When most people hire a thermographer, they think that the biggest issue the professional will be looking for is temperature.It’s an easy mistake to make — after all, the temperature is part of the way we collect data about electrical and mechanical systems. However, the most important thing that a thermographer is looking for is a pattern.

The temperature vs pattern difference can get confusing. Want to learn more about it? Read on.

Temperature vs Pattern

Let’s be clear — temperature does play a part in diagnosing issues. Whether you’ve hired an infrared thermographer for an electrical, mechanical, or roofing inspection, part of their report will analyze temperature.

However, that’s not the most important part of a thermography report. It’s not even what we primarily look for.

A pattern is the factor that really tells us what the issue is.

For example, are multiple components an abnormally high temperature? Are all of the hotspots connected? That could be a sign that there’s an increase in the electrical current somewhere, which could mean there’s a faulty power distribution system.

Looking at the temperature of each component alone wouldn’t catch that problem. It’s seeing the pattern that really helps to get at the root cause of what’s going on.

Using Patterns To Find Problems

Patterns can also be used to stop mechanical equipment failure. In this case, the heat patterns don’t necessarily result from electricity. The problem usually comes from friction.

Too much friction and heat in a machine can create big problems for your business and can even become a fire hazard.

Using thermal imaging to find patterns can help figure out if there are certain bearings that are failing. It can also help business owners decide if they need to install a better cooling system to help keep temperatures down.

A Safer Way To Plan Repairs

If you’ve decided to hire a thermographer, you’ve probably already figured out that something’s not right. Maybe you went to check on a machine or circuit and could feel the heat without even touching it.

You can tell something is overheated without a thermographer. (Trust us, we also know when something isn’t right.) However, you can’t see a pattern without infrared thermography.

The heat patterns that become visible using infrared technology can tell us all we need to know what your problem is. Since we can analyze it from a safe distance — and without shutting anything off — your business can also continue as normal while we work.

Some infrared cameras also have metrics that let us see what the temperature is for each area of the image. That helps us to spot the patterns more easily and get down to the root of the issue.

Let Us Help You With Your Imaging Needs

Now, you’ll be able to easily explain the differences between temperature vs pattern.

Do you have a problem you think can be found using thermal imaging? Interested in getting an inspection just in case?

We’ve been conducting infrared inspections for forty years, with over seventy man-years of experience in our staff. We pride ourselves on being able to recognize your issues quickly and deliver results.

Get in touch today to schedule a consultation.