Spent $80 on a thermal camera for my phone, totally saved my bacon on a weird fridge job

Got a call for a fridge making a weird hum but cooling fine. Checked the usual stuff, nada. Pulled out this little phone attachment thermal cam I bought on a whim. Pointed it at the back panel and boom, a tiny hot spot right where the defrost heater wire passes through the insulation. It was arcing internally, not enough to trip anything but enough to make noise and cook itself eventually. Found it in 2 minutes instead of tearing the whole thing apart. Anyone else use these little gadgets for quick diagnostics?

2 comments

2 Comments

adam_white757d ago

Man, that's the perfect example of a cheap tool buying you time. It's like when you use a voltage tester to find a dead outlet instead of replacing every lamp in the room. We're surrounded by these little problems with hidden causes. A stud finder saves you from patching five wrong holes in drywall. A cheap endoscope camera lets you see a lost earring in the drain trap without taking the pipes apart. It's all about skipping the blind guesswork.

skyler_anderson657d ago

I mean, maybe it's just me but I see it more like @adam_white75's tools just help you guess smarter, not skip guessing.