INFRARED THERMOMETERS REALLY HIT THE SPOT

Noncontact thermometers can make a technician's job easier and safer, while allowing them to get more accurate readings.

 It must have occurred to many HVAC technicians - on their hands and knees in some inaccessible crawl space to check the integrity of the ductwork - that there had to be a better way to troubleshoot HVAC systems. Indeed, verifying how efficiently an HVAC system is operating is often tedious work. It can even lead to injuries when the technician brushes against a hot surface, or when he puts the ladder in the wrong place and overreaches from an elevated position.

There is a faster, more effective way to diagnose duct leakage, supply and return air temperatures, hot water and plumbing, and many other the heat-related problems common to HVAC systems. Electronic instrumentation that is efficient and easy to use goes a long way toward making the technician's job easier and safer.

One of the most effective is the non-contact thermometer, a hand-held “gun” that uses infrared technology. The technician just points, pulls the trigger, and reads the data to get instant, accurate temperature readings of walls, ducts, pipes, and flues without burned fingers, bumped knees and scraped elbows.

How does it work? An infrared thermometer captures the invisible infrared energy naturally emitted from all objects. This energy passes through the optical system of the device and is converted to an electrical signal which is displayed in degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius on the LED readout.

Infrared thermometers measure temperature with great accuracy, usually within a degree. The most popular are gun-shaped, weigh under 10 ounces, and are easy to holster when not in use. They also offer several distinct advantages over contact thermometers.

Unlike contact thermometers, infrared thermometers are able to read inaccessible objects. As long as a technician has a clear line of sight, he can take a reading of any target within the instrument’s range. Determining the precise temperature of a pipe running 25 feet overhead is as easy as if it were within arm’s reach. If the thermometer comes with laser sighting, it makes the job even easier.

Another advantage is speed. Infrared measurements take less than a second for each reading. In the time it takes a technician to get an accurate reading on the joint of one section of ductwork using a thermocouple, he can read all the joints of the same duct with an IR thermometer. It means techs won't have to tear apart a unit, only to find that the malfunction is somewhere else.

Safety is another positive facet. Noncontact temperature measurement can be taken in areas where it is unsafe or difficult to take a contact instrument reading, such as around steam traps and boilers. They negate the risk of burned fingers from inadvertent contact with a hot surface.

(The article goes on to describe the different applications for IR thermometers and explains how to choose the right IR thermometer for the task at hand.)