6 Best Drones For Roof Inspection 2022

Are you wondering how to regularly inspect your roof to check for any leaks on the chimney? Here are the best drones for roof inspection and their detailed analysis. Read more below.

It is usually risky for building contractors to conduct routine check-ups of the rooftop using a hydraulic lift or scaffolding. A simple solution to this is the use of drones. Below is the detailed list of 6 top drones for a roof inspection. 

Drone technology is evolving rapidly and spreading across several sectors to make work easy and achieve a greater Return of Investment. It is widely in use in the construction and building inspection business.

A recent addition to this is the roof inspection by drones. Generally, the roofs get damp due to changing weather conditions. Sometimes, it breaks and leads to leakage that can climb down the house floors. A routine roof inspection is necessary to avoid this.

Roof Inspection Drones

However, with manual efforts climbing atop the roof and inspecting is a risky business to the workers. Apart from that, it takes time and effort to fix the cause.

Hence, drones are used to fly over the roofs to inspect for moisture or other kinds of deterioration. Therefore, this article will be informative and helpful to find the best drones for a roof inspection and their cost.

Top Drones For Roof Inspection Business

Why choose drones for roof inspection?

Usage of drones in the construction sector was up by 200% in 2018. General contractors and civil engineers rely on drones for site inspection and review. 

But why?

Drones for roof inspection offer various advantages over traditional methods like manual mounting. Let’s see a few of them.

Reduces risk and injury

Some roof areas may be dangerous and inaccessible for a safety inspection. Hence, it is a risk to the workers to identify and rectify roofing problems. Using drones is a quick solution to these problems since it eliminates human interference and gives optimum results.

Provides greater access and maneuverability

Drones can fly to the hard-to-reach parts of the roof and make quick scans. Some rooftops have obstructions and become impossible to reach manually. Hence, drones provide better accessibility and maneuverability to reach inaccessible areas.

High-resolution photos and videos of the desired roof location 

Several drones have software applications to generate 3-D reports of the roof to review it at any point in time. These drones have high hovering capability and capture top-resolution videos and images of the roof areas.

Thermal cameras in some drones pay the way for the infrared scans.

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It is hard to detect leaks in shingles and chimneys using traditional methods. Several drones have thermal cameras and generate a thermal map of the required part of the chimney to reveal wet roof insulation. On the upside, thermal scans can be conducted even in the dark!

Drones play a diverse role in the roof inspection business. They conduct a number of operations, such as roof measurements, determination of roof slopes, photographic images of roof plans, and many others. Hence, selecting a drone with the most features is paramount to getting the roof details. The list below helps you identify the best drones for the same.

1. DJI Mavic Mini 2

DJI never fails to impress with the variety of drones for a roof inspection. The top of this list is the DJI Mavic Mini 2. It is lightweight and a versatile drone suitable for roof inspection.

Key features:

  • Compact size.
  • 4K video compatibility.
  • 3-axis gimbal and ultra-safe sensors.
  • Flight time of 34 minutes.

2. Parrot Anafi

Parrot Anafi is a safe choice of foldable drones for roof inspection. This quadcopter weighs over 300 grams and is known for its stability and incredible camera features.

Key features:

  • 180° rotation to capture high-end images.
  • Flight time of 25 minutes.
  • Waypoint navigation feature.

3. Autel Evo 2 Dual 640T

This drone is best suited for a detailed roof inspection with an 8K camera and 19 groups of sensors.

Key features:

  • 360° obstacle avoidance system
  • Integrated LCD Screen for FPV.
  • Flight time of 38 minutes.
  • Thermal imaging camera.

4. DJI Mavic Air 2

It is a good fit in the list of drones for roof inspection with outstanding transmission technology for the uninterrupted live video feed.

Key features:

  • Four-way obstacle system.
  • Digital zoom option.
  • Flight time of 30 minutes
  • Foldable drone.

5. DJI Phantom 4 Pro Plus

High-end technology and recording of the crystal-clear image make this a perfect solution for roof inspections.

Key features:

  • Seven km of operating range.
  • One-inch sensor for shooting 4K
  • Omnidirectional obstacle avoidance sensors.
  • Flight time of 27 minutes.

6. Parrot Anafi Thermal

As the name suggests, this drone has thermal scanners to inspect if your solar panel is heating up or the cause of heat on the rooftop to make it more eco-friendly.

Key features:

  • Lightweight and portable
  • Operates between temperatures -10 and +400 
  • 21MP 1/2.4-inch RGB sensor
  • Flight time of 25 minutes.

Buyer’s guide for the best drones for a roof inspection

You must check for certain aspects before choosing drones for your roof inspection. This section focuses on the two must-know factors and the things governing the efficiency of drones for a roof inspection.

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Look out for these features in the drones for a roof inspection.

Never fly in restricted areas.

There are restrictions for flying drones in areas like national security installations, airports, prisons, or power plants. Before you plan to use the drones for a roof inspection, keep in mind that the area is out of range from these restricted areas to avoid landing up in trouble.

Opt for the drone with the FPV feature

FPV or First Person View is the next thing to consider while inspecting roofs. The main upside of this feature is that it lets you see the exact location where the drone is pointing. Using the FPV feature, you can use the drone goggles and sit in the pilot seat to increase the quality of the frame.

Factors affecting the performance of drones used for a roof inspection

1. Battery Life and flight time

In all the drones mentioned in the above section, you can observe that the flight time of the drones is above 25 minutes. It is a vital feature to gauge the performance of the drone. The roof area of the buildings will be huge in most cases, and hence a decent battery life is necessary to inspect the roof thoroughly.

2. Camera quality

It is an important feature to check as a poor-quality photo or video of the roof will serve little purpose to inspect the roof for any damages or repairs.

3. Gimbal

Gimbal allows the camera to be steady and provides quality images even with wind or disturbed motion of the drone. It is best to choose the drone with a gimbal for a quality roof inspection.

4. Thermal imaging

Thermal scanners provide a method of scanning the roof with temperature differences. A slight temperature change is detected, and you can locate the root cause with less trouble. Though the price of the drones with thermal imaging is a bit higher, it is worth buying.

The average cost of the drones used for a roof inspection

As the number of features of the drones goes up, the cost also increases. In general, drones without thermal scanning and waypoint navigation cost less. The average price of these drones ranges between USD 900 to USD 1200. 

The drones with thermal imaging features cost around USD 8700 to USD 10,000.

The market value of inspection drones

According to a report, the construction segment is growing in full swing. It is expected to advance at the maximum rate from 2021 to 2030. 

Since drone technology offers cost-effective and accurate data processing methods, it is effectively used in the inspection and monitoring market. 

The result will be evident in the coming decade. Both drone inspection and monitoring markets are likely to grow steadily, with a CAGR of 15.7% from 2021 to 2030. The valuation is estimated to grow from USD 9.1 billion in 2021 to USD 33.6 billion by 2030.

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From this analytical data, you can make a rough guess of how the drones are penetrating the inspection market, such as roof inspections, to give better results and accurate reports. 

Conclusion

Using drones in roof inspection reduces the risk of impending danger to the worker and contractors since they fly to the desired point using GPS and waypoint navigation with no less risk.

There are various aspects to check while choosing drones for a roof inspection. Thermal scanning and camera quality are the two main features that create a huge impact.

However, these drones cannot check the sealant adhesion or identify the roof blisters. But most of the roof inspection is made easy with these compact and stable drones.

FAQs on Roof Inspection Drones

How do drones help in roof inspection?

Drones reduce manual work and provide better quality images and video of the roof area. Another critical assistance is negating the possibilities of injury or accident as a roof requiring maintenance or refurbishment might be in a bad shape and pose hazards. 

Can you use any drone for roof inspection?

No, not all drones are suitable for drone inspection. Only those with a quality camera and navigation system can serve a good purpose. Also, you need to check the average flight time of the drone if the roof in concern is one with a considerable area. 

What is the average flight time of drones for a roof inspection?

The average flight time of drones employed for a roof inspection is 25-30 minutes

Also Read:

  1. DJI Phantom Pro 4 V2.0 Review (Half A Year Later)
  2. Mavic Mini User Manuals & Instructions
DJI Mavic Mini 2

Here are the best drones for roof inspection. Check it out!

Product SKU: 093174YHG20837

Product Brand: DJI

Product Currency: USD

Product Price: 449

Price Valid Until: 2022

Product In-Stock: InStock

Editor's Rating:
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