How should a live data centre prepare for an electrical thermography survey?

A live data centre needs four things in place before an electrical thermography survey: an asset list with equipment references, an agreed method statement and permit through the site’s change process, a site electrician to open covers and doors, and a survey window when the IT load is as high as it normally runs. Then nothing needs switching off.

1. An asset list the report can follow

Send the thermographer the single line diagram or an asset list before the visit: switchboards, UPS, busbar runs and tap-offs, floor PDUs, rack PDU references, generator and changeover panels. Every finding in the report is then tied to the site’s own equipment reference, so the operations team can find it on the floor without a guide. If the list is out of date, say so. Anything found on site that isn’t on it is recorded as found.

2. Method statement, permit and change control

Most data centres run every visit through a change process, even a non-intrusive one. Ask for the RAMS early, book the change, and agree escort rules and photography rules in writing. Thermal and visual images are part of the report, so the site needs to confirm what may be photographed and how images are handled. We follow the site’s own safe system of work and access rules.

3. Someone to open covers and doors

Thermography needs a clear line of sight to connections. Covers on switchboards and panels are opened, and closed again, by the site’s authorised electrician or maintenance contractor. Perforated rack doors are opened briefly by site staff. Our thermographers don’t remove covers or touch IT equipment. Where equipment can’t be opened safely, it is recorded as not inspected, with the reason, rather than guessed at.

4. The right load at the right time

A connection only shows its condition when it carries current. Book the survey for a time when the halls are running at their normal working load, not during a quiet period or a planned transfer. If load is low across the site, the report says so plainly and records the current at the time where the equipment displays it. For generator and changeover panels, time the visit to the site’s on-load test so the standby path carries current while it is imaged.

What to have on the day

A named site contact and the electrician who will open panels
Keys or access cards for switch rooms, UPS rooms and halls
The asset list or drawings, printed or on a tablet
Confirmation of any areas or racks that are out of bounds

Why preparation pays off

Good preparation turns a survey into a record that lasts. 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. Because every section was located against the drawings, each one could be found, checked by the installer and re-imaged before handover. The same discipline makes an annual survey on a live site quicker and more useful.

Ti inspects and reports. The client’s electrical team or contractor investigates any finding and carries out any work. Reports are usually issued the same or next working day.

Frequently asked questions

Does anything need to be switched off?

No. The survey is non-contact and looks at equipment as it runs. Only covers and doors are opened, by site staff.

How long before the visit should the RAMS be agreed?

As early as the site’s change process needs. Sending the asset list at the same time saves a second round of questions.

Can the survey be split over several visits?

Yes. Large sites are often surveyed hall by hall or system by system to fit change windows, with one report format throughout.