My name is Tyler Findlay. I am an engineer with nearly a decade of EXTENSIVE thermographic experience. As a thermographer with a rare Level III Master Thermographer Certification, I have been sought out by several utilities and engineering firms over the years for consultation. My expertise has recently led to the FLIR Infrared Training Center securing my services to teach infrared thermography certification classes.
I worked for Alabama Power Company for over 41 years with the majority of that career spent as a Power Quality engineer and in Energy Services as a Project Manager & Thermographer. During my time in Energy Services, I worked to develop a formal Infrared Inspection Program. Since the program's implementation, I have performed hundreds of infrared inspections for some of the largest industrial and commercial facilities across Alabama and average roughly 75 inspections per year.
Electrical and electronic equipment and connections can gradually deteriorate due to harsh environments, vibrations, thermal expansion and contraction cycles, overloads, corrosion, defects, or poor installation. This can lead to equipment failure or misoperations, arcing, and even fire. Infrared inspections, or "scans", can spot these problems early in the "failure cycle", saving you from potentially catastrophic equipment failures, arc flash events, and unexpected repair/replacement costs and downtime.
Because an infrared inspection provided by Infrared Services of Alabama LLC would be performed by a Level III Certified Master Thermographer, you might qualify for a discount on your commercial insurance. We encourage you to check with your insurer about that. Also, something else to consider is that the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has revised their NFPA 70B 2023 Standard to call for making annual infrared inspections of ALL electrical equipment at all industrial/commercial facilities "mandatory". (See more detail on NFPA 70B below.)
Every few years, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) updates the NFPA 70B Standard (Standard for Electrical Equipment Maintenance) which is a set of guidelines for developing electrical preventive maintenance (EPM) programs for industrial and commercial facilities.
This Standard drives EPM decisions and development. NFPA 70B details electrical inspection methods, what equipment should be inspected, and who is qualified to carry out these inspections.
The previous NFPA 70B version "recommended" infrared scanning be conducted annually on certain electrical equipment.
The 2023 NFPA 70B Standard now makes mandatory the inspection of ALL electrical equipment at least once a year. It also calls for some equipment to be inspected every 6 months.
Please reach out to us at (205) 910-6991 if you cannot find an answer to your question.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has for years suggested that every industrial and commercial facility have an infrared inspection performed at least once per year. With the 2023 revision of the NFPA Standard 70B, the NFPA now "mandates" that every industrial and commercial facility have all of their electrical equipment inspected at least once per year. (See more information on the 2023 NFPA Standard 70B above.)
No! Equipment needs to be on and running at normal levels when an infrared inspection is performed.
Equipment inspected typically includes the main switchgear and switchboards, distribution panels, lighting panels, disconnects, contactor cabinets, busways, production equipment control panels, and dry-type transformers. Additionally, for customers that have their own primary distribution system, equipment typically inspected includes poles and associated pole-mounted hardware (switches, capacitors, etc.), padmounted transformers, and switchgear.
Yes. We have the expertise and experience to provide inspections of distribution pole lines, transformers, and substations.
Yes. We would first need to get some details on the facility or facilities to be inspected.
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