Infrared inspection are becoming required by many insurance companies due to the accuracy and effectiveness of evaluating the risk of physical assets. The thermographic imaging provides either peace of mind OR important information needed to repair or replace affected equipment to avoid equipment failure or fire.
Infrared Inspections for Insurance Purposes
Why Insurance Companies Are Requiring Infrared Inspections
Why Customers Recommend US Infrared for their Insurance Required Inspections
All businesses want to protect their most valuable assets and keep them performing at their best. The last thing business management wants is malfunctioning hardware to interfere with daily operations, making yearly targets much harder to achieve. If you run a company that faces massive losses in the event of hardware or software downtime, you need infrared imaging services. Recently, insurance companies have also started the practice of requesting infrared inspections.
All You Need to Know About Thermographic Surveys
Thermographic surveys search for any damages in the structure of all operating systems in your company. Expect thermographers to alert you of any looming issues that need looking into before they become hard-to-manage problems. The insurance company wants to know of any problems with the building’s foundations, water leaks, improper insulation, and ventilation. These factors play a key role in the amount of premiums your company contributes monthly or yearly. The more issues a commercial building faces, the more premiums the insurance company seeks.
What Are Infrared and Thermographic Imaging?
Thermographic imaging is a tool used by thermographers to capture visual images of electromagnetic fields, heat, and different wavelengths that aren’t capable of being seen with the naked eye. We can see thermal energy and visually categorize intensity using color variations thanks to thermal imaging technology. This technology is so effective because of its virtually limitless application. Everything on the earth’s surface above absolute zero temperature is observable and measured on thermal imaging. This makes thermal imaging a good alternative for regular vision, especially when there is no daylight to support our normal vision.
Application Areas for Thermal Imaging.
For centuries, humans were limited by their over-reliance on the five senses that manipulated the world to their liking. Thanks to years of scientific research and experiments, we have created tools that enhance our limited senses, helping us perceive more in our environment than was possible a few decades ago. Now we can see billions of miles into space, heat, and even map sound. Thanks to these inventions, daily operations are streamlined, technology improved, and disaster averted. This creates a safer, diverse, and more convenient way of living.
Thanks to tools like infrared cameras, thermal imaging can now aid in the first-hand observation of electromagnetic fields and create a discernible image of intense, short, slow, or light wavelengths. Below are some application fields of infrared imaging.
Aerial thermography is used often, most significantly during times of war. The technology was used to detect enemy troops on the ground, especially when hidden from plain site by brush and other materials. Aerial thermography can identify any thermal irregularities on the ground from great heights. Owing to the technology’s incontestable benefits, the U.S. military has the finest minds working on improving the technology for further application.
Commercial and private air travel depends on data collection and analysis to ensure passenger and cargo safety. The demand for infrared camera systems is growing with each passing day as the aviation industry discovers new ways to employ high thermal resolution cameras for everyday air travel. Most importantly, aviation engineers need high-resolution thermal cameras to test heat flow in new aeronautic materials for efficient flight and fuel utilization.
Production lines in the automotive industry is often short on time, with management rushing to meet yearly quotas. Thermal imaging in the automotive industry lets engineers employ less invasive maneuvers when testing different car parts. Thanks to thermal imaging, automotive engineers can achieve the goal of fuel-efficient and better-performing cars. This happens by smoothing out kinks in the window heating elements, electric systems, and motor assemblies only identified through infrared technology.
The human eye can only see things at a certain speed. When things move too fast, they all but become invisible to us. We can now understand the inner workings of fast-paced processes thanks to thermal imaging. We can now see the world in a way we never before possible. The ability to see and observe what we could not before allows us to analyze and understand surrounding complex phenomena. Now, nothing moves too fast for us to see and the limits of science are being pushed.
Sudden spikes in temperature and changes in the electromagnetic field are never a good sign in the tech industry. The tech industry relies on the proper functioning of electrical systems. These electrical distribution systems benefit from infrared technology through thermal imaging. Thermal analysis allows technicians to identify problems and their sources with minimal probing and fix over-heated bushings and blocked cooling passages, among other issues.
These cameras are usually installed in police helicopters and help identify a suspect’s location when they are obstructed from view. FLIR cameras do not operate the same way other night vision gadgets do. They are designed to only display a certain infrared spectrum. Thanks to the FLIR cameras, police helicopters can stay on top of suspects until ground troops join the chase and make an arrest. This application is just one of the ways thermal imaging keeps you and your loved ones safe.
There are numerous applications for IR technology in the medical field. Both humans and animals benefit from the application of thermal imaging. The technology is used to spot arthritis hot points and helps in the early detection of deep-sited cancer cells. Bone and mascular problems are diagnosed using IR technology. One unique application of IR technology in this field is saddle fitting for horses, making it safer and more comfortable for the animal.
Why Is Thermal Imaging Important?
Using thermal imaging as a contactless troubleshooting tool presents numerous benefits to professionals in different fields. Here are a few benefits insurance companies get from thermal imaging.
Insurance companies mainly request infrared imaging for the electrical system because of its extremely cost-friendly nature that does not compromise results. These surveys require only a few professionals equipped with the right thermal imaging tools and are conducted without any operational interference for the insured company. It’s a win for all parties involved.
Thermal images are easy for any regular Joe to decipher. The process of obtaining thermal images is also relatively easy, granted the technician is working with the right thermal imaging cameras. Furthermore, since the technicians do not need to open up any machinery, they do not need extensive engineering skills to get the job done. They can complete their job without ever touching the electronics in question.
Time is an extremely valuable asset for the insurance company and the insured. Thermal imagining surveys do not waste time by interfering with company operations.
Companies can use thermal imaging as a preemptive measure to ensure minimal downtime. Companies that fail to bring in a professional for thermal imaging risk facing bigger problems later on, which may cause irreparable damage.
Who Is a Level Three Certified Infrared Thermographer?
A level three thermographer is a specially-trained thermographer. The professional is subject to a three-day course focused on best practices in infrared imaging. These professionals are trained in the following areas:
• Meeting industry standards and certification to prove training
• Maintaining a healthy and safe work environment
• Successfully installing a successful infrared system for a company
• Marketing and promoting IR services
• Using the latest IR equipment and software
A level three certified thermographer studies in small class sizes and gets exposed to the latest equipment in the market. They work with some of the most experienced professionals in the field and are provided with comprehensive notes on each covered topic. At the end of the three-day intensive course, thermographers get worldwide recognized certification. As a business owner, you can request to see your thermographers certification.
Final Thoughts
Since the invention of infrared technology, new application areas have emerged with each passing experiment and advancement. Multiple organizations are working to improve the technology by making it uniquely suited for application in diverse situations. Thanks to growth in the application of IR technology, insurance companies have joined the bandwagon, requesting thermal and electric surveys.
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Our eyes see an ordinary physical object in operation.
A Level 3 Thermographer with cutting edge equipment sees a lot more.
InfraMation is a high quality educational and networking conference for infrared thermographers. Watch highlights from the 2018 event.
Learn how a Thermal Imaging Camera can help with electrical and mechanical inspections in your facilty.
Thermal Imaging Inspections allow us to see hazards and energy issues not visible to the eye.
These images below revealed problems in large buildings and facilities, which were caught in advance saved the maintenance team time, money, and aggravation.
Expert Thermographers measure surface temperatures by using sophisticated infrared equipment.
These tools photograph light in the heat spectrum. The spectrum photograph will range in colors depending on their temperature – giving the inspector the ability to see things our normal eyes cannot. The images produced during an Infrared Inspection can reveal a variety of things from overheating electrical and motorized equipment, moisture issues, inefficient mechanical systems, air leaks, and much more. Infrared inspections can also serve as a quality control tool for brand new components and systems as they are installed.
Thermal Imaging for Home Inspections
When Home inspectors come to your door, you expect a thorough investigation of what could be wrong with your premise. The inspectors do their inspection, and maybe you find that they did not get to the depth of it; the reason behind this is the lack of thermal imaging or an infrared inspection. Here are the four reasons why it is important to enlist infrared thermal imaging when doing home inspections.