Even though we may have pretended to have x-ray vision at some point in our lives, our eyes, unfortunately, don’t cut it when it comes to picking up the heat signals from our switchboards!
Thermographic imaging is one of the best kinds of preventative maintenance that you can do for your building, as it detects any potential faults before they may happen.
So, what actually is thermographic imaging?
Essentially, it’s a method of using infrared energy, as well as thermal energy to gather information about objects.
How does it work?
Our thermal imaging guns have heat-sensor technology, which creates an image of the energy that is emitted from an object. This technology has a wide variety of uses and is used across a range of industries.
For switchboards, our thermal imaging gun maps the heat that's coming off the board, the terminations and cables as well.
As a general rule of thumb, if your equipment is faulty, it will take more power from the switchboard, and produce more heat. By assessing the images taken, we can then see if any of your connections are loose or nearing the end of their life.
How can you read the report?
If your switchboard is too hot, the internal elements might catch or start a fire. Which, believe us, is not something that you want to happen! All the images taken by the thermal imaging gun are then compiled by us into a report with recommendations and repairs to avoid any potential faults.
What the different colours mean:
Darker colours represent cooler elements/areas,
Lighter colours represent areas which are warm and under stress
How often does thermal imaging need to be done?
Experts recommend that switchboard thermal imaging only needs to be done once a year! However, if your switchboard is exposed to extreme elements, it would be wise to do thermal imaging more regularly.
How much does it cost?
It really depends on how many switchboards are at your site! But, you can’t put a price on safety …. Don’t risk the aftermath of a faulty switchboard.
Contact MPE Group today to organise a full thermal imaging report of all your switchboards.