Like any piece of machinery, your generator necessarily puts off heat as part of its normal operating functions. Within certain limits, this is normal and even to be expected. However, when temperatures begin to rise outside of the range considered normal for the equipment, this can be an early indicator of problems that may need to be addressed by a trained generator professional. Here are just a few of the reasons why you should consider routine thermal imaging of your power generation devices.

No Downtime

Thermal imaging is one of the few diagnostic methods that allows you to inspect the load generation capacity and efficiency of your generator without having to power it off first. This can help you to prevent costly downtime, while still enabling you to locate the root cause of any potential problems with your power generation system. 

Pinpoints the Problem

Routine thermal imaging as part of your normal transfer switch maintenance can be a boon. If your machine is malfunctioning in any way and producing too much heat, a thermal imaging-based inspection can enable you to locate the exact point of potential or actual failure. If it’s the connection point or the components, thermal imaging can allow you to pinpoint problem areas through temperature variances with a surprising degree of accuracy. All without having to shut the system down for a physical inspection. This is important because not only can unnecessary downtime be expensive, but if problems are allowed to persist and create temperatures beyond the intended range of the machine, the entire system can be rendered useless in an emergency from an outage. 

Allows for Prevention Before Equipment Failure 

One of the most powerful things about thermal imaging is the fact that it allows you to pinpoint potential problems well before they begin to impact the performance of your generator system. Thermographic cameras can often spot small changes in temperature long before there are any visible signs of trouble, and this gives you a lot more time to address them before they grow into something much bigger. When your machine starts running hotter than normal, thermal imaging can help you identify the source of the problem quickly so that you don't have to deal with unnecessary downtime.

Helps Prevent Expensive Repairs Down the Line

Perhaps one of the best benefits of thermographic imaging is how it helps you avoid major repair costs later by catching issues early on when they're still relatively easy to fix. 

To get the most out of your generator, you should subject it to regular maintenance – something that thermal imaging is just one part of. Our expert team at Gen-Tech Power Generation Specialists are EGSA certified technicians with the skills and up to date knowledge necessary to keep your generator functioning for many years to come. Give us a call at (800) 625-8324 to schedule a service appointment today!