Infrared imaging

A hand held camera is used in a way that enables you to ‘see’ temperature differences. The camera is a lot like a video camera in size and weight.
The hotter the temperature, the more yellow the equipment
Not all temperature differences are indicative of problems
You must be trained to recognize those temperature differences that are significant
Some Infrared Imaging Costs:
Thermal imaging system ~$30,000
Technician training & fluency education

Here is a transformer as seen through a short wave infrared camera.
The yellow coloring does not indicate a problem. It is the reflection of sunlight.
The maintenance technician must be trained to recognize this. Otherwise he will report ‘false’ hot spots that will lead to wasted corrective action.

Here, the same transformer is seen through a long wave infrared camera.
The ‘false’ hot spots seen through the short wave camera do not show up here but maintenance technician must be trained to recognize significant yellow areas.
Maintenance programs that require outdoor surveys are best served by long wave cameras.