Tried using a thermal camera on a 40 year old panel and the results were not what I expected

I borrowed a Flir E4 from a buddy to check a service call in an old apartment building. The main panel was from the early 80s, and I figured I'd find a few hot spots on the breakers. I scanned the whole thing and the hottest thing in there, by a solid 15 degrees, was the neutral bar. Not a single breaker showed an issue. It made me stop and actually trace the circuits, and I found a shared neutral on two separate 20 amp kitchen circuits that was way overloaded. I've been in the trade for 12 years and just assumed breakers would show the heat first. Has anyone else had a thermal scan point them to a neutral problem instead of a load side issue?

2 comments

2 Comments

schmidt.amy17d ago

That's actually a scary find with the neutral bar. It shows how a shared neutral can sneak up on you without tripping a thing. Thermal cameras really do point out the weird stuff.

elliotl2417d ago

That's wild, but it makes sense when you think about it! It's like how the quiet part of any system is often where the real stress ends up showing.