Warehouse and hall thermal survey
Dock doors, sectional doors, ridge, panel joints, wet roof insulation, column bases: where the hall heats the outdoors.
Roof and solar
Your roof from above: wet insulation and hot cells
We walk the roof with a drone, without opening anything: on flat roofs we look for wet insulation, on solar arrays for hot cells. Wherever airspace and permits allow.
01 / Two tasks
Flat roofs and solar: two different surveys
Same method, but each needs a different time, different weather and a different mindset.
- Flat roof: looking for wet thermal insulation, at dusk after a sunny day. A wet square metre loses more than its size suggests and, over time, damages the structure.
- Solar: looking for hot cells, faulty bypass diodes and connection faults in strong sun, with the plant running.
At the end you receive a thermal orthomosaic and a coordinate-referenced defect map with recommended checks. The drone survey can be ordered alone or added to a hall survey, in which case travel and processing are shared: warehouse and hall.
02 / Flat roofs
Wet insulation shows at dusk
The physics is simple: water stores a lot of heat, so a wet section cools later.
By day a flat roof absorbs the sun’s heat. After sunset the surface of dry insulation cools quickly. A soaked section has a higher heat capacity and conductivity, so it holds the heat longer. For a while, within the measurement window, the wet area shows as a warmer patch on the cooling roof.
The window is narrow and has conditions: strong sun the day before, a dry roof surface, light wind, no precipitation. Ballast gravel, flashing, roof plant and puddles can also cause patches, so we read the thermal image together with the visual image and the roof drawing.
The stake: a small wet area means a lot. In the example warehouse 35 m² of wet insulation is about 75 W/K of extra loss (roughly HUF 190,000 per season), with an indicative repair of about HUF 770,000: worked through on the heat loss analysis page.
03 / Solar
Hot cells and faulty connections
A faulty cell is warmer than its neighbours because it turns sunlight into heat instead of current.
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Cell hot spot
A cracked, soiled or partly shaded cell that heats up because of the string current.
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Bypass-diode fault
One third of the module is permanently warmer or cooler than the other two.
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Connector, joint
A faulty or loose connector at the end of a module or string.
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Soiling, shade
Bird droppings, leaves, a chimney’s shadow: the image flags it, cleaning or trimming fixes it.
We measure in strong, steady sunshine with the plant running. The image gives the location of a fault; we do not estimate lost production because that needs a current–voltage measurement. Repair and warranty are for the installer and the manufacturer.
04 / Airspace and permits
Wherever airspace and permits allow
Drone flights are regulated. That is why the drone item is always conditional.
- Drone operations fall under EU implementing regulation 2019/947 and Hungarian aviation rules; before every flight we check the official airspace map (MyDroneSpace).
- Near critical infrastructure, airfields, inhabited areas or temporary restrictions, flying is not possible or needs a separate permit. An ad hoc airspace request is a long process and not guaranteed.
- We ask you to tell us in writing about restrictions at your site in advance, and to consent to the flight.
- If flying is not possible we do not carry out the drone item and do not charge for it; if the roof can be reached safely we propose a handheld walk-over.
05 / Sample image
What does a drone thermal orthomosaic look like?
An openly licensed sample of an industrial area; the orthomosaic in your report is similar, complemented by a coordinate-referenced defect map.
A thermal orthomosaic shows the whole roof in one geometrically aligned image, so a patch can be located to within a metre and the same view can be reused when re-measuring after repairs.
Besides the thermal orthomosaic the report holds a visual orthomosaic, a coordinate list of suspect areas and recommended checks. We give no opinion on the roof’s structure, load capacity or watertightness.
06 / FAQ
What people ask about drone surveys
Why do you survey flat roofs at dusk?
By day the roof heats up. After sunset the surface of dry insulation cools quickly, while a soaked section stays warmer because it stores more heat. That difference is largest in the period after sunset, which is why a sunny day must precede it and why the window is narrow.
Does the thermal image prove that insulation is wet?
No, it indicates suspicion. A warm patch can have other causes (thicker layer, roof structure, flashing, ballast, an object). Confirmation needs an on-site check (moisture probe, test core), which we recommend doing with the roofer. The drone survey speeds up the search; it does not replace the verdict.
Do you estimate lost PV production?
No. The image shows hot cells, faulty bypass diodes and connection faults, but we do not estimate the power loss from thermal images. For that, the installer’s current–voltage (I–V) measurement is the right tool.
What if we cannot fly over the site?
Then we do not carry out the drone item and do not charge for it. If the roof can be reached safely, a handheld walk-over is a possible alternative. We cannot rule out airspace restrictions without knowing the site, so we ask you to tell us what you know.
When and in what weather do you fly?
Flat roofs: at dusk after a sunny day, with a dry roof and light wind. PV: in strong, steady sunshine with the plant operating, also in light wind. In rain, snow, fog or broken cloud we reschedule.
Related
Worth looking at together
Heat loss analysis in forints
Watts, kWh, m³ of gas, forints: with ranges, an A/B/C order and payback. This is what turns images into a decision.
Electrical cabinet thermal screening
Hot joints and terminals under load, with your authorised electrician present. Not a safety inspection.
Request a quote for your facility
Tell us briefly how big and what kind of building it is and what worries you. We reply within one working day and say which package fits. Requesting a quote commits you to nothing.