Electrical Infrared Inspection Advantages And Overview

By Eloise Hewitt


Electricians can use specialized microscopes to view images in infrared. Natural objects and artificial objects give off heat, and IRs can be used to detect heat not visible to the human eye through the walls of a building or home. When normal light does not work, the technology uses specialized light to view images not normally seen. This type of technology, electrical infrared inspection, is also capable of finding heat given by electrical circuits as well as changes in human cells.

Electricians can inspect the electrical elements of a home or building under normal loads to identify abnormally hot or cold areas inside the walls. When it comes to homes and commercial buildings, the least invasive path is preferred, and IRs can be one of the most powerful preventative maintenance tools available in the market. In other circumstances, a period of increased heat can be a sign of equipment or component failure.

Electricians identify overheating elements, circuits, connections, and components with IR thermography. Professionals can implement preventative maintenance, reliability, and extra layers of safety through the use of IRs.

Home owners and business operators can hire experienced professionals to use IR technology for added benefits and cost savings. Commercial buildings and residential areas that need to keep their power on during examinations can with IR technology. Professionals can spot problems that are developing and prevent any serious or further damaged to structural integrities. Without IR technology, electricians might have to tear down parts of the wall just to access the electrical components, which can be very costly.

For industrial complexes, they can still run in a reliable fashion without any surprises as well as any hindrance to the safety of workers. There are many homes and commercial environments that use high loads of electricity at a given time. A failure of one of these electrical components that use high loads can cause a cascading list of failures not limited to meltdowns, fires, or damages.

Electric circuitry and its components have a tendency to start fires when not properly maintained. Fires are commonly caused when circuits or their components are overheated. When it comes to commercial or residential buildings, faulty wiring is the number one reason for fires. Overloaded components, bad designs, and faulty wiring can be detected through the use of IRs. Critical components in electric designs can overheat through overlooked bad connections.

IR inspections provide quality results and are advised at least yearly. Time proves to be the determining factor in the state of wires, after a while they will deteriorate with usage. Eventually after some wear and tear, the thermal housings may deteriorate, connections may sever, and components may go bad.

While equipment is running under regular loads, the tests can be performed and the technology does not require any direct contact or invasive procedures. During inspection, commercial and residential areas can operate as normal. Electricians are able to act proactively when IRs detect bad thermal insulation abnormal friction, spikes in temperature differences, etc. IR inspections can spot hot spots, potential panic times, fires, and deteriorated equipment before they cause any serious problems.




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