones offer high-quality images, thermal imaging, and videos during each inspection. This improves accuracy and efficiency and allows your team to access the details you need about the structures you inspect.

What’s more, even the smallest of drones can access tight spaces and crevices. Because of this, they’re privy to information inspectors can’t gather. Finally, drones can go up to inspect the same roof again and again. This is helpful any time your operation needs “before and after” photos, or similar comparisons.

To take data collection a step further, consider using Drone Deploy or PIX4D. These tools offer powerful measurement capabilities, including 2D/3D modeling, automated PDF roof reports, and a  roof geometry DXF File for CAD analysis and design.

4. Drones Get the Job Done Faster

Any roof inspection requires a great deal of planning and preparation. Much of this is dedicated to ensuring the safety and compliance of workers.

With drones, however, it’s easier to carry out an inspection shortly after a client makes the request. Because drones don’t mount and climb access equipment, drone-based examinations begin immediately and take a fraction of the time of conventional methods.

Additionally, drones can transmit data to the inspection team immediately, which allows for faster report generation and less risk.

5. Drones Save Money

The ways drones save money are varied. In addition to reducing insurance costs, drones also cut down on transportation, equipment, gear, and labor expenses.

By reducing the time and labor associated with a roof inspection, drones allow teams to perform multiple building inspections each day, as long as there are enough drones and pilots to go around. As these inspections take place, inspectors can monitor the information from a remote office and generate reports. Time is money, and drones save both.

Use Cases: What Drones Bring to Roof Inspections

It’s clear that drones provide many benefits for the roof inspection industry, but what are the specific use cases associated with them? Here are a few callouts:

Finding Water Leaks in the Roof Envelope

The roof envelope is a concealed area, and it can be challenging to detect indications of a leak. While drone sensors cannot typically identify a water leak in most cases (especially if the leak is hidden from sight), they can detect important indicators, like the presence of water. Drones can also identify temperature variances using a thermal sensor. This saves teams money and time and provides better outcomes for clients.

Finding Areas of air Exfiltration

Locating pockets of air exfiltration requires a great deal of attention and equipment. Drones, however, have the potential to simplify this process. Because they’re so maneuverable and capable, drones can complete the job quickly. This, again, provides better outcomes for clients and increased simplicity for teams.

Finding Areas Where There is a Lack of Insulation

Areas without enough insulation are prone to leaking, inefficiencies, and increasing utility costs. Drones, however, can help identify and locate these areas. This helps clients save money and reflects well on your team.

Finding Areas of Standing Water

Standing water can be dangerous on a roof. By maneuvering up and over a building, rather than touching the surface of it, drones identify these pooling water areas and provide the information needed to make a plan to remediate it.

Drones: The Roof Inspection Teams of the Future

If you’re not already, your team should be using an enterprise-level drone camera for roof inspections. In addition to decreasing costs, drones offer better service than human-led roof inspection teams. This creates better outcomes for clients and significantly less risk and time investment for organizations.

Here at Drone Nerds, we specialize in creating customized drone platforms for roof inspection companies. DJI drones and other systems like our Matrice 200 Series (200, 210, 210 RTK), Mavic Pro Thermal, Yuneec H520 with CGO-ET, and Parrot Bebop Thermal all provide the unparalleled functionality you need at a price you can afford. Contact us today to learn more or to purchase your perfect drone today.