Drone Thermal Roof Screening in Burnaby: EverCold Storage
Large industrial roofs hide their problems well: flat, covered in equipment and far too big to inspect on foot. For EverCold Storage in Burnaby, Monolith Housing Solutions carried out a drone-based infrared roof screening to show the facility owner where closer investigation was justified.
Project Snapshot
Project: EverCold Storage
Location: Burnaby, British Columbia
Building: Large industrial cold-storage facility
Service: Drone-based infrared roof screening
Data: Radiometric thermal imagery and georeferenced RGB photographs
Equipment: DJI Zenmuse H20T thermal camera, DroneDeploy mapping
Outcome: Seven mapped Areas of Interest
Data quality
Why Radiometric and Georeferenced Data Matter
Radiometric imagery stores temperature data for every pixel, so surfaces can be compared quantitatively rather than judged by colour. Georeferenced RGB ties every image to its place on the roof, so each finding can be handed to a roofer as a location on a map.
Method
How the Roof Was Analyzed
1
Zoning
The roof was divided into analytical zones so each area could be reviewed systematically.
2
Post-Sunset Capture
Thermal images were taken after sunset, once the surface was no longer heated by direct sun.
3
Overlap Comparison
Overlapping frames of the same area were compared to see whether a pattern repeated.
4
Mapping
Patterns that held up were mapped as Areas of Interest in DroneDeploy.
Interpretation
Separating Real Patterns From Normal Roof Effects
Normal thermal effect
Why it shows up on a thermal image
Mechanical equipment
Rooftop units have their own temperatures and shade or warm the surface around them
Penetrations
Pipes, vents and curbs change the roof build-up locally
Roof edges
Edges and parapets lose and gain heat differently from the open roof
Surface variations
Material, colour or ballast changes how a surface emits heat
Seven Areas of Interest, Mapped
Only patterns that remained once normal effects were accounted for, and that repeated across overlapping frames, became Areas of Interest.
Each one is a location where the evidence justified a hands-on investigation.
No Conclusions Thermal Alone Cannot Support
A thermal anomaly can point to trapped moisture, missing insulation or something harmless. Only a physical investigation can tell them apart, so the findings were presented as Areas of Interest, not confirmed defects.
What This Gives a Facility Owner
- A non-destructive look at the whole roof.
- A short, mapped list of locations to inspect.
- A basis for prioritizing maintenance spending.
- A georeferenced record for future screenings.
Need a Large Roof Screened in Burnaby?
Own or manage an industrial, commercial or warehouse building in Burnaby, Richmond, Delta or elsewhere in the Lower Mainland? Monolith Housing Solutions can plan a drone thermal screening around your roof.
Project Media
Over the EverCold Roof
Visual and thermal frames from the post-sunset drone screening.