Dropped $400 on a fancy thermal camera for my toolkit

2 comments

2 Comments

Hell yeah, I used to think those were just overpriced toys but after borrowing one to find a coolant leak I couldn't spot by eye, I get it now.

martinez.karen13d ago

Overpriced toys" is exactly what my buddy said until I showed him how I use mine to check breaker panels for hot spots. You can spot a loose connection or failing breaker before it even trips, which saves way more than $400 in fire damage or downtime. The trick is learning to read the color gradients right - cold spots can be just as telling as hot ones, especially in insulation or water damage cases. I've caught two failing capacitors in AC units just by seeing uneven heat patterns, things I never would have noticed with my eyes or a multimeter. Honestly, once you start looking at the world through one of these, you'll find excuses to use it everywhere. lol