Infrared thermometers for electrical equipment application tips
Infrared thermometers are effective in preventing equipment failures and unplanned power outages in the following applications.
Connectors - Electrical connection areas can gradually relax connectors due to repeated heating (expansion) and cooling (contraction) to generate heat, or surface dirt, carbon deposits and corrosion. Non-contact thermometers can quickly identify temperature rises that indicate serious problems.
Electric motors - To maintain motor longevity, check for consistent temperatures in the power supply connections and circuit breakers (or fuses).
Motor bearings - Check for hot spots and regularly repair or replace them before they cause problems that lead to equipment failure.
Motor Coil Insulation-Extend the life of the motor coil insulation by measuring its temperature.
Measurement between phases-Check that the temperature of wires and connectors of induction motors, mainframe computers, and other equipment is the same from phase to phase.
Transformers-Windings of 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 Supplies - Determine the hot spots on the connecting wires on the UPS output filter. A low temperature point indicates that the DC filter line may be open.
Battery Backup-Check low voltage batteries to ensure proper connection. Contact with the battery connector** may heat up enough to burn the battery mandrel.
Ballast-Check out overheating of the ballast before it starts to smoke.
Utilities-Determine hot spots in connectors, wire splices, transformers and other equipment. Some models of optics have a range of 60:1 or even greater, putting almost any measurement target within the measurement range.
