News

How Infrared Thermography Can Prevent Power Failures

Infrared thermography can prevent power failure.

Prevent problems with an infrared electrical systems survey.

An infrared electrical systems survey can prevent problems.

Problems often occur when we least expect them. This holds especially true for every piece of electrical equipment, regardless of age. Even the newest equipment in your facility can run into unexpected problems. Perhaps the most unfortunate element of this type of trouble is we often fail to detect it until the problem has become too severe to prevent. This can lead to outages for at least one of your equipment devices, stalling your work day or perhaps several and cutting sharply into your profits until repairs can be finished. However, there’s an easy solution for this problem: infrared thermography. Read on to learn the greatest benefits of infrared inspection.

What Are the Benefits?

Since humans cannot see temperatures, it is up to us to create and use devices that have such capabilities. This is where infrared thermography comes in. With the help of thermographic equipment, professionals can easily detect problems within electrical gear or some other element based on the temperature readings picked up and depicted by the thermographic equipment. This means you’ll be able to pinpoint problems before they become too out of control to solve through more efficient and cost-effective means. Here are some more specific ways infrared thermography can save your productivity:

It doesn’t intrude upon your work day. Infrared scans can be performed in such a way you and your staff can carry on with normal operations. The scan itself can still take place, with neither process intersecting until the scan is over with and results are available for you to view. The professional in charge of the reading won’t need to touch the piece of equipment being evaluated, meaning you can still let it run if you need to.
It saves money. Infrared thermography has the unique quality of being able to locate problems long before they become noticeable to you. This enables you to take early action and get the issue resolved prior to the piece of equipment failing entirely. This ability saves you money by freeing you from having to invest exorbitant amounts toward repairs, which can total anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars. The maintenance costs will easily rival what you’d be paying for full repairs, meaning you’d be losing far less profit and actually saving money.
It’s preventive. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” as the saying goes. Sometimes the problems that result in your equipment come from the usual types of wear and tear associated with prolonged use. While easily fixable, you can’t always detect these problems independently. An infrared scan can pick up on any components within your equipment that have aged beyond repair and need to be replaced.

There are many other reasons to commission an infrared electrical systems survey. To learn more about the benefits for your commercial facility and the variety of needs infrared thermography can fulfill, contact us.

Why Do I Need Infrared Testing for My Manufacturing Facility?

Manufacturing plants need infrared testing.

Infrared testing can help manufacturing plants.

Reveal problems with a thermal imaging survey.

A thermal imaging survey can reveal problems.

If you’re in the manufacturing business, you may have heard of infrared testing, but haven’t used it for a number of reasons. Maybe you aren’t sure of all the benefits, or you haven’t had time to make the change from traditional inspections to infrared testing. Whatever your reasons, there are many more benefits to consider when hiring an infrared testing service for your commercial facility.

What Does Infrared Testing Do?

Certified Thermographers conduct a thermal imaging survey on your equipment to scan it for any potential problems. They will use their own equipment to record yours photographically. This photograph is monochromatic, and the intensity of the shades correspond with the specific temperatures of your equipment. When a piece of equipment begins to malfunction, the first sign is usually a spike in temperature that is often undetectable otherwise. This sudden and severe rise in temperature can signal any number of problems, including:

Faulty components
Poor internal connectivity
Imbalances
Exposed circuitry
Energy overload

No matter the source of a problem, too much heat coming from a device is often the first and biggest sign complete failure looms in the future. This can occur in any piece of equipment, regardless of age.

How Does Infrared Testing Solve My Problems?

Problems are Identified Early – By hiring an inspection professional to take a look at your equipment, they can easily pinpoint problems you may be experiencing. Best of all, these inspections can detect problems before they truly start, making them an excellent preventive tool. This allows you to catch problems before they can unfold into something more severe, which can save you lost productivity and costly repairs down the road.
Machinery is Maintained More Efficiently – By allowing you to take care of the problem early, you will be eliminating the steep costs associated with repairs, which can add up to thousands of dollars. You will also be avoiding downtime within your facility, which means you won’t be losing valuable productivity. Also, your machinery will last much longer.
Production Won’t be Halted – Another benefit comes in the form of how these inspections are performed. Electrical thermal imaging is not invasive. Traditional methods may halt your production for several hours but your team will be able to carry on a normal work day while the infrared testing takes place. This means there will be no interruption in workflow for your daily operations and you will be able to review the results at your convenience.

For an easier and more cost-efficient option for your commercial inspection, infrared testing could be the best choice for your manufacturing company. For more information on how this important preventive testing measure can ensure maximum productivity, contact us.

Electrical Thermal Imaging Boosts Electrical Functionality

May 5, 2016/in Electrical thermography, Thermographic imaging /by I R Test

If you work in a commercial facility that depends on the functioning of electrical equipment, you know the importance of keeping everything in working order. Something can go wrong too easily and quietly, leaving you with a major loss of productivity to deal with, as well as hundreds or thousands of dollars in repair costs. Did you know there’s an easy way to prevent this kind of catastrophe in your workplace? It comes in the form of electrical thermal imaging and can save you and your facility hundreds thousands of dollars potentially spent on repairs.

How Do Infrared Scans Work?

Infrared scanning, otherwise known as thermographic imaging, is meant to help detect problems in electrical equipment and other components and areas of a building that are otherwise undetectable by the average human senses. When you request an infrared scan, you’ll be hiring someone to take thermal imagery of your machinery for the sake of spotting any potential issues within them. These pictures are monochromatic and are meant to read the temperature given off by the depicted equipment. The hotter an object is, the stronger the variance from dark to light will be. This will be yours and your inspector’s first clue to any signs of trouble.

What Can Thermographic Imaging Tell Me About My Equipment?

All functioning electrical equipment conducts heat as it operates. However, it is beyond our senses to determine how much or how little heat a piece of equipment is giving off. This is where electrical testing and inspection comes in. The first sign of trouble in any electrical device is giving off far more heat than it should. If your equipment is escalating to much higher temperatures than normal, you likely have a serious problem waiting in the wings. The devices used during an infrared scan will be able to easily detect how high a temperature your facility’s equipment is reaching and provide you with a thermogram. The professional in charge of administering your scan will also be able to give you advice on the next steps you should take to resolve the problem.

Why Is This Important?

It’s always better to solve problems before they start, especially when you work in a commercial facility where valuable production time and funds are on the line. With the help of electrical thermal imaging, you have the ability to take care of any issues with your equipment before they escalate into something worse. This will also help to keep your facility as stable as possible by making sure everything is in working order and enabling you to take action with malfunctioning equipment early. If you decide to take up having routine inspections performed, you will then have a method of normal maintenance that will allow you to take care of problems even more easily.

We hope you will consider taking up this valuable preventive measure. If you have any questions or concerns about infrared inspections, feel free to contact us for more information.

How to Safeguard Your Roof Against Damaging with an Electrical Infrared Survey

March 31, 2016/in News /by I R Test

Guard your roof with an electrical infrared survey.

An electrical infrared survey helps guard your roof.

Check the integrity of your roof with an electrical infrared survey.

Have you considered an electrical infrared survey to check your roof?

For building owners and property managers, sometimes a lesson in roof damage is learned the hard way. Most assume if you have insurance, recouping your losses will be an easy process. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. You can be in for a long fight. The good news is there’s a simple solution: always document the condition of your roofing system. Here are a few tips to ensure that process is thorough and effective.

Sloped Versus Flat Roofs

If you have a sloped roof, you must document its condition from every angle. Should something happen, you will be able to prove what the condition of your roof was prior to the damage. Additionally, hire a professional roof consultant, architect or engineer to take stock of your roofing system assembly. Based on their findings, you can make any necessary changes or repairs. Of course, this should be done prior to hurricane or tornado season. Make sure you document all inspections and subsequent repairs.

Flat roofs have a different set of demands. First, you need to have a roof moisture survey done by a certified, licensed roof testing company. This will give you scientific data to demonstrate the condition of your roof. If something happens to the roof, the insurance company should reimburse you based on this professional data gathering. Since the information is from a roof testing company, it is considered unbiased and more credible, allowing the insurance company to move more quickly.

Testing for Moisture

No matter how water has invaded the roof assembly, the purpose of an infrared roof moisture survey is to locate and document it. The infrared scanning cameras used in these surveys are sophisticated and can detect wet areas within your roofing system. By knowing how much of the roof is wet, you can make an educated decision about maintenance and possible repair.

Be Proactive

No matter what type of roofing system you have, the best approach is to be proactive. Your quick action will make it clear to the insurance company you are doing your part to maintain your roof. Lots of business owners mistakenly assume if the roof is only a few years old, there is no need for an evaluation, but this could not be further from the truth. Spending a relatively small amount of money upfront will save an untold amount in the end. It’s up to you to be vigilant about documentation and upkeep. Whether you choose infrared problem prevention or electrical infrared survey, it’s up to you to be diligent!

Roof moisture is easy to prevent when you take the right steps. Contact us today to learn how our infrared survey experts can keep a small amount of roof moisture from becoming a disaster. Our experienced technicians can help you detect any moisture problem before it’s too late.

Why Is an Electrical Infrared Survey Important?

March 15, 2016/in Electrical thermography /by I R Test

Find problems with an electrical infrared survey.

An electrical infrared survey helps you find problems.

Use infrared problem prevention to your advantage.

Infrared problem prevention is a necessity.

Working electrical equipment is highly important to every commercial facility. However, people often assume because their equipment is functional, there is no need to look into existing problems. In fact, functional equipment is often interpreted as a sign of a lack of problems. Unfortunately, this can be far from the truth. There are a number of reasons you should look into requesting an electrical infrared survey, which span from safety precautions to issues of efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Electrical Testing Can Prevent Accidents and Safety Threats

Normally engineers build electrical equipment in such a way it only uses a specific amount of voltage power. When the equipment works as it should, it will only use that amount of power, no more and no less. However, when equipment begins to malfunction, the voltage it needs to operate properly and safely can dip below the required amount. This low voltage condition can cause damage to motors and equipment.

Electrical Testing Preserves Energy and Your Budget

Infrared problem prevention doesn’t stop with just protecting your and your staffs’ physical safety. When equipment uses more power than it should, you are also at risk of much higher utility bills than expected, which eats away at your budget and can actually be the first sign of a problem. It never hurts to be economical. In fact, taking measures to cut down on energy consumption helps not only your company’s costs, but its energy footprint. Businesses are rapidly trying to go “green,” which means cutting down on the amount of energy they use and thereby increasing their day-to-day efficiency. You can hire infrared inspection services to make sure you are running efficiently.

At Infrared Consulting Services, we make infrared inspection services our business and perform them for a wide variety of purposes. If you’re in need of an electrical inspection, we can provide that for you. We hire only the most qualified professionals, who will be able to help pinpoint any problem areas in your commercial facility and talk with you about the best solutions. For more information on what we do, contact us.