Basically, yes. Connections, contacts, or overloaded circuits are the main culprits. Connections are everywhere in electrical systems and can overheat, sometimes due to improper installation, but perhaps most often due to normal wear-and-tear. That is, by running near their rated limits for long periods, the contraction and expansion of conductive metals often lead to degradation. Throughout the lifespan of equipment, what begins as normal heating (a by-product of electricity) can become excessive and increasing. Examples of overheating connections run the gamut from small, twist-on connectors inside of a receptacle at your house (which you might be using to plug in your hair dryer or coffee maker) to large wire connections on a breaker inside of a distribution panel at Factory XYZ … where equipment is often pushed to its limits, perhaps by the addition of machinery without consideration for increasing electrical capacity.

Apart from the usual wired termination points, electrical contacts are the basis of breakers, contactors, disconnects, fuse clips, etc. and they overheat in the same manner. Consider a breaker, for example — because its contacts are internal and unable to be viewed directly, excess heat often conducts to the exterior, appearing at (otherwise healthy) connection points, producing misleading and often  misinterpreted IR images (but that’s another story!).

Getting back to the question … yes, overheating is nearly always a result of poor connections and/or contact areas — which could generally be referred to as ‘connections’. However, in a broader sense, we might say ‘components’ to encompass the remaining small percentage of abnormal heating, which could include overload conditions, broken conductors, coil shorts, induction heating, etc.

No, not at all. The inspection is best performed under normal operating conditions In fact, even heavy operations are preferable, as putting equipment under higher load yields even more comprehensive results. IR scanning simply detects the thermal radiation emitted by an object. The inspection is entirely non-contact and non-destructive.

We typically require a site to provide a ‘qualified individual’ to open and close covers for the inspection. This can be facility maintenance personnel trained in electrical safety, or an outside electrician. We occasionally provide turn-key solutions for very small sites (e.g. warehouses <50,000sq/ft or retail sites), however, we typically prefer working in pairs as the equipment can be sizeable and potentially unsafe for a lone worker. That said, we bring our experience from the field, gladly offering hands-on support in cover removal and re-installation (in other words, we wouldn’t idly stand by while your personnel struggle with equipment!).

This is mostly a bogus or ignorant selling point considering that most hot spots consume about as much power as a night light. But apart from the obvious (i.e. avoiding costly downtime from business interruption), there’s certainly money-saving potential elsewhere. Consider motors, for instance. Extreme hot spots in motor circuits will reduce supply voltage, and by the nature of motors lead to excessive current draw (and heat), which can absolutely burn out motors … Talk about expensive!

Yes. We understand the need for a single point of contact, ease of scheduling, as well as uniform and comprehensive report templates for a multitude of locations.

IR windows are basically small inspection ports of crystalline (glass-like) material that allow thermal radiation to pass through (similar to how glass allows visible light through). They provide a safe and efficient way to scan larger equipment, such as high-voltage (>1000V) compartmentalized switchgear or pad-mounted transformers. They’re also quite effective when strategically placed on typical 480 Volt “main” switchboards. However, they do carry some considerations: (1) When internal enclosure space is limited, they can be challenging to install effectively. (2) They often make it difficult to obtain accurate temperature measurements. And lastly, (3) they’re quite pricey. But if you’re considering them, feel free to reach out for suggestions regarding your specific setup. Unfortunately, we do not sell them or install them, however.

No, we don’t make repairs ourselves. But the good thing is that this allows for non-biased reporting. Also, speaking of repairs, we typically don’t encourage sites to make repairs during the inspection. Repairs should most often be scheduled for a time when the circuit can be de-energized. Successful repairs are more likely to occur when, for example, a connection is completely re-terminated vs.  attempting to tighten a lug that’s likely corroded or damaged. As far as the later verification of repairs, this can be done by utilizing a simple, low-resolution IR camera or a spot pyrometer.