Infrared thermometer electrical equipment application skills
In the following applications, infrared thermometers can effectively prevent equipment failures and unplanned power outages.
Connectors - Electrical connections can gradually loosen connectors due to repeated heating (expansion) and cooling (contraction) that generate heat, or surface dirt, carbon deposits, and corrosion. Non-contact thermometers can quickly identify temperature rises that indicate a serious problem.
Motor - To preserve the life of your motor, check that the supply connections and circuit breaker (or fuse) are at consistent temperatures.
Motor Bearings - Check for hot spots and regularly repair or replace them before problems cause equipment failure.
Motor Coil Insulation - Extend the life of your motor coil insulation by measuring its temperature.
Phase-to-Phase Measurements - Check that wires and connectors on induction motors, mainframe computers, and other equipment have the same temperature between phases.
The windings of transformer-air-cooled devices can be measured directly with an infrared thermometer to check for excessive temperatures. Any hot spots indicate damage to the transformer windings.
Uninterruptible Power Supply - Determine the heating point of the connecting wires on the UPS output filter. A cold spot may indicate an open circuit in the DC filter line.
Backup battery - Check the low voltage battery to make sure it is connected properly. Contact** with the battery terminals may heat enough to burn the battery core.
Ballast - Check for overheating of the ballast before it starts to smoke.
Utilities - Identify hot spots on connectors, wire splices, transformers and other equipment. Some models of optical instruments have ranges of 60:1 or even greater, bringing almost all measurement targets within range.
