January 18, 2021
Sponsored by:
Frequency of Infrared Inspections of Electrical Equipment
Tip written by: Infraspection Institute
“How often should electrical systems be thermographically inspected?” Historically, accepted industry practice has recommended that infrared inspections be performed annually; however, site specific conditions may dictate considerably shorter intervals for some equipment or facilities.
According to the 2010 Edition of NFPA 70B Recommended Practice for Electrical Equipment Maintenance, “Routine infrared inspections of energized electrical systems should be performed annually prior to shutdown. More frequent inspections, for example, quarterly or semiannually, should be performed where warranted by loss experience, installation of new electrical equipment, or changes in environmental, operational, or load conditions.”
Semi-annual infrared inspections may also be prudent where unscheduled outages of electrical equipment could pose significant environmental or safety hazards, or result in catastrophic damage to other systems or components.
Because infrared inspections are only effective when electrical system components are energized, it is imperative to perform infrared inspections when subject equipment is operational. For facilities with seasonal equipment such as heating and cooling systems, it may be necessary to schedule infrared inspections on several different days spread throughout the calendar year.
As always, infrared inspections of electrical systems should only be performed by properly trained and certified thermographers following all appropriate safety precautions. For information on thermographer training and certification or to obtain a copy of the Standard for Infrared Inspection of Electrical Systems and Rotating Equipment, contact Infraspection Institute at 609-239-4788 or visit us online at: www.infraspection.com.
To obtain a copy of NFPA 70B, contact the National Fire Protection Association at 1-800-344-3555 or visit them online at: www.nfpa.org.
Visit Infraspection Institute Web Site
Submit a Tip: If your tip is selected for posting by irinfo.org, you will receive a 6 month FREE Business Card listing at irinfo.org. Tips must be original work and must be approved for posting by irinfo.org.
Please complete the information below to submit a Tip of the Week to be considered for listing at irinfo.org. Please keep in mind that:
- the Tip must be ORIGINAL work
- you must certify that YOU are the author
- the Tip must not have appeared elsewhere
- the Tip should not be longer than 300 words
- Tips submitted are subject to editorial approval prior to being posted at irinfo.org
- You may email your suggested Tip in MS Word format by clicking on “Submit A Tip of the Week” below.
Submit A Tip of the Week
Tip of the Week Archive
Visit our Sponsors:
