Infrared

Home

Digital Marine Surveys
Lake Ontario - New York State Finger Lakes - 1000 Islands - Oneida Lake

Infrared Thermography

The new Flir BCAM SD infrared camera brings state-of-the-art thermal imaging to marine surveying. The Flir infrared camera can detect potential problems that would be invisible to the naked eye. The Flir infrared camera is becoming an indispensable addition to the marine surveyor's toolkit. With the camera's highly sensitive infrared detector and advanced electronics, you can quickly scan a vessel for structural integrity. You can also examine electrical and propulsion systems, as well as navigation and other on-board electronics. Infrared technology in marine applications gives you another level of knowledge to assure your and others safety on the water.

The knowledge you will gain from an infrared marine inspection is a perception of your vessel as you’ve probably never experienced before.

Be safe; insure your loved ones and passenger’s safety with an infrared marine inspection.

Why should I spend the money for an Infrared Maintenance Survey this fall/winter?

Some clients obtain my services at the start or end of the boating season here up north. This alerts them to maintenance and safety issues early on. When the boat is on the hard it presents some advantages. In it's simplest form, an infrared image detects the differences in heat of a particular area. When a vessel contains moisture in a location, these areas tend to be "cooler". Over night in the fall or winter months these areas of moisture may even freeze. During the day these areas of moisture remain cooler than the surrounding areas and are easily detected. Hidden blisters and delamination are also easier to detect at this time. Sometimes freezing temperatures prohibit the use of a moisture meter to complement and verify the infrared image findings. In which case the areas showing concern are marked with painters tape and again evaluated when the conditions improve.

What does an Infrared Maintenance Survey cost?

There is usually an hourly charge of $75.00 per hour plus a travel charge.

A vessel under 50 feet typically takes a couple of hours to complete. Your infrared marine survey includes a CD of all infrared and non-infrared digital images taken during your vessels survey.

If the vessel is in the Sodus Pt. area contact me for reduced pricing.

Is Infrared Thermography included in a Pre Purchase C&V Survey?

Yes, on a limited basis. I will always check the vessels AC & DC when it is practical and where accessible. If the vessel is in the water and a representative is available to operate the propulsion system I will check that. Same for the generator. If the conditions for detecting structural voids, delamination and moisture are acceptable I will use the infrared camera to confirm moisture meter readings and further investigate suspected problem areas in the hull and decks. If a full Infrared Maintenance Survey is requested with a Pre Purchase C&V Survey special reduced pricing is available.

Below is a partial list of the normal applications of Infrared Imaging scans or pictures I take during a survey.

The exposed back side of an AC & DC electrical panel. Circuit breakers, fuses, switches, buss bars, wire splices and bundling of wires all exist unseen and for the most part unprotected.
Wiring traveling through bulkheads, raceways and other structural elements. ABYC recommendations are very specific about providing chafe protection, proper support and separating AC from DC wiring in most incidents. There is sound reasoning for these recommendations and if a wire is chafed or damaged it generally is visible as it emits more heat than the surrounding wiring.
Shore Power Cords and Inlets. This is fairly simple as a damaged cord, receptacle or plug is usually easily detected by the excessive heat being generated. AC connections to various appliances can also be checked if they are accessible and have been powered up for an extended period of time.
Battery Chargers & Inverters. These are prone to put off excessive heat when overloaded or damaged.
Switches, buss bars, connections to power sources. Loose connections and numerous connections to a single positive connector, terminal or buss bar. Again these problems can produce additional heat unless a connection is not being made at all.

The electrical systems in new boats today are becoming increasingly more complex. As the complexity of the AC& DC systems increase so do the applications of utilizing Infrared Imaging. The examples listed above represent only the basic electrical components that I routinely check.

In my opinion the most experienced Marine Surveyor involved in the field of Infrared Themography for Marine Surveying is Jack Allinson, SAMS - AMS . He has a very informative web site. Be sure to read his article on Infrared Thermal Inspections. He has some excellent examples and pictures. www.allinson.com/irbr.pdf

I have some recent pictures on the findings page at the very bottom after all the others. I will be adding more to this section in the near future.