Can we talk about using a thermal camera versus a clamp meter for finding compressor shorts?

I had a Kenmore fridge that kept tripping the breaker, and my old clamp meter said the draw was normal. Borrowed a Flir thermal camera from a buddy and spotted a hot spot on the compressor windings in under a minute. Anyone else had a case where the thermal imaging saved a ton of diagnostic time?

2 comments

2 Comments

eric_price1mo ago

Clamp meters only show current, not heat buildup.

oscarwright1mo agoProlific Poster

Yeah that's not totally right. A clamp meter reading can actually tell you a lot about potential heat. If you're pulling way more current than the wire is rated for, that's what causes the dangerous heat buildup in the first place. So while it doesn't show temperature directly, it shows the main thing that creates it. You need to know the wire size and its ampacity to make sense of the reading.