Syncing Missions With Hammer App
With us so far? If you’ve made it this far, you’ll be pleased to know that this is where your office work ends and the site journey begins. Your generated mission is now ready to be synced with our mobile app, which you can use on site to fly your drone with automation.
Before leaving the office, ensure you are logged in to the Hammer App with the same account used on Hammer Hub. Once logged in, open the missions folder on Hammer App and press the cloud download button. This will sync your roof inspection mission prepared on Hammer Hub with the Hammer App. You can then open the mission on Hammer App to verify it looks exactly the same as the one planned on Hammer Hub.
Syncing missions from Hammer Hub to Hammer App
Now navigate to the settings wrench ð§ in the bottom right corner of the screen and setup overall mission settings such as:
– Go Home Height: This is the height the drone will return to home during low battery or other pre-set conditions.
– Go Home Battery Percentage: This is the battery percentage at which the drone will initiate the RTH sequence. We recommend using a value between 20-30%.
Get A Professional With Working From Heights Certification
If your drone is in a particularly hard to reach area or it is just not safe to retrieve it youll need to call in a professional. This professional will need to have to work from heights checks and clearances before doing anything on a roof. This is not going to be the cheapest option but if your drone is expensive itll be the safest way to ensure it is returned to you in one piece!
Here are a list of professions that will get on your roof safely:
- Solar panel cleaners
- Roofing professionals
- Chimney cleaners
Im in no doubt that all of these people would be happy to come and help you if your expensive drone was stuck on the roof.
So there are the best and safest options that you have if your drone is stuck on the roof!
Lets take a quick look at the things you definitely shouldnt do:
How Drones Can Help Increase Sales
Speed up the bidding process
One employee can put together an estimate using a drone in a matter of minutes. Compare this to an hour or more to climb onto the roof, make the inspection and take photos, take measurements, then write out the estimate.
After a drone inspection is complete, the images are sent to the office where an experienced estimator reviews them and does the take-off based on the measurements provided by the drone. These measurements are more accurate than those done in the field, as human error is no longer a factor.
A bid is quickly written up and emailed to the customer. The whole process can be done in less than an hour, and the drone operator is already on to the next site. This allows your company to bid more work per day and get more sales.
Get better data
You can get high-quality images of damaged areas using a drone and the latest in imaging technology that you cant get from a person on the roof. Since the drone can hover directly over the damaged part of the roof and get at it from multiple angles, it is possible to get views that were not possible before.
Infrared imaging technology allows operators to see even old water damage while doing a roof inspection. Using the images, water can be traced to its source, helping your company target leak repairs to that spot. It is also possible to see the real extent of the damage, even what is not visible to the naked eye.
Recommended Reading: How Do I Know If My Roof Is Leaking
Read Also: Does A New Roof Lower Home Insurance
Factors To Consider When Buying A Drone For Roof Inspections
If you are planning to buy a drone for roof inspections, you must consider durability. Also, the quad should be high-performance and high-quality.
To help you gauge a drones performance, here are the main factors that you should closely examine before you make a purchase.
1. Flight stability. This is very important to have clear footage and photos. Drones equipped with gimbal have better flight stability.
2. FPV capability. This feature allows you to pilot the drone from the driver or pilots viewpoint. This works using the camera mounted on the front of a quadcopter that captures the footage, which will be sent in real-time on a monitor or a pair of FPV goggles you are using.
3. Built-in GPS. GPS helps with drone navigation. It gives you real-time data on speed and heading. It also helps you track the drone. All of these contribute to the drones stability because it helps you combat adverse weather conditions.
4. Aerial camera. A camera is a must for drones for rooftop inspection. You need this to capture footage of the roof. Without a camera, you cannot use a drone for roof inspection.
Commercial Roofing Drone Inspection Services
Pointivos Commercial Roofing Drone Inspection Service analyzes imagery of your customers roofing structure from UAV and drones to extract location, measurement and understanding of physical assets and structures while keeping your workforce at a safe, remote distance.
Our commercial roofing drone inspection service combines AI, computer vision and advanced analytics to deliver the information needed to quickly estimate for repairs, measure for replacement, create takeoffs or track roof deficiencies all while keeping boots safely on the ground.
It dramatically reduces the time spent on a roof assessment and inventory by automatically delivering finely detailed, accurate dimensional data and insights.
The platform provides commercial roofers and contractors with a powerful tool that will impact business decisions relating to measurement, damage detection, assessment, inventory management, budgeting and risk mitigation.
Read Also: What Should Be Included In Roof Replacement
Proper Drone Handling For Roofing Inspections
Whether you can legally operate a drone is different entirely from whether you have the skills and know-how. As mentioned, drones and property damage go hand-in-hand. Inexperienced pilots have a habit of sending UAVs through windows and into the sides of buildings. During the Pride Parade 2015, a drone ran into a building in Seattle and fell into the crowd, causing serious injuries.
Every time you use a drone, you must consider the liabilities. Do you have the insurance coverage you need to complete a roofing inspection with your drone? Do you know how to handle it well enough to get the footage you need to assess the stability of your roofing materials?
Can I Use A Drone To Inspect My Roof
Yes, drones are excellent tools for a roof inspection. You can get a look at your roofing system, roofing materials, roof leaks, and more. However, not all drones are created equal. Some drones need a human pilot to control them, for example, while others fly autonomously.
Many drones are not capable of obstacle avoidance and will need to be manually flown around trees, chimneys, and other common roof obstructions. So, if youre looking to have your roof inspected, choose the drone wisely.
EagleViews industry-leading aerial imagery library provides oblique and orthogonal views for effective property evaluations. Your insurance company can use it to save thousands of dollars in reduced site visits every month by using our full-featured application to view current and historical imagery.
You can also quickly search locations to find the property of interest, conduct measurements, export high-resolution imagery, and even generate reports on properties for a complete end-to-end workflow.
1Based on EagleView and external analyses of productivity of customers using the EagleView solution. Productivity gains and cost savings may vary by customer depending upon business model, other processes and solutions employed, and other variables.
2Ibid.
Read Also: How Much Does A Flat Roof Cost Per Square Foot
The Best Gear For Roof Inspections
With the drone manufacturing industry constantly evolving, know your budget before deciding what gear to buy.Most drones these days have an adequate sensor for inspections.
Drones like the Mavic Enterprise 2 Dual offer a relatively affordable way to break into thermal inspections, but beware, there are many complications and factors to consider in order to produce a usable thermal deliverable.
Heres a list of specs to look for, broken down by non-negotiable, nice-to-have, and unnecessary without a large investment in time/money:
Non-Negotiable Specs:
- High Shutter Speed
- Flight Time 25+ mins
- Built in storage
- Inconspicuous Size, Shape, and Color
- Hand Launchable
Unnecessary Specs:
- Thermal sensors: Study Thermography and the compolications before purchasing an expensive thermal sensor.
- Huge Drones: All big drones do is scare the neighbors and inhibit a pilots ability to freely navigate around obstacles.
- Zoom: A small and stable platform with a 20mp+ sensor will allow a skilled pilot to get all the detail one could need.
Drone Stuck On Roof What To Do
One of the problems that novices and experienced drone flyers alike can experience from time to time is getting their drone stuck on the roof. There are various reasons why this unfortunate event can happen but the fact is that you only have one goal here, and that is to get the drone off of the roof. So, what can you do, and what should you not do when you find your drone stuck on a roof?
To reach your drone you can use a ladder, a fishing line, another drone, or a roof rake. However, never climb up a roof that isnt yours. Also, avoid using water, throwing stuff at it, climbing the roof, or using or doing anything that can end up harming you or others just to get your drone from the roof.
We know that drones are expensive, and that means that you of course want to get your drone off the roof as soon as possible. However, when you are thinking of ways to recover your drone, always prioritize your safety and the safety of others so that you wont end up harming yourself or anyone else in the process of retrieving the drone.
Read Also: Why Metal Roofing Vs Shingles
Scale Your Sales Team
Selling door-to-door remains a staple for roofers everywhere, but how does drone technology help you scale your sales team? The most innovative contractors have built their sales process directly on top of drone technology to maximize the impact and profit of their experienced salespeople. The first point of contact in your sales process should not be your most experienced estimator.
Four Steps to Scaling Your Sales:
Operation Drone Rescuewith Another Drone
If your friend has a drone, you could try this. Its extremely easy to setup.
When trying a drone rescue though just keep in mind that you might be putting the other drone at risk. If youre trying to rescue a cheap drone, it might not be worth it. So call your losses and go home. If its an expensive drone then go for it, but just make sure you keep these drone laws in mind when performing the rescue:
- Keep your drone within a line of sight.
- Dont fly irresponsibly.
- Get permission from the property owner or resident.
What youll need: In the video above the drone pilot used nothing more than a few old metal coat hangers as hooks, fishing line or any rope, and a bit of tape so that you can see the hooks properly flight.
How to do it:
Also Check: How To Find Leak In Shingle Roof
Drone Dramatically Rescues Stranded Drone Buddy From Roof
A drone lost on a high rooftop becomes the star of a suspenseful rescue operation when a fellow drone tries to bring it home.
Amanda Kooser
Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
If you lose your drone on a neighbor’s roof, there are a few options. You can leave it there, quietly mourning its loss. You can politely request access to the roof, get a good ladder and go fetch it. Or you can enlist another drone to pluck it from its perch while filming the melodramatic rescue attempt.
YouTube user Harrisen Howes chose the third option. He notes that he came to this effort since roof access wasn’t possible, though he doesn’t elaborate as to why. The lost drone languished on the roof for two months before the larger drone arrived like Superman to save it.
“Two months ago my roommate drunkenly lost my small drone on a neighbor’s roof. Two months later after upgrading to a larger drone I attempted a rescue of the smaller drone using hooks I made from coat hangers,” Howes writes in the description for the video posted Wednesday.
How Can We Help You With A Church Roof Inspection Using A Drone
Hopefully, this case study has highlighted the benefits of using drones for church roof inspections and we would be happy to discuss our offering. We heavily discount our inspection service for churches as we understand how important these buildings are to the local community and we would like to see them preserved in great condition for many more years to come.
Dont forget, regular inspections like this can be a great way of spotting potential issues before they occur so dont always wait for a problem to happen, or for your quinquennial inspection, before acting.
Also Check: How Long Should A Roof Last In Ohio
Automatically Capture Roof Imagery In Minutes
With the DroneDeploy mobile flight app, you can quickly plan an automated drone flight and capture high-resolution roof imagery in as little as 10 minutes without the need to ever step foot on a roof.
Our flight app delivers optimal aerial data to help you produce the highest quality maps and 3D models around. With adaquately overlapped images, proper focus, and end-of-mission orbits, you can trust our map engine to build accurate roof details and results, fast.
Our customers from leading solar, electric, and real estate enterprises to drone hobbyists who have started to utilize their DJI drones in their daily work are experiencing incredible ROI with DroneDeploys Roofing solution, said Jan Gasparic, Head of Enterprise Partnerships, DJI.
Areas To Concentrate On
The following areas are important to concentrate on when conducting a drone roof inspection: Not all of these are applicable to the roof you may want to inspect.
The Whole Roof
The first thing to do when inspecting a roof is to step back and look at the roof as a whole. Look at the total area of the roof to identify any broad issues. Areas to concentrate on are:
- Is the flow of water off the roof correct?
- Is the roof as a whole clear of debris such as branches and pizzas?
- Are there any trees or other items leaning on or abrading the roof?
- Does the roof seem structurally intact, or is there a clear sag in certain areas?
Don’t Miss: How To Calculate Roof Pitch
Drone Laws In The United States
United States law refers to a drone as an Unmanned Aircraft System . Laws restricting UAS in the United States are considered to be more complicated and stringent than those in Canada. The Federal Aviation Administration governs these laws.
As commercial drone users, roofers should strive to use a drone that weighs under 55 pounds. If your drone is this light, you only need to follow the Part 107 drone rules.
These rules include:
- Commercial fliers must have a Remote Pilot Certificate.
- Commercial drones must be registered with the FAA. Register at FAADroneZone.
- You must fly below 400 feet, which is ample for surveying residential roofs.
- You must only fly in Class G Airspace Class G Airspace is not controlled by an airport.
- You must not break line of sight with your drone, which is critical to fly safely.
- You must not operate your drone from inside a moving vehicle.
- You must not fly at night. The sun must be fully below the horizon for it to be night. Therefore, you may fly in twilight.
- You must not fly directly over people.
- You must give rightofway to aircraft.
You can apply for a Part 107 waiver to get permission to break some of these rules, including flying in Class G airspace and keeping to weight requirements.
