Myths, Mysteries, and Misconceptions About Infrared Surveys Part 1 of 4

A salesman needs to make sales, no myth, mystery or misconception there.

Several years ago a chief engineer said that an infrared camera salesman claimed his IR cameras were simply point and shoot; you didn't need training, settings, or analysis. He knew better from my previous debriefings, because he as a chief engineer couldn't tell exactly what the issues in the images were, but when I heard it directly from a salesman last year all I could think of was Casa Blanca's Captain Renault, speaking to Rick: "I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!"

What is the myth being spread by these salesmen? What is the mystery of the camera? And, what are the misconceptions of how easy the camera is to use?

We will examine these questions in these four articles.

The first myth is that the cameras are merely point and shoot instruments. Yes, you can capture an image, very nice images indeed this way, however, you want an accurate analysis of a problem.

There is the mystery.

Is that bright yellow spot a problem or merely the effect of electricity being run through the device? The highly sensitive camera can take good pictures, however, without correct settings for background temperature, emissivity, distance, and so forth, you simply cannot conclude anything with certainty, and this is the misconception the camera salesman has made.

If a pretty picture is what you are looking for, then point and shoot all you like, but that isn't what you are after, you require an accurate analysis of your equipment. To achieve this you must adjust for the background radiation, measure that radiation and the emissivity and adjust each.

If you mistake an item that has a low apparent temperature when in reality it has a very high temperature but very low emissivity it could result in a fire or critical equipment failure. If you want accurate readings from a technically capable infrared radiometer and a trained mind to make the analysis so your productivity can continue, and to prevent potentially fatal fires, then instead of buying a camera, as I have said many times, hire a thermographer.

What you need is a trained human thinking about the issue, analyze the images, and compare them to the equipment in the image, its condition and the operational environment.

Allow me to reuse an old simile: When you need a plumber, don't go to the hardware store and by a pipe wrench, hire a plumber. When you need a thermographic analysis of your facility, don't buy a camera, cameras don't perform analysis, minds do, hire a thermographer.

Following the myth and applying misconceptions can lead to one more great mystery: "What happened to our productivity?" Or even worse: "What happened to our facility?" Equipment failures periodically start fires, big and small.

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