Spent $350 on a thermal camera for my phone to check for hot spots in panels, and it paid for itself on the first service call.

2 comments

2 Comments

Nice. What kind of issues did you find with it? I got a cheaper one a while back for checking connections in a panel. Found a loose neutral on a main lug that was just starting to discolor the insulation. Customer had no idea, but you could feel the heat from the door. It's one of those tools that feels like a toy until it shows you something you'd totally miss.

gibson.felix1d agoMost Upvoted

My old boss in Tampa swore by them for checking motor bearings under load. You'd catch a failing pump bearing at 140 degrees before it ever made a weird sound. Saved a ton of downtime. That's the real win, like @dixon.daniel said, finding the hidden stuff. It's not just for electrical. I even scanned a kitchen wall once, found a hot water pipe leak inside the drywall before it burst.