Saturday, 26 April 2014

What Is Electrical Infrared Inspection?

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.

When electricians inspect the home, they use IR to detect electrical or mechanical elements under normal conditions to identify abnormally cool or hot components or areas. It is one of the most powerful maintenance tools available and is less invasive than older methods of detection. In many circumstances, equipment failure can be preceded by a period of increased heat. This is most common in electrical equipment.

When connections, components, or circuits overheat, electricians can use IR thermography to identify these elements. Professional electricians using IRs can schedule appropriate repairs and preventative maintenance during downtimes. Professionals can use IRs to increase productivity, reliability, and safety for anybody involved.

Homeowners, business owners, and professionals experience significant cost savings when using IR technology. When professionals use the technology, there are fewer interruptions which can increase uptime for commercial buildings or keep the power on in residential homes during examinations. This technology lets professionals fix issues before they happen as well as prevent harm, further damages, and unnecessary emergencies.

As far as safety is concerned, industrial processes can run reliably without any serious surprises down the road, which in turn produces a safe work environment. Many homes and commercial buildings have complex electrical components that run at extreme speeds. A sudden failure on one of the electric components can cause a cascading nightmare of failures that may include fire or meltdowns or damage to any device plugged in outlets.

When electrical elements and its circuitry are not duly inspected or maintained, fires are a real possibility. Fires can be caused by overheating components and failed circuits. Faulty wiring plays a large role in the statistics of common reasons why buildings catch fire. Bad design, wiring, and components can be easily detected through IRs. If there is a bad connection in the design, critical components can overload, overheat, and catch fire.

Quality results are best obtained by IR inspections. After a while, the wires in any building will deteriorate. Lack of maintenance, substandard equipment and supplies, bad connections, and faulty designs are main reasons for wiring going bad. Sometimes the thermal housing for the wires will melt and will start a nasty fire, it is important to find these hot spots before they spiral out of control.

The technology does not require direct contact with anything, but the tests must be performed while equipment is running under normal load conditions. This allows a residence or commercial building to operate while the building is being inspected. If there is a noticeable temperature difference, abnormal friction, or a deterioration of thermal insulation, electricians can act proactively. That is why it is important to have an electrician examine the building as soon as possible as hot spots can fail while in service and cause panics, fires, and ruined equipment.




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