One of the most efficient ways of detecting whether electrical components may be working incorrectly is to use a thermal imaging camera.
Imagine, for example, that routine testing needs to be done on an electrical panel to check that everything is working correctly. Doing this normally could take absolutely forever and require the use of several types of test equipment, and may ultimately result in you missing something that might be amiss.
A thermal camera changes this, and to understand why, you first need to understand how the camera works.
The cameras don’t work like conventional digital cameras you might use to snap your photos – instead the cameras are specifically built to detect infrared radiation that is emitted by practically everything. This infrared image is then displayed directly on the thermal camera, and allows the user to see whatever they are looking at as a coloured image, with different colours showcasing a range of different temperatures.
This is useful for many different applications, but in terms of electrical components, the thermal imaging camera can be used to easily detect irregular heat signatures being given off by electrical components, allowing the surveyor to clearly see that a particular component, or set of components, might be overheating and compromises the safety and efficiency of the electrical installation.
When using a correctly calibrated thermal imager it is usually possible to clearly identify areas that are having problems, as the heat being output by these components is usually drastically higher than other components that might be around it.
As such, the overheating parts usually display as an orange colour rather than a neutral red/purple like conventional heat does, allowing you to easily identify which parts are malfunctioning.
Performing this survey makes sure that you find these potentially dangerous components before they become a problem, and you can take steps to change the components and make sure your electrical installation works correctly.
