Should fire pump and sprinkler pump control panels be included in an electrical thermography survey?

Yes, but timing matters. The main fire or sprinkler pumps only carry load on their routine run test or in a fire, so their starters and supplies should be imaged during the site’s scheduled pump run, not on a normal walkround. Items that are always energised, such as the incoming isolator, controller supply, jockey pump circuit and battery chargers, can be imaged live at any time.

Why these panels get missed

Fire pump rooms are often in a separate building, a basement or a locked enclosure, and the panels belong to the sprinkler contractor rather than the main electrical contractor. On a walkround the main pumps are standing idle, so their connections carry no current and show nothing on camera. The panel gets ticked as surveyed when it has not really been tested.

What to include

The dedicated supply to the pump room from the main switchboard, and its incoming isolator
The electric fire pump controller: incoming terminals, contactors, starter and outgoing terminals
The jockey or pressure maintenance pump circuit, which cycles on and off to hold system pressure
Battery chargers for diesel pump starter batteries, which run all the time
Any changeover arrangement between two supplies

Timing it with the pump run

The site or its sprinkler contractor runs the pumps to their own routine and procedure. The thermography survey is booked to coincide with that run. The site’s authorised person opens the controller under the site’s permit, and the thermographer images the connections while the main pump is running, recording the load at the time. The thermographer does not start, stop or operate the pumps.

Because the survey is done live and nothing is isolated, the sprinkler system is not taken out of service for the survey. Any impairment procedure that applies to opening the controller stays with the site and its contractor.

Traps to avoid

Pump rooms hold heat that has nothing to do with a poor connection. A diesel pump’s engine and exhaust run hot on test, and panel anti-condensation heaters are warm by design. Shiny busbars and enclosure walls reflect that heat. The thermographer changes the camera angle to check a hot spot stays with the component, and compares each connection with a matching one under the same load, giving the difference in °C. Anything that could not be imaged under load is listed in the report as a limit.

What the report gives you

Each finding carries the equipment reference, the measured temperature, where it was taken, the reference it was compared with, the difference in °C and the load at the time. Ti Thermal Imaging issues the report the same day, so it can sit alongside the pump test records for your insurer or fire risk assessor. Ti inspects and reports; your electrical or sprinkler 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 one only showed because the equipment was under load when it was imaged. The same principle applies to a fire pump: image it when it is running.

Frequently asked questions

Does the sprinkler system have to be switched off?

No. The survey is done live, with the panels open under the site’s permit and the pumps run to the site’s own test routine.

Can the panels be imaged without a pump run?

Only the parts that are always energised. The main pump starter and its connections need the pump running to show anything useful.

How often should they be surveyed?

Most sites include them in the annual electrical thermography survey, timed to coincide with a scheduled pump run.