Should a data centre have a thermography survey after a UPS or switchgear replacement?

Yes. Replacing a UPS, a switchboard section or a breaker means new terminations, and often reconnected cables upstream and downstream, made in a live or recently live site. None of them has yet been proven under normal load. A thermography survey once the new equipment carries its normal load checks every connection the work created or disturbed, against the last survey.

Why replacement work needs its own check

A like-for-like UPS swap or a switchboard upgrade looks small on the change schedule. On site it means cables disconnected, moved and terminated again, temporary supplies or maintenance bypass arrangements used during the works, and new equipment with its own factory and site terminations. The installer’s own tests check that the work is safe and correct to put into service. Thermography answers a different question: how those connections behave once current is flowing through them every day.

When to survey

If the replacement includes a load bank test before handover, imaging during that test is the earliest chance to see the new connections under load. The next check is once the equipment has been back in service on its normal load, rather than on the day it is switched in. Every image carries the load at the time it was taken, so the report shows how far the new equipment was loaded when it was surveyed.

Many operators add it to the next planned survey if that falls soon after the works, and book a separate visit if it does not.

What to include

The new equipment’s own input, output and bypass terminations
The upstream circuit that feeds it, including the outgoing way at the main switchboard
Downstream connections that were disconnected or moved during the works
Any maintenance bypass or temporary arrangement that was used and then returned to normal
Neighbouring panels opened or worked in during the replacement

The scope is agreed from the change record, so nothing that was touched is missed and nothing untouched is billed as new work.

Working on a live site

The survey is done live. The site’s authorised person opens each cover under the site’s permit, one panel at a time, inside the agreed change window. The thermographer images each connection, changes the camera angle to rule out reflections from bare metal, and does not touch the equipment. Nothing is switched off for the survey.

Comparing with the last survey

The value is in the comparison. Each finding carries the equipment reference, the measured temperature, where it was taken, the reference it was compared with and the difference in °C. Matching those to the previous survey shows whether the replaced section now reads in line with its neighbours, and whether anything upstream changed after the works. Ti Thermal Imaging issues the report the same day. Ti inspects and reports; the installer or your electrical contractor investigates and carries out any work.

Why detail matters

On a London data centre build, commissioning thermography by our team found 16 busbar sections reading above 80 °C under test load, the highest 103.5 °C at a tap-off unit. Each was located and imaged before handover. Replacement work deserves the same check as a new build, because the connections are just as new.

Frequently asked questions

Do the installer’s tests cover this?

They cover different things. The installer’s tests confirm the work is correct and safe to energise; thermography shows how the connections behave in service under load.

Can it wait for the annual survey?

If the annual survey is soon after the works, yes. If it is months away, a separate visit avoids new connections running unchecked until then.

Does anything need to be switched off?

No. Thermography only works on energised equipment carrying load, so the survey is done live, panel by panel.