Warehouse and hall thermal survey
Dock doors, sectional doors, ridge, panel joints, wet roof insulation, column bases: where the hall heats the outdoors.
Electrical cabinets
Find hot joints before they become a problem
Under load, a loose or oxidised joint shows as a hot spot in the thermal image. We find it, classify it and give your electrician a work sheet. This is an early warning, not the mandatory electrical safety inspection.
01 / How it works
Under load, with your electrician present
The visit takes an hour or two per site, depending on the number of cabinets. Safe working follows your rules.
Thermal screening takes an hour or two per site. Your authorised electrician opens the cabinet, we work with the camera from a safe distance, and the electrician gets a first view on site of which joints deserve a look.
A thermal image only makes sense under load: even a faulty joint does not heat up in an empty cabinet. So we agree beforehand when the equipment carries its usual peak current.
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Step 1: Load and opening
We agree when the cabinets carry their usual peak current. Your authorised electrician opens the cabinet; we do not touch live parts.
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Step 2: Imaging
Joints, terminals, contactors, breakers, busbars; with a visual twin photo and the recorded load.
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Step 3: Classification
Based on the difference to comparable parts under equal load: watch, repair, urgent.
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Step 4: Work sheet
A report per cabinet and a findings list your electrician can work from.
02 / What we see
Typical faults in a thermal image
Real thermal images published openly under free licences: this is what a hot joint looks like. They are not our clients’ images.
The classification idea
The question is not how many degrees a joint has, but how much hotter it is than a comparable part under the same load. The terminals of three phases carry the same current: if one stands out, that is the signal. That is why we measure under load, and why we do not accept “this many degrees is normal”.
Classification has three levels: watch (at next maintenance), repair (at a planned outage), urgent (discuss immediately with the electrician). Thresholds in kelvin are agreed before the visit and recorded in the report.
03 / Worked example
The energy loss is tiny, the stake is not
A fictional example: a loose terminal on a 160 A phase conductor with +0.5 mΩ of extra contact resistance, 3,000 hours a year at that load.
- loss on one phase
- 12.8 W
- energy
- 38 kWh/yr
- range: 4,000–5,900 Ft
- 5,100 Ft/yr
- on all three phases (38.4 W)
- 15,000 Ft/yr
12.8 watts is the output of a small bulb. It still shows clearly in a thermal image because the heat concentrates in one small joint: the same power can illustratively give a local temperature rise of 13–51 K around the terminal. That is why a thermal camera gives an early warning: the joint has not failed yet, but it is already warming.
The stake is therefore failure and fire risk, which we deliberately do not put a monetary figure on because we have no reliable source for the cost of downtime. One sourced fact: of 736 fires investigated in Hungary in 2022, 73 (9.9%) had electrical energy as the cause (national disaster-management sample, investigated fires only, all building types, no breakdown for business premises; source).
The repair price depends on the electrician’s quote: terminal re-torque and checks, indicatively HUF 45,000 (HUF 25,000–HUF 90,000); terminal replacement HUF 120,000 (HUF 60,000–HUF 250,000). Screening one cabinet costs HUF 12,000 by comparison.
Illustrative example – not real measurement data.
Price basis: electricity at the October 2026 assumption of 104 / 132 / 153 Ft/kWh (net, all-in); the electrical example is detailed on the calculation method page.
04 / The line
This is not the mandatory inspection
Thermal screening and the statutory inspection serve different purposes.
| HőKép3D thermal screening | Statutory electrical inspection (VBF/EPH) | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Early warning: which joint heats up under load | Proving the safety and compliance of the installation |
| Who carries it out | Our engineering team, alongside your electrician | Professionals authorised under Hungarian law |
| Result | Thermal report, classified findings list, work sheet | Statutory record and assessment |
| Replaces the other? | No | No |
05 / FAQ
What people ask about electrical screening
Is this the mandatory electrical inspection?
No. The statutory inspection of electrical installations (VBF/EPH in Hungary) is carried out by authorised professionals and certifies safety. Thermal screening is for finding out, between those inspections, which joint is heating up. The two complement each other; neither replaces the other.
Who opens the cabinet?
Your authorised electrician or maintenance technician. We do not touch live parts and do not open energised cabinets; your own operating, safety and arc-protection rules apply. We work with the camera, from a safe distance.
When is the right time to measure?
Under load, i.e. when equipment draws its usual, preferably highest current. In an empty or lightly loaded cabinet even a faulty joint does not heat up, so it is invisible. Summer and production peaks are best, but screening works all year.
What do I get at the end?
A report per cabinet with thermal and visual images, the recorded load and conditions, a classified findings list (watch / repair / urgent), and a work sheet your electrician can use directly. Thresholds (in kelvin) are agreed before the visit and stated in the report.
Why does a heat-loss analysis firm do this?
Same camera, same summer visit. In the annual programme the summer visit screens up to 10 cabinets; alongside a hall survey we add cabinets at HUF 12,000 each.
Related
Worth looking at together
Drone roof and PV survey
Wet flat-roof insulation at dusk, PV hot spots in full sun, wherever airspace and permits allow.
Cold stores, cellars and chilled rooms
Door seals, panel joints, condensation and ice: where refrigeration works for nothing. Also a summer product.
Request a quote for your facility
Tell us briefly how big and what kind of building it is and what worries you. We reply within one working day and say which package fits. Requesting a quote commits you to nothing.