WHAT TO KNOW

Facility SERVICE L.L.C.

WHAT TO KNOW

I/R Inspections & Examinations

Everything you ever wanted to know, but afraid to ask ……………. almost.

Well…..maybe that was a little over sold - but,

There are many questions about Infrared thermography, the technology and it’s uses. There are also a myriad of questions about different types of equipment, methods and simple terminology used.

Without going into to much boring detail, here is an attempt to shed some light on a few key issues.

Above - The most ridiculous image found in our archives! It doesn’t compare to some of the images seen on other I/R sites, but it’ll have to do until we get a better picture of the local Bobcat, or Mountain lion in the black of night. BTW; No animals were harmed during the taking of this image.

Text Box: Small inexpensive I/R guns The are a lot of questions regarding the effectiveness of the small “blind” I/R detector/guns. For the record, they make great door stops. Aside from this, they are limited at best and dangerous in the wrong application. Spot size ratio is the size of the measuring spot at a given distance. The further away from the target you get, the larger the spot size and the more influence from “transient” sources detected. Most of these require a target distance of mere centimeters to fully capture a #10 AWG wire. Good luck with that! Parallax error is the error offset from a laser pointing device and the I/R detector itself being on differing axis. The further away from the target, the greater the error. Transient source influences are all the other things that will influence the reading of the gun. Remember, it displays an average of the spot area - that is all I/R including reflection (you can’t visibly identify). No visual image display means you can’t see what you are actually measuring. This is why they are often referred to as “blind” devices. Recommendation - Stay away from them, unless you are willing to accept the results. They are not a substitute for even the least expensive visual image display I/R detector/camera.

Above - A control relay with numerous conductors in the field of examination. The wire noted in the top was slightly overloaded for it’s rating. Using a “blind” I/R gun would never have revealed this problem.

Text Box: What is the justification for I/R examinations & inspections? It is well documented that preventative and proactive repairs are considerably less expensive than repairs after failure. This is why an increasing number of insurance companies are requiring I/R inspections of many clients. Think about it this way; if on any Monday morning you knew what things would fail during the upcoming week, would you fix the problem before it failed, or wait? World class operations (speaking from direct experience) find the problems before they fail and fix them on manageable terms. Still not convinced? Go tell your boss, plant manager, property owner or whoever signs your paycheck - rather than find problems before they happen, you’ll save the day when things go to hell in a hand-basket. Oh, and bring up the point of yourself being irreplaceable. The trick, implementing enough predictive/preventative focus, and not out spending the actually cost of failure. This is where experience and knowhow payoff. Reduced downtime and repair costs through effective mitigation and proper management.

Text Box: Examination versus Inspection: Examination is the process of simply looking at an object, or system without any criteria. This is strictly a qualitative observation. Inspection employs a method, or criteria for determining relative condition. This is a quantitative evaluation. Typical Qualitative examinations: Building Envelopes Water Damage Roof s Buried pipes Heat transfer patterns

Above - Demonstration image of a partially filled mug and the effects of conductive heat transfer.

Text Box: Typical Quantitative inspections: Electrical connections Bearings Motor housings Transformers Power train

Text Box: Why Facility SERVICE L.L.C.? In one word—Experience. With over twenty years working engineering experience in both electrical and mechanical fields, there is no other I/R service in the area that comes close. Having experienced the costs of hiring a competent outside contractor to perform I/R work in the past, the need to provide a more complete service at a reasonable cost was apparent. Call it the evolution of the market, but more for less is truly the free market at work. Ya, but is the equipment quality? The best. Without boring you with the tedious details, Facility SERVICE L.L.C. uses a FLIR T-400 ThermaCAM TM. In fact, the business plan was written around the capabilities of the T-400, versus lower end, less capable cameras and much higher end, ultra expensive cameras. This is literally the basis for competing against almost everybody. We’ll concede the 1/10th of one-percent of the market the T-400 will not address, but we can also make recommendations of suitable contractors that have the more expensive equipment. We know the limitations, you don’t need to worry. However, if you want the services of the expensive cameras anyway - we’ll gladly give you their numbers. What are the risks? Facility SERVICE L.L.C. is all about service. We’ll go out of our way to make sure you are getting what you truly need, versus what we want to sell. If this service provides no benefit, we simply cannot charge for a non-service. Really - what do you have to lose? Another way to look at it - Our rates are set specifically to make it hard to justify purchasing a camera yourself. Figure what our rates are versus your internal costs, with burden, without the additional cost of a camera and training. We may help you justify the purchase of a camera, however it works - we’re all about a partnership for success. How do you do it? We are unique and our overhead is low. In the end, you only pay for what you get. We don’t have to charge you for other client’s jobs. It’s a very simple concept. All rates and charges are negotiated upfront - no surprises.

Text Box: Is infrared “night vision”? No. It is commonly used in zero visible light applications for both military and civilian surveillance applications. The infrared spectrum is higher frequency, non-visible electromagnetic energy than simple “visible light”. Technically an I/R camera is called a RADIOMETER, tuned to a specific frequency. It is much like your television in that it converts a signal at a specific frequency (wave length) to a picture. Most night vision equipment uses an array of visible light and near visible light columniation and amplification to produce an image. In these applications you must have a minimal level of light, or a small I/R source to illuminate objects in close proximity. You will not see any evidence of emitted heat with any night vision device. So, can it see through stuff - like X-rays? No. X-ray is much lower in frequency and can penetrate objects with less attenuation. It is common to see I/R websites describing I/R as “seeing through” a surface - i.e. water behind stucco. Every time I see this, I feel as though my head will explode! I/R is emitted energy from a surface, effected by what may be conducting through, convected, or reflecting on it. The physics of the matter are classical and straight forward - no magic here.

Above - A bearing and sheave without drive belts, indicating imminent failure. Appears to be over greased and a possible bending moment on the shaft.

Text Box: One final note; If you have read this far, congratulations for the determination and stamina. You have probably figured out, Facility SERVICE L.L.C. is a small personal operation. Our motivation is simple and sincere. There is more to life than making money and personal pride dictates our commitment to service. This is why service is always capitalized in the name “Facility SERVICE L.L.C.” We see opportunity in challenge and admire those that set the bar higher. This is what makes life worth living. Stand for what you believe and fight for those who can’t. Perspective is everything………………………….. Thanks for taking the time to look at our site. We look forward to your comments and suggestions. -Facility SERVICE L.L.C.