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The Short- and Long-Term Benefits of Regular Infrared Testing

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Businesses today don’t have the time or money to deal with unexpected issues. Some issues may only slow down production for a few minutes or hours, but other larger-scale issues could force production to shut down for days. If nothing else, the benefits of infrared inspection are to help business owners see a potential problem before it becomes a large-scale issue. Certified thermographers can detect issues in electrical equipment, HVAC units, production machinery, building envelopes and roofs. By conducting regular infrared problem prevention testing, business owners will appreciate both short-term and long-term benefits.

Short-Term Benefits of Infrared Testing

Hiring certified thermographers to inspect your building and the equipment can cost some money upfront , but it’s much cheaper than having to replace a component. Even in the worst-case scenario, it’s much cheaper than potentially having to halt production completely for any amount of time. Here are some of the short-term benefits of infrared testing:

  • Due diligence on new properties. Purchasing a new property can be stressful, since you never really know how good of shape the building is in. One of the benefits of infrared inspection is you’ll be able to see what areas need attention before you make the purchase. This could include mold issues in the roof or other potentially problematic structural issues with the building.

  • Targeted Repairs. Infrared inspections can identify exactly where the root of a problem is. If there’s some moisture getting through a spot on the roof, certified thermographers will be able to see exactly how large the affected area is so the repairs can be limited to that area.

  • Find the source of leaks. The human eye can only see so much. If you notice water dripping from the ceiling, you know the roof is leaking, but you can’t immediately see why or where the source of the leak is. Infrared testing can lead you to the source of any leak so it can be fixed permanently.

Long-Term Benefits of Infrared Testing

Most business owners really appreciate the long-term benefits of infrared inspection. Some of those benefits include:

  • Lower Energy Bills. When your equipment is running efficiently, or if you don’t have a leaky roof allowing air to escape, you’ll be saving a lot of money on energy bills. Regular infrared testing can ensure this is always the case.

  • Reduce unexpected repairs. You don’t have to expect the unexpected when you have regular infrared inspections completed. You’ll be able to identify even the smallest issues early enough where you can get them fixed before a big repair is necessary.

  • Avoid major issues. Whether it’s a mechanical failure in a production machine or a building roof failure, these issues can be devastating to a business. Infrared testing is worth the price to pay to avoid these major issues, which could put a serious burden on a business.

Infrared Consulting Services has been in business since 1988 to help business owners eliminate major issues with their equipment or property. To learn more about the benefits of infrared inspection, or to set up an appointment, be sure to contact us.

Infrared Consulting Services benefits of Infrared Inspection

How Infrared Thermography Can Keep Your Facility Cool This Summer

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The summer months are upon us, meaning temperatures are going to be on the rise and HVAC units will be working overtime. Facilities struggle with high energy bills every summer because the AC unit is seemingly operating non-stop. What many business owners don’t realize is they are wasting a lot of energy due to air leaks, poor insulation and other issues. These cause HVAC units to work harder than they have to, which drives up energy bills.

Certified thermographers can help facilities stay cool all summer long and also potentially reduce the cost of energy bills. By identifying holes and leaks in your facility with infrared technology, you’ll be able to enjoy the coolness of being indoors without breaking the bank. Here are some reasons why infrared problem prevention is the way to go.

Identify Air Leaks

One of the main benefits of infrared inspection is identifying air leaks. These leaks could be coming from the roof, walls, ceiling, windows, doors, insulation or anywhere else. Regular building maintenance checks sometimes won’t be able to detect these leaks because they are so small and are in areas where the naked eye can’t see.

When you hire certified thermographers, they will be able to detect temperature differences on all of the potential problem areas. You may be surprised at how much air is leaking out of your facility on a regular basis. Once these air leaks are identified, you can take the necessary steps to plug them up so all of your cool air will remain inside.

Keep HVAC Units Operating Efficiently

HVAC units will work hard during the summer months whether you have air leaks in your building or not. The harder the units work, the more potential issues they will have due to faulty or worn out components. It’s important to do an infrared problem prevention check on your HVAC system frequently, and especially throughout the summer. Working hard and working efficiently are two different things, and you’ll definitely notice the difference on your energy bill when your unit is working efficiently.

Check Voids in Insulation

One of the most difficult things to see is whether the insulation in your facility has any damage. Moisture could have intruded through the walls or roof and damaged the insulation, making it essentially ineffective in some areas. These are the types of issues certified thermographers look for when they conduct an infrared inspection. Faulty insulation leads to indoor air escaping and making the building hotter during the summer. The trickle down effect of poor insulation could lead to big energy bills and equipment replacement costs later on.

At Infrared Consulting Services, we know businesses operate better when working under ideal controlled conditions, so we want to help. Be sure to contact us to see how our certified thermographers can help keep your facility cool all summer long.

Identify moisture issues early with infrared thermography.

How Can Infrared Thermography Help Find Unwanted Moisture?

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What all business and property owners need to understand is moisture could be present behind walls, ceilings and floors and you may not even know it. Most of the time, you won’t know there’s a problem until you can actually see the moisture. With the help of infrared thermography, unwanted moisture can be detected before it becomes a larger and costlier issue. Not only will this save money, but it will also keep everyone safe from mold risks.

Understanding the Technology

Infrared detection technology can create images using infrared lighting based on an object’s thermal condition. Some infrared cameras will actually tell the temperature of any given object and can provide infrared images to determine temperature differences.

The key to infrared problem prevention is locating areas of temperature differences. These temperature differences could be the sign of existing moisture. Most of the time, no one can see this moisture or feel the temperature differences with the naked eye or with normal senses, but infrared cameras can detect it and bring the issue to light.

When Should Infrared Technology Be Used?

Regular infrared thermography testing is highly recommended because you never know when moisture could be present. Sometimes it is the tiniest of leaks or cracks that cause the largest issues, and you wouldn’t know it without using infrared technology. When an expert provides you with the testing results, they will also recommend a course of action to take. Most of the time the repairs won’t take long and won’t be costly, but the longer you wait, the more potential damage could occur.

Advantages of Using Infrared Technology for Unwanted Moisture

You could walk around your property looking and feeling for moisture and temperature differences or you could hire an infrared thermography professional. Testing will prove more effective since most moisture isn’t detectable with the naked eye. Plus, it will save a great deal of time since infrared technology can be used to survey large areas quickly. Once the testing is done, you will have clear images of where potential problems are rather than having to guess.

The advantages of using infrared thermography testing for unwanted moisture speak for themselves. To learn more about the process or to schedule a survey, contact us.

Motor systems can improve with infrared consulting services.

How Infrared Consulting Services Can Help Improve Your Motor Systems

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Having a motor maintenance program in place is one of the most overlooked aspects in companies today. By doing a circuit analysis and thermography inspection, you can predict when to perform maintenance rather than waiting until it’s too late. Many people underestimate the value of infrared testing. However, the cost savings in the long run are significant enough to give infrared testing a serious look. Here are some ways infrared services can help improve your motor systems.

Identify Any Potential Repairs Needed

Infrared problem prevention methods will provide you with results you wouldn’t otherwise see. It’s difficult for anyone to see or feel when the temperature of any part of a motor is warmer or cooler than the other. With infrared testing, you can easily identify hot spots, which could cause problems in the short-term or long-term. Performing a test to identify potential repairs before a problem occurs is a big cost saver.

Makes Motors More Reliable

Any infrared consulting services will look at your motor from the standpoint it should be running perfectly. It’s much easier to diagnose a problem if you are looking at the motor in general, rather than just a specific component or two. When you have a professional do routine infrared testing on your motors, they will be able to compare how the motor looked the previous time versus during the current test. As long as routine testing is completed, you’ll have a better chance of having a more reliable and efficient motor.

Predictive Maintenance

When you do a thermography inspection, you are essentially conducting preventive maintenance. Whether or not you think there is a current issue with a motor, it’s still a good idea to get infrared testing done regularly. Since it is impossible to detect some problems with the naked eye, IR testing can help you see a potential problem before it escalates and becomes costly.

Infrared testing is an essential part of any predictive maintenance program for motors. When it’s completed correctly and routinely, companies will experience much lower maintenance costs, as well as higher productivity, more reliability and increased uptime. Without a solid predictive maintenance program, you’re leaving the health of your motor to chance. The money you spend for routine motor maintenance upfront will pay for itself in the long run.

Many companies are beginning to see the benefits of having an infrared problem prevention program in place. Our consultants at Infrared Consulting Services can identify problems at any workplace, even if there doesn’t appear to be an issue at all. If you need to schedule an infrared test for your motors, contact us today to set up an appointment or to get more information about the procedure.

Identify gas leaks with infrared thermography.

Infrared Thermography Can Even Detect Gas Leaks

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When companies think of infrared thermography, they generally think about moisture detection. However, with today’s technology, specialists can also detect gas leaks. This is a huge deal in terms of safety, cost savings and overall productivity in the workplace. Gas leaks can be dangerous in any industry, but especially so if you’re a part of the oil and gas industry. We’ve seen plants explode before as a result of a gas leak so it’s better to be safe than sorry when dealing with such a dangerous chemical.

Cost Saving Benefits of Gas Leak Detection

Not only will hiring infrared problem prevention experts keep you and your employees safe, but it will also help your bottom line. Any time gas is leaking out of a chamber, dollars might as well be pouring out instead. Infrared inspections can detect even the slightest holes or cracks where gas could exit. As a result, you know exactly where to focus your maintenance efforts to help save on the costs of wasted gas.

Productivity and Maintenance Prevention

When certified thermographers come out to your work site to inspect the property frequently, you’ll be able to boost the productivity of your workers since they won’t have to inspect the equipment themselves. It’s impossible for your employees to record every minor detail with your equipment so infrared cameras can record and compare the changes over time. Most employers agree doing a full in-depth infrared inspection for gas leaks is better than having employees spot-check equipment occasionally.

Health Advantages

Any time you can reduce the amount of natural gas emitting into the air, you’re helping out the environment. Companies don’t want the negative attention of being known for creating an unhealthy environment because of poor maintenance practices so infrared thermography is the way to go from that aspect. Also, frequent infrared inspections help prevent explosions caused by gas leaks, which we all know can be devastating for the company and surrounding patrons.

Gas leaks may not seem like a big deal on a small scale, but you never want to ignore them. Your employees likely don’t have the time or the equipment to properly detect and fix a gas leak. Hiring certified thermographers is the best and safest route to take. Contact us if you have any questions or if you’d like us to come out for an inspection.

Find mold problems early with infrared thermography.

How Can Infrared Thermography Help Detect Mold Growth?

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Mold growth can happen anywhere in commercial buildings, no matter how well you take care of the daily maintenance and cleaning. All it takes is a leaky water pipe or a slight hole in a roof and mold could be present within a day or two. The best way to ensure you don’t have a major mold problem in your building is to detect mold growth early on. With the help of infrared thermography, you can detect where mold could potentially grow and get ahead of the problem before it takes over.

Frequent Building Inspections Help

Mold grows in the most inconvenient locations, making it difficult for the average person to see. It’s always best to hire infrared consulting services to do an infrared inspection on your building frequently. The process of infrared inspection is quick and can easily detect conditions promoting mold growth.

With the use of an infrared camera, experts can detect slight temperature differences in parts of walls and roofs, which are usually indications of favorable conditions for mold. Since the temperature differences aren’t noticeable by just touching the area, professionals must use infrared thermography.

Detecting and Preventing Mold Growth

When your company uses infrared problem prevention services for your building, you save a lot of money in the long run. Having an infrared inspection done on a regular basis will not only detect the presence of possible mold, but can also help you determine what maintenance needs to be done.

The problem may be as simple as patching a hole where moisture can enter, or you could detect a larger issue that could have been detrimental to your business. It’s a scary reality when you don’t know what is growing behind the walls of your building. The best thing to do is get ahead of the problem, and the only way to do that is with infrared thermography.

As a business owner, one of your main priorities should be keeping your employees safe. The presence of mold could have lasting negative effects on your company. When you’re looking for infrared consulting services, give us a call and we will be happy to come out to take a look. Whether you want to schedule regular testing or just want a thorough inspection first, we are here to help.

IRTest infrared problem prevention

Infrared Technology Can Identify Hidden HVAC Issues

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The HVAC system in your building works hard around the clock to keep your employees or tenants comfortable—but how can you ever tell if your system is running as efficiently as it could be? Sometimes it’s impossible to tell unless you use infrared cameras. There are many benefits of infrared inspections for companies, but the potential cost savings is at the top of the list. Your HVAC system is an important component of your company, so you need to make sure it’s taken care of properly as well as identify any hidden issues potentially lurking.

How Infrared Cameras Work for HVAC

When dealing with HVAC systems, infrared thermography experts generally don’t know what to look for when they perform an inspection. In other words, the client doesn’t know if anything is wrong, so it’s up to the expert to determine it. Infrared cameras can detect air leaks, temperature, blown fuses, bad connections and much more. These are all things that may not necessarily immediately affect the performance of your HVAC system, but you could be wasting money because it’s working harder than it needs to be.

You May Not Know A Problem Exists

When your HVAC is working harder than it should to keep you comfortable, you’re spending more money than necessary. Infrared problem prevention is one of the best ways to ensure your HVAC system is working properly. Even the smallest air leaks could lead to additional and unnecessary costs out of your pocket. It may seem tedious at times, but you really don’t know how much money you’re wasting until you get an inspection completed. You will probably be surprised when you get your next bill and see how much lower it is after it has been running efficiently!

Potential Cost Savings With An Infrared Inspection

You have to pay upfront for an infrared thermography inspection. Sometimes experts may determine your HVAC is running properly, but most of the time there is something wrong if it hasn’t been inspected in a while. Hidden issues are very common with HVAC. If you don’t find them, you’ll be wasting money and energy on a daily basis. The harder you make your system work, the more likely it is to fail and need to be replaced earlier.

The long-term savings are evident when you look at the benefits of infrared inspection. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about your HVAC system or if you’ve never had an inspection completed before.

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

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

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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.

Find problems with an electrical infrared survey.

Why Is an Electrical Infrared Survey Important?

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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.

Keep your processes running smoothly with infrared problem prevention.

Infrared Problem Prevention Keeps You Safe

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If your company’s line of work involves the production of tangible products, we at Infrared Consulting Services know how important it is that every component of your production facilities runs as smoothly as possible. If the slightest malfunction occurs, you risk the possibility of your entire timetable going off-kilter. One valuable form of prevention against time-killing equipment failures is infrared thermography. You can use infrared thermography at your production headquarters to check for signs of wear and hazards in the machinery and other materials you use on a daily basis. Infrared problem prevention services are not only efficient for spotting potential malfunctions, but they are the safest means of doing so for your equipment.

Get testing from certified thermographers.

Certified thermographers will conduct testing.

How Does Infrared Thermography Work?

Infrared thermography is best defined as a method of detecting the heat (or thermal energy) given off by something or someone. Humans cannot detect thermal energy with the naked eye and have to use special equipment to pick it up. Areas at risk of breakdown typically give off higher than average levels of heat, making infrared thermography the best way to detect any problems arising in your production machinery systems. This method of troubleshooting first arose during the 1970s and has proved useful ever since. Engineers now rely upon electrical infrared surveys to look for issues in their equipment before they can occur and cause harm to production.

These surveys are first performed at the production site, usually far away enough from the equipment under inspection to ensure personal safety, while the production plant itself is fully operational and equipment is working at full capacity.

Certified thermographers can then go on to incorporate the survey readings into a maintenance report, which will be delivered by email. Your report will list the source and solution of any problems detected, the placement and name of the equipment evaluated, a depiction of the reading with a colored chart, information on the boost in temperature and the extent of the malfunction, and details on what part of the equipment is faulty.

Why Should I Choose Infrared Thermography for My Plant?

Evidence suggests infrared problem prevention is safe for your equipment, highly cost-effective, quick and efficient. With an infrared reading, you can save thousands of dollars in lost production and damage to equipment.

Readings can be performed without interruption of regular production procedures and during your normal working hours, allowing you to continue production during the process. An infrared survey can inspect thousands of termination points in one day, making the process much faster than traditional inspections. This means you’ll see results quicker.

Should you decide to utilize infrared thermography for your industrial plant, Infrared Consulting Services hires only the best certified thermographers to perform this service. If you have questions or are interested in our services, feel free to contact us by email or by phone.