Interesting Cases

 

These are specific problems we have encountered in the course of our inspections. They show the types of problems that can be
detected by Infrared Thermography, and also illustrate how a skilled, experienced thermographer can make a difference in the
effectiveness of an inspection.

 

 

 


 

Case of the Misleading Heat Anomaly:  

In the course of an inspection of a large shopping mall in Knoxville, TN, our Field Engineer noticed an overheated wire between a disconnect and a water pump. It’s not uncommon to see heat at a disconnect as a result of a loose lug connection, or a corroded or loose connection of the blade. Our engineer, however, noticed that the heat signature was fading going toward the disconnect, rather than the other way around. In other words, the problem was not at the disconnect. If you look closely at the IR image of the disconnect, you may be able to see that the center wire is white toward the bottom of the frame, indicating a higher temperature away from the disconnect. 


Our engineer pulled the junction box (sometimes referred to as the “pecker-head”) at the motor, and was able to determine that the bad connection was there. The connections in the junction box are typically wrapped with tape, and if the tape had melted, and the bare wire come in contact with the metal cover of the junction box, it could have grounded out, and potentially ruined the motor. 

 

We were able to prevent a potentially dangerous failure of the motor because: 1) Our Field Engineer was not just snapping pictures and moving on, he was paying attention to what he saw, and 2) Our IR cameras are top-of-the-line equipment and able to detect subtle differences in thermal gradients.

 

Infrared scan images of motor wiring in tricky case

 

Recent Projects:

Brief summaries of some of the projects we have recently completed.

Shows the wide range of businesses that benefit from infrared inspections.


Interesting Cases:

More detailed descriptions of some of the problems we have found.

These also serve as case studies in how a good thermographer/field

engineer works.  

Download:

* Electrical Inspection Flyer
* Sample Report Pages
* Roof Inspection Flyer