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Electrical thermal scanning, also known as thermography or infrared imaging, is a non-invasive and non-destructive method of inspecting electrical equipment and systems. It uses a thermal camera to capture the heat patterns and temperature differences of electrical components, such as cables, circuit breakers, transformers and other electrical components. By analysing these images, potential faults and defects can be identified and corrected before they cause serious damage, fire, or power outage.
At Thermal Scanners, we have a team of licensed electricians and certified thermographers who can provide you with high-quality and reliable electrical thermal scanning services. We use the latest thermal imaging technology and software to detect and diagnose any electrical issues and provide you with a clear and concise report with recommendations and solutions. Contact us today to book your electrical thermal scan and get peace of mind for your electrical equipment and systems.
Unlike Residual Current Device (RCD) testing, there is currently no legal requirement or schedule to have electrical thermal scanning completed in Australia. It is however becoming standard practice for most commercial and industrial businesses and institutions due to the advantages it provides in preventative maintenance and insurance requirements.
If your main reason for scanning is for insurance, you’ll need to check with the insurer regarding the frequency required. In general, it is advised that regular office type buildings should be inspected every one to three years depending on their power loads. Where loads are higher, like for manufacturing or military use then at least every year. For locations such as mining sites where electrical loads are particularly high and equipment exposed, inspection should be much more frequent.
Keeping everyone safe is always the top priority for those responsible for managing any public facility. Each year in Australia over 5,000 claims for fire damage in commercial premises are lodged. Around 20% of structural fires occur in retail spaces, another 20% in accommodation and food service, followed by agriculture, forestry and fishing (16%) and manufacturing (14%). Common causes include cooking equipment and heating systems, but the number one cause of commercial fires is faulty electrical equipment which was to blame for 1 in 5 incidents.
You can improve safety with active smoke alarms, emergency plans and training but nothing works better than prevention. Have switchboards, fuse and control panels and other electrical equipment routinely scanned so that faults can be detected early.
Issues with electrical equipment can lead to dangerous situations like fires, cause costly damage to equipment and create disruptions and downtime to your operation. For the most part these faults begin within poor and loose terminations, rusted / degraded connections or are the result of malfunctions and unbalanced electrical loads – all of which are not detectable to a standard visual inspection.
Thermal scanning examines the electrical equipment with advanced imaging systems capable of detecting various degrees of infrared light which are then converted to a visible image. The more intense the infrared radiation – the more heat is being generated. The electrical equipment is inspected under normal load conditions by our thermography certified frontline technicians who detect heat blooms, the results of electrical faults that the naked eye cannot see.
Electricity and the systems it powers perform their functions continuously and silently, until they don’t… and then they can be dangerous, costly or both. Electrical malfunctions can be easy to fix if caught early but especially costly to rectify where fire is the result. As if the costs of repairs are not bad enough there is often an ensuing disruption that can result in huge losses in productivity, especially in commercial, manufacturing and industrial facilities. Downtime because of electrical failures can be lengthy. Supply interruptions can be overcome with generators however a fault in the electrical systems can all but shut down an operation until it can be rectified.
Including thermal imaging of electrical equipment to detect impending faults as part of a routine maintenance schedule often proves to be a small investment well worth making.
Whilst there isn’t a legal requirement for thermographic inspections of electrical equipment and switchboards, in recent years it has become commonplace for commercial insurers to require regular thermal imaging of electrical installations as a condition of their policies.
QBE for instance recommends that thermographic scans on the electrical switchboards be undertaken and must only be conducted by a licensed electrician following regulatory safety requirements, and with appropriate thermographic training/certification (Level 1-3 certification through an Approved Testing Body or the approved certifiers indicated within AS/ISO 18436:7 Condition monitoring and diagnostics of machines — Requirements for qualification and assessment of personnel – Part 7: Thermography).
Our technicians are all certified and our inspections include a detailed insurance compliant report.
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