Thermal imaging products...

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mdshunk

mdshunk

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Any recommendations on a low-cost, no frills thermal imaging camera? Hopefully one inexpensive enough and durable enough that it could ride around on a service truck day in and day out, only to be used to confirm or disprove a technician's suspicions during service calls. The non-contact temperature probe is okay, but I'm ready to step up.
 
Marc: There are less expensive methods of proving or disproving suspicions than purchasing an IR camera. If you tell me what your suspicions are I can tell you the best approach.

But for starters, a hand held IR Thermometers or Fall of Potential (FOP) work adequately for most thermal issues, nuisance tripping circuit breaker, blowing fuse, hot connection, ECT. IMO if there are issues existing that warrant a call for a service electrician, IR is seldom necessary.

But if you want to start offering IR scans as a service for your business, I would recommend purchasing a top of the line camera.
 
brian john said:
a hand held IR Thermometers or Fall of Potential (FOP) work adequately for most thermal issues, nuisance tripping circuit breaker, blowing fuse, hot connection, ECT. IMO if there are issues existing that warrant a call for a service electrician, IR is seldom necessary.
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Brian, does Fall of Potential (FOP) relate to thermal issues, by High-Z grounding failing to clear faults? Also, help with ECT, Eddy Current Testing or Electro-Convulsive Therapy?
 
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brian john said:
Marc: There are less expensive methods of proving or disproving suspicions than purchasing an IR camera. If you tell me what your suspicions are I can tell you the best approach.
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No suspicions right now, but I see it as a way to add more "sizzle" to a technician's field recommendation that equipment that visually appears fine get replaced or repaired. I see it as a way of increasing sales volume. My intention would be to use the thermal imaging camera liberally, and not just when requested by the customer, in an effort to sell more replacement work.
 
Roger


The FOP will not assist in resolving the problems you note. But, based upon the question I doubt the user was inquiring about those issues. My point was and is that IMO based upon the cost of IR equipment, offering IR scanning as a regular service is a better way to recoup your outlay of capital than carrying a IR camera for trouble shooting.

Any piece of test equipment is helpful in a trained techs hands. From a business stand point making that equipment pay for itself is often just as important.
 
The facility where I work gets and IR scan done on all equipment, AC units, machines, disconnects, and panels. This is done annually as a PM program for the equipment to help us see where troubles are about to happen and allows us to take corrective measures before it occurs. The device they used looked like a video camera and cost around $10K. It scans and takes a picture for download to a CD so we can go through the discrepencies and find the most critical problems and repair them as neccessary. Not a lot of companies offer this service right now and if more did, then a little competition out there might bring down the price. But you have to accept the fact that a piece of equipment not used is a useless piece of equipment. If it doesn't make you money everyday, is it worth it?
 
Marc.
Do you have a budget figure in mind? I do a lot of IR work and can give you the names of some depending on your budget.

Al
 
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