Hot spots detected early on an electrical installations can prevent fires and equipment failure.

Planned maintenance scheduled on a regular basis depending on the type of installation ... a good thing.

Some insurance companies insist on a thermal report.

I wired up a factory about 4 years ago ... thermal reports have been carried out in 6 month intervals (by an independent company) ... plus my own thermal scans for example when I experience issue like we did with the MCE equipment (panel rebuilt using Siemens equipment ... still operating within temperature parameter)

A couple weeks ago a thermal report was done and 1 "hot spot" was detected (excuse me while I pat myself on the back for a job well done ... considering I dont own a torque screwdriver) ...but here is the thing.

I had to plan a shut down to check the connection because it is on one of the main sub panels ... so I thought before I shut down and start checking ... let me just do a quick termination check ... go the big screwdriver and checked the terminals.

To my surprise all the terminals made the same click sound and I just put a little pressure ( no loose connections) ... so I did a visual inspection on the copper and plastic insulation to see if there were signs of over heating ... nothing ... it all looks perfectly normal ... I can tell you from 15 years + of using a thermal camera ... by the time you detect a problem ... there is normally already signs ... the insulation os the first sign ... the copper the second and lastly the terminal starts to change colour.

So I checked the side of the breaker to see if it there was a dark spot ... nothing ... so I decided to get out my thermal camera and check the temperature ... all the terminals the same temperature and all below 30 degrees

The question I ask does the person doing the scan have enough electrical experience to be scanning electrical installations ... a 1 week level 1 course gets you certification to carry out inspections.

The reason I purchased a thermal camera many years ago was because of reports like this ... companies are charging R10 000 to do a 45 minute walk through the factory ... and told the cost was because of the time to create the report ... So I climbed on the band wagon and started making holiday money.

Like everything else ... shouldnt there be a level of competency for people scanning electrical installations.

Just to really piss on my battery ... I found that all the screws had not been fitted ... now you making my job look bad ... I dont like it when people make my job look bad.