Commercial leak detection in Massachusetts & New England
Atlantic Testing Services is an independent testing agency with a Boston office. We locate roof leaks, map wet insulation, verify waterproofing at close-out, and scan electrical systems across greater Boston and the six New England states. Consultants, not contractors.
What a New England winter does to a flat roof
Everything the northeast does to a roof, New England does longer and harder. The freeze-thaw cycle runs deeper into spring: water enters a seam in the fall, freezes and pries it wider all winter, and surfaces on a ceiling tile during the thaw, months after the breach and nowhere near it. Snow cover sits on the membrane for weeks at a time, holding meltwater against every seam and penetration, and ice dams back water up at eaves and drains where the membrane was never meant to hold it.
Add coastal nor'easters driving rain sideways into flashings and parapets from Providence to Portland, and a small breach becomes saturated insulation by spring. That failure pattern sets how we test here: find the breach before winter seals it under ice, and map how far the water has already traveled before anyone prices a repair.
The work we do across New England
Nuclear roof moisture surveys
The method that works when a New England winter won't cooperate: a nuclear gauge reads moisture through the assembly regardless of surface temperature, so the survey runs in months when infrared cannot. The right tool for the region's older multi-layer built-up roofs, and the one that keeps moisture mapping possible year-round.
Infrared roof moisture surveys
After a clear, dry day, wet insulation holds the sun's heat into the evening while dry roof cools; an infrared camera reads the difference. In New England the survey season runs roughly spring to fall; we scan at dusk, on foot or by drone, and mark the wet areas on the roof itself.
Electronic leak detection (ELD)
The close-out and warranty test for new roofing and waterproofing: an electrical potential across the membrane finds the exact breach point without flooding the structure. It works on roofs, plaza decks, and the terraces and vegetated assemblies of Boston's newer institutional stock.
Infrared electrical inspections
Annual thermal scans of switchgear, panels, and substations, under load, before a loose or overloaded connection becomes an outage or a fire. The heating season, when electrical systems carry their heaviest loads, is exactly when these scans earn their keep.
The full service list, including building envelope testing and air barrier work, is on the home page. Testing in the tri-state area lives at New Jersey & New York, and in the south at Florida.
Local office, independent report
500 Unicorn Park Dr, Suite 300, Woburn, MA 01801, minutes from downtown.
Leaks located by our technicians.
Hospitals, institutions, facility owners and major commercial roofing contractors across New England.
Nobody here bids on the repair, so a facility board and its insurer argue from the same report instead of from two competing estimates.
Coverage questions
What areas does the Boston office cover?
All of Massachusetts and the rest of New England: greater Boston first, and Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine as projects call for it.
Do you do residential leak detection?
Our work is commercial, industrial, and institutional: flat and low-slope roofs, plaza decks, terraces, and building envelopes. We are not a plumbing leak service. If you have a leak inside a house, a residential plumber with acoustic equipment is the right call, not us.
Can a roof moisture survey be done in a New England winter?
Yes, with the right method. Infrared needs solar gain and a dry, exposed membrane, so its survey season here is roughly spring to fall. A nuclear gauge reads moisture through the assembly regardless of surface temperature, which is what carries moisture surveys through the months when the infrared window is closed. Infrared scans of walls and electrical gear run all winter; the heating season is the prime window for envelope work.
Tell us where the building is
Address, what the building is, and what you're seeing: water inside after a thaw, a close-out date coming, or an insurer asking for a scan. We'll tell you which test the situation needs and when we can be there.