How quickly should you get the report after an electrical thermography survey?

You should not be waiting weeks. Ti Thermal Imaging builds the report as the survey goes, so it is normally issued the same day. Any finding that needs urgent attention is raised with the site contact before our thermographer leaves. Speed matters because a hot connection found today is only useful if the right person knows about it today.

Why turnaround matters more than people think

A thermographic survey records the condition of equipment under the load it was carrying on that day. The longer the report takes, the longer a finding sits in a camera instead of on an electrician’s job list. If a report arrives a month later, the site has carried that risk for a month without knowing it. For a data centre heading into handover, or an FM team with an insurer renewal date, a late report can also hold up a sign-off.

How we get the report out on the day

Our thermographers write the report on site, item by item, as each board or panel is imaged. Each finding is entered with its thermal and visual images, the measured temperature, exactly where on the equipment it was taken, and the difference in °C from a like-for-like reference such as the same connection on the other phases. Items that could not be inspected are listed with the reason. By the end of the visit most of the report is already done, and it is checked before it is issued.

What happens if something urgent is found

The site contact hears about it on the day, in person, not when the PDF lands. Our thermographers show the authorised person what was recorded and where, so the site can decide what to do while the evidence is in front of them. Ti inspects and reports; the client’s electrician or maintenance contractor investigates and carries out any work.

What a fast report should still contain

Every item inspected, not just the ones with findings, so there is a full record for the insurer or the O&M file
A thermal and visual image for each finding, with the reading located on the equipment
The load or operating conditions at the time, where the panel shows them
A priority for each finding, so the electrical team knows what to look at first
Items not inspected, and why

Fast is no use if the content is thin. A report that a site can act on, and that an insurer or auditor will accept, needs all of the above.

Proof from a data centre build

On one London data centre build this autumn, our commissioning thermography recorded 16 busbar sections reading above 80 °C under test load, the highest 103.5 °C at a tap-off unit. On a commissioning programme, findings like that need to reach the contractor while the load bank is still connected, not weeks after the test window has closed.

Frequently asked questions

Do you send a separate report for each site on a multi-site contract?

Yes, normally one report per site, so each site team and each budget holder gets the findings for their own equipment.

Can the report go straight to our insurer or into the O&M file?

Yes. It is written to be read by people who were not there on the day: every finding is located, imaged and explained in plain terms.

Is a same-day report less thorough?

No. It contains the same images, readings and locations as any full report, and it is checked before it is issued. The time saved comes from writing it on site, not from leaving things out.