Building Science & Diagnostics
The Building Tells a Story. Reading It Is the Work.
Mold growth, moisture damage, and air quality failures are symptoms. Building science diagnostics identify the mechanism — why moisture is entering, where it’s accumulating, and what the building assembly is doing that allows it to persist.
Coastal Air Assessments brings 20+ years of building science experience to every assessment. That background means instrument readings are interpreted in the context of construction type, climate exposure, HVAC design, and building age — not processed in isolation.
Diagnostic services include:
- Thermal imaging (infrared thermography) — Identifies temperature differentials in building surfaces that indicate moisture intrusion, missing insulation, air infiltration pathways, and envelope failures invisible to the naked eye
- Moisture mapping — Systematic quantified readings using Protimeter MMS2 and Tramex survey instruments across walls, floors, ceilings, and structural components
- Building envelope assessment — Window and door penetrations, roof-to-wall interfaces, flashing conditions, and other common South Florida failure points
- HVAC evaluation — How the mechanical system is contributing to moisture loading, biological growth, or air quality problems
- Vapor dynamics analysis — How humidity moves through the building assembly in South Florida’s climate, and where condensation is occurring or likely to occur
- Post-storm intrusion assessment — Extent and pathway documentation following hurricane events or significant water intrusion
- Borescope inspection — wall cavity and interstitial sampling — When moisture mapping and thermal imaging indicate potential contamination in a concealed wall cavity or floor assembly, a borescope (a small optical instrument inserted through a 3/8”–1/2” hole) allows direct visual inspection without significant drywall demolition. Surface sampling of observed biological growth is collected for laboratory identification. The access hole is sealed after inspection and easily patched. Borescope inspection is not a default procedure — it is deployed when moisture mapping and thermal findings specifically indicate it. The right tool when the situation calls for it.
Thermal imaging precision: Thermal imaging detects temperature differentials — not moisture content directly. Every thermal anomaly indicating potential moisture is followed with contact-based instrumentation for quantified confirmation. This methodology distinction is important for defensible reporting and accurate conclusions.
South Florida building science context
South Florida’s subtropical climate creates building science challenges specific to this region: exterior moisture drives inward through building assemblies against the normal vapor gradient, flat roofs common in regional construction have specific failure modes, and continuous air conditioning creates persistent cold surface condensation conditions. Regional expertise changes what you look for and how you interpret what you find.
