[RE-wrenches] 24 volt Battery Bank comparison

boB Gudgel boB at midnitesolar.com
Wed Jun 1 13:52:46 PDT 2011


On 6/1/2011 10:43 AM, Michael Welch wrote:
> Every now and then I see reference on this list to the need for thermal detection. Here is an interesting, inexpensive piece of equipment that could be used for finding hot (loose or corroded) connections, hot batteries, hot PV cells in modules, and even poorly insulated spots, its original intended purpose:
>
> http://www.blackanddecker.com/power-tools/TLD100.aspx
>
> I have one and used it for finding uninsulated spaces, but cannot attest to its durability or suitability for the other uses mentioned above.

Yep.  These are very handy indeed !  AND they're cheap !

But these types are quite different from what I was talking about when I 
mentioned the very pricey thermal imagers like FLIRs.
For the single point thermometers like the B&D device, you must run it 
over EVERY single spot that you want to check
for heat.  Batteries, Connections, Cables and each one individually.  
With something like the FLIR you can just hold it
and stand in one place and it will show you where any hot spots (or cold 
spots) are AND give you the temperature.
That is, if the emissivity is close enough, but you can still see if 
something is really hot with the imager.

I just wish they were cheaper !

boB




>
> boB Gudgel wrote at 01:00 AM 6/1/2011:
>
>> This might be a good reason for an installer to have one of those FLIR (or similar) thermal imager cameras.   They're a bit on the expensive side, but could
>> really be helpful for so many things.   Even just to know if you have left a nut loose (under load of course)
>>
>> boB
>
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