Short answer: yes. Thermography is non-contact and needs equipment to be live and under load, so a 24/7 distribution centre is surveyed during normal operation with no shutdown. The site’s authorised electrician opens one cover at a time under permit, the thermographer images it and records the load, and the cover goes back on before moving to the next board.
Why a busy site is the right time to survey
A poor connection only heats up when current flows through it. Survey a distribution centre on a quiet shift and a tired joint can look like every other joint in the board. Survey it when conveyors, sortation, chargers and lighting are all running, and it stands out. That is why the survey runs alongside operations rather than around them, and why the load on each circuit is recorded next to every finding.
How the day runs without getting in the way
- A route agreed in advance. The boards are worked through in an order agreed with the site, so switch rooms, mezzanines and plant areas are visited when it suits operations.
- One cover at a time. The site’s authorised electrician opens each panel under the site’s permit to work. Once it has been imaged, the cover goes back on before the next one comes off.
- Nothing is switched off. The thermographer images from a safe distance and does not touch the equipment, so there is no isolation and no restart.
- Traffic routes respected. Where boards sit next to pick faces, dock doors or MHE routes, the site decides when that area can be worked.
What gets surveyed on a distribution site
Main LV switchboards and sub-main distribution boards, control panels for conveyors and sortation, the supplies to battery-charging areas, busbar where it is fitted, and on temperature-controlled sites the refrigeration plant panels. The equipment list is agreed before the day, so anything that can’t be opened or reached is listed in the report as not inspected, with the reason.
Things a thermographer allows for on these sites
- Heat that is meant to be there. Anti-condensation heaters in panels and chargers that run warm by design are not findings.
- Reflections. Shiny or bare metal can reflect heat from nearby sources, so readings are checked from more than one angle.
- Load that changes by shift. Peaks move with the operation, so the load at the time of each reading goes in the report. It lets next year’s survey be compared fairly.
Across a network of sites
Most distribution operators run more than one site, and the value comes from surveying every site the same way: the same equipment list, the same report format and the same priority scale. We have carried out more than 700 electrical thermography inspections across a national distribution and logistics network since 2018. More on this in running thermography across a multi-site FM portfolio.
What you get afterwards
For each finding, the report gives its exact location, a thermal and a visual image, the measured temperature and where it was taken, what it was compared with, the load at the time and a priority. Reports are usually ready the same day or by the following morning. Ti inspects and reports only: the remedial work is for your electrical contractor, and repaired items should be re-imaged under load to close each finding out.
Related answers: data centre electrical thermography, switchgear thermography, annual PPM thermography, busbar thermography at commissioning and the 7 electrical risks that cause downtime.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need to shut anything down?
No. The survey only works on equipment that is energised and carrying load, so everything stays running.
Can it be done at night or at the weekend?
Yes, if that suits the site, but the load must be representative. If a shift runs much lighter, the report should say so, because a quiet board can hide a poor connection.
Who do we need on site from our side?
An authorised electrician to open covers under your permit to work, and someone who can arrange access to switch rooms and plant areas.
Talk to us: +44 20 3885 7464 · sales@thermalimaging.co.uk · send us your site details
About the author: Rachael Browning is General Manager of Ti Thermal Imaging, which carries out electrical thermography surveys for data centres, FM portfolios and industrial sites across the UK and UAE. Our thermographers are ITC Level 3 and Ti is a Level 3 certified company. Ti’s work has featured on BBC News and ITN.