Case Studies

Company: Active
Engineering
Thermometer model:
VT02 Visual IR
Thermometer
Name: Brannon Daly
1. What is your line of work?
I’m a Master Commercial Electrician working on a variety of commercial, light
industrial and residential buildings. I also do service work, which includes
troubleshooting, repair, and replacement, such as adding switchgear.
2. What type of applications do you have for IR temperature
measurement and troubleshooting?
I need to check the breaker temperature at electrical panels, scanning
for areas that are much hotter than others. If I see one breaker that’s only
-15 °C (5 °F) or -14.4 °C (6 °F) hotter than everything else, then the circuit
is probably under load. But if one breaker reads 26.7 °C (80 °F) and another
is 62.7 °C (145 °F), then I know there’s a loose wire, or something else is
seriously wrong.
3. What tools do you currently use for these applications?
I probably use a Fluke IR Thermometer four or five times per week. The
problem with a laser pointer is that it’s hard to tell exactly what you’re
pointing at, and which circuit is hot. I’ve also tried a basic thermal imager,
and I can see the hot spot on the thermal image, but I can’t read the
breaker number or tell exactly how hot it is.
4. What were your first impressions of the VT02 Visual IR Thermometer?
When I first picked up the VT02, the display was set to 100 % thermal,
and I could see that I had a hot spot on the electrical panel. I changed it to
the blended image so I was seeing 50 % thermal and 50 % visible light.
Then, not only did the hot spot jump right out, but I could also clearly read
the breaker number, and I instantly knew where the problem was. (See
blended thermal and visible light images on the second page.)
5. What advantages does the VT02 offer you in your temperature
applications?
Having the visual image of what you’re looking at is huge. Like they say: “a
picture is worth a thousands words.” It’s the kind of thing you have to use
to really understand how cool it is. The fact that you can point it at a panel,
push a button, and immediately see the heat, and read which breaker
number it is—I think that’s what will really impress Electricians.
The small size is good, and the VT02 is very light, much lighter than
other cordless tools I carry.
I also like having the SD card in it so I can save images for documenta-
tion. Sometimes I’m checking facilities with 12 electrical rooms and six or
seven panels in each room. It would be great to record all my work as I go.
6. Do you think the VT02 would save you time doing particular jobs?
Definitely. Instead of taking a minute or more with an IR thermometer and
going through the breakers one by one to try to find out which one is the
problem, I can cover the whole panel at once in 20 or 30 seconds. I can go
right to exact breaker that’s an issue.
It would also be at least twice as fast to pinpoint hot motor bearings, or
check motor temperature.
“ The fact that you can
point it at a panel,
push a button, and
immediately see the
heat, and read the
breaker number– I
think that’s what
will really impress
electricians.”
“ There’s no arcing,
no heat. I think once
customers get this
kind of service from
us, it’s going to
establish a standard,
and they’re going to
expect it from other
contractors.”
Testimonial
Visual IR Thermometer