thermograph inspection for homes electrical system

[colorone]

hi

I plan to purchase a thermograph camera to inspect my home electrical system (wiring, panel, receptacle, lighting .. etc)

have any one here been in such expierence? if yes, please give some details about how to analyze the findings. i mean what is the normal limit of tempersture after which i can say that this equipment has something wrong. then, how to know the defect from temoerature readings ?

appreciate your help .

Thanks,

 

[rjm2k]

Any particular reason why?

They are very expensive, maybe it would be better/cheaper to pay someone who has one and knows how to use it to come and do a report for you?

BTW this should be in the Outside the UK forum

 

[colorone]

Any particular reason why?

They are very expensive, maybe it would be better/cheaper to pay someone who has one and knows how to use it to come and do a report for you?

BTW this should be in the Outside the UK forum

I know the cost and have no problem with it.

thanks dear

 

[rjm2k]

Ok, have fun

 

[securespark]

It's not usual in a domestic situation to have this kind of diagnostic testing done here in the UK.

It is more often carried out on commercial and industrial installations on high current 3 phase installations.

 

[SimonH2]

Once you have the camera, I imagine there are all sorts of uses for it

I think it's not so much a case of "this is the limit" as "why does X look so much hotter than Y". It may just be that fuse X is supplying a large load and fuse Y isn't - or it could be that fuse X has a slightly high resistance connection and so it will fail eventually*.

* We had that at work - only it wasn't picked up by the thermographic surveys the landlord doesn't do. The fuse in the meter room that supplies our submain was "getting rather warm", and it was only found when people started asking "what's that 'electrical smell' in the corridor ?" type questions.
All it needs is a bit of tarnishing on the contact, that makes a bit of heat which increases tarnishing rate and also starts to (very slightly) soften the contact springs. Over time this goes round a positive feedback loop - more heat increases the rate the resistance increase until it gets to a point where it accelerates away and something fails.