Wednesday 5 March 2014

Why You Must Make Electrical Infrared Inspection Part Of Your Maintenance Program

By Lisa Williamson


Proper management of an electrical system is a basic requirement considering just how a small mistake can turn out to be the cause of a disaster. Malfunctions can be caused by human errors during installation, vandalism or damages from physical elements. The only way out is periodic inspection with the aim or reveling flaws, points of weaknesses and other potential disasters well in advance for early repair. This process does not have to be time consuming and labor intensive as is normally the case when physical testing is done, instead it is prudent to resort to electrical infrared inspection that is highly effective and a significantly cheaper alternative.

The general recommendation is that all parts of electrical system that are exposed to vibrations and or any other movements are inspected at least every six months while the rest are inspected on annual basis. For the system exposed to earthquakes, frozen winter conditions, very strong winds and tsunamis, there is a need for more frequent testing.

Excessive heat is normally an indication of the underlying problem that must be handled before a disaster. Other than mechanical damages to power lines and other electrical devices, there are several causes of overheating but the common ones include faulty assembly, loose connections, wear and tear, ground faults, contamination and corrosion. Most of these results from exposure to physical elements and thus calls for periodic inspection.

The devices that requires infrared surveys are the bus ducts, the distribution center, the distribution panels, receptacle panel, the transformers, lighting system, switchgears, disconnects and other components that make up the system. If well done, the uninterruptable power supply can be achieved as there is no need to shut down the system. The process of inspection takes place under the normal load without any disturbance to normal supply.

Using the state of the art equipment deployed for scanning, thousands of components get inspected in a matter of hours with very accurate results. With very high rate of efficiency and effectiveness, most of engineers are now using this form of inspection. It cut down on staff needed for the job and increases profitability by a big margin. In fact, it has one to four returns on investment and as such, companies that hope to survive into the future have to adopt this technology.

With the endorsement and approval from the InterNational Electrical Testing Association and the National Fire Protection Association and other related regulatory authorities, it is a mistake to continue depending on the manual method of testing.

There are several benefits that comes with infrared surveys among which include the ability to pinpoint the real hot spot, the reduced down time, elimination of unplanned power outages, ability to cut down on the cost of maintaining electrical system and minimization of possible hazards and related disasters. This all translates to an efficient and reliable electrical system with reduced cost of power supply.

It is important to trust the surveying services to a company that has expert engineers, the necessary machinery for the job and well proven track record in order to enjoy the full benefits of this new technology.




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