Seven things you need to know about thermal imaging
To the untrained eye thermal imaging or thermography looks a bit like CSI crossed with James Bond, but in fact, it is an extremely handy tool our electricians use in their day to day work to find faults and solve problems.
Thermal imaging is a process where a thermal camera captures and creates an image of an object by using the infrared radiation emitted from that object. So, what can and can’t it do?
Can thermal imaging detect surface temperature and moisture?
Yes. Thermal imaging will show you the differences in temperature throughout an object. While a thermal image won’t detect water per se, it will indicate if something is cooler in temperature than it should be. For example, if you had one damp wall in your bedroom, the colour reading on the image might show up differently to the other three walls.
Can thermal imaging see through walls?
No. While it can’t see through walls it does see what’s going on inside the wall and will pick up variants in temperatures. This is particularly handy as most of your electrical wiring will be within the wall cavities.
How invasive is thermal imaging?
Thermal imaging is not at all invasive and is definitely preferred over opening up a wall to reach the wiring if a problem is suspected.
What problems can thermal imaging detect?
One of the most common things that we discover using a thermal imaging camera is loose connections in your wall or your switch board. The biggest risk with a loose connection is overheating. Sometimes a connection can heat to 100 degrees and catch fire so spotting it before it gets to this point is crucial.
How do electricians interpret thermal imaging readings?
To the untrained eye you may think you’ve got a thermal image sussed – red means hot, blue means cold – easy! However, a qualified electrician with a trained eye is looking for imbalances, not just hot and cold. For example, if three cables are showing up three different temperature colours then that could indicate the power is not dispersed across the tenancy or building correctly and you could be paying twice as much in power bills than you should be.
Who should use thermal imaging?
Thermal imaging is a great option for businesses, especially busy office spaces or commercial facilities where there are a lot of power outlets and power requirements. If your office space is left unattended over the weekend but lights and power remain on then it’s always good to know exactly what condition your wiring and electrics are in so you have peace of mind that an undetected electrical fault isn’t going to come to a head when you’re not there. If your power bill seems higher than it should be but your activity/output hasn’t changed maybe a loose connection is causing a spike in your bill. We’re pretty thorough in our electrical maintenance checks, but sometimes there are underlying things we can only pick up through deeper investigation and thermal imaging is a great option.
How often do you need to use thermal imaging?
If your electrical wiring is left unchecked and a fault develops, things can escalate and become quite serious. Regular electrical maintenance is key to catching things before they cause major problems. Make thermal imaging part of your regular electrical maintenance service – either bi-annually or annually.
As part of regular electrical maintenance for one of our customer’s, each distribution panel on the premises was examined and the thermal imaging camera used to identify temperature differences. A poor connection was detected on one of the distribution panels, the cause of the fault was uncovered and can now be rectified by an electrician.
