Bought a $600 thermal camera for panel inspections and it was a waste of cash

Everyone says thermal is the way to go for finding hot spots, but mine gives false positives all the time. I used it on a job in Phoenix last month and it flagged a perfectly fine breaker as overheating. Has anyone else ditched theirs for just a good clamp meter?

2 comments

2 Comments

gray_schmidt89d ago

Burned my hand testing a panel I swore was cool to the touch because my thermal camera said otherwise. Turns out the thing was picking up reflected heat off my truck's hood in the driveway. I still keep it in the van for looking cool on jobsites but it hasn't left the case since that day.

riverhill8d ago

You ever think you might just be using it wrong though? I mean $600 is entry level junk for sure, but I've had mine for two years and it's saved my ass more times than I can count on commercial jobs. Phoenix heat is brutal, sure, but you gotta account for reflected sunlight and ambient temps when you're scanning, that's just basic thermography 101. A clamp meter will tell you current draw but it won't show you a loose connection hidden behind a breaker that's about to arc and catch fire lol.