What do you think of these thermal indicators?

Gavin John Hyde · Oct 25, 2018

In the local independant wholesaler and saw these for sale.
Knew they existed but never given it much thought.
Does anybody on here use them? If so what do you think

[ElectriciansForums.net] What do you think of these thermal indicators?

Pete999 · Oct 25, 2018

Gavin John Hyde said:
In the local independant wholesaler and saw these for sale.
Knew they existed but never given it much thought.
Does anybody on here use them? If so what do you think

View attachment 45206

If they work and cause no installation problems where is the harm in using them?

Deleted member 105166 · Oct 25, 2018

They look a good idea, perhaps I'm missing something but the notice supplied with them says to check them regularly, however they are fitted where the user does not have access, i.e. Inside the DB with the cover off.

Gavin John Hyde · Oct 25, 2018

TonyMitchell said:
They look a good idea, perhaps I'm missing something but the notice supplied with them says to check them regularly, however they are fitted where the user does not have access, i.e. Inside the DB with the cover off.

That was one of my thoughts, its not for joe public, more for the electrician. never less a good thing to include when fitting a CU.

Deleted member 105166 · Oct 25, 2018

Gavin John Hyde said:
its not for joe public, more for the electrician

agreed - but I do think affixing the self adhesive label is a bad idea, as it may encourage people to take the lid off their CU

here's the fitting instructions PDF

Rpa07 · Oct 25, 2018

If you're in the CU and you've installed a circuit or testing you would check all the terminals so - good workmanship wins again.
To me it's an invention that doesn't need inventing. To me, an overheating circuit will be in the CU (check terminals for tightness and visual thermal damage) or at the load end (visual and tightness)
Perhaps the best solution is to make conductor insulation out of it.
Like those t shirts in the 80s that changed colour when you were dancing to 'Staying alive' at the disco - all it said was SWEATY DUDE STAY CLEAR (good dancer though)

Gavin John Hyde · Oct 25, 2018

Rpa07 said:
If you're in the CU and you've installed a circuit or testing you would check all the terminals so - good workmanship wins again.
To me it's an invention that doesn't need inventing. To me, an overheating circuit will be in the CU (check terminals for tightness and visual thermal damage) or at the load end (visual and tightness)
Perhaps the best solution is to make conductor insulation out of it.
Like those t shirts in the 80s that changed colour when you were dancing to 'Staying alive' at the disco - all it said was SWEATY DUDE STAY CLEAR (good dancer though)

Was that a Bristol thing? cant say we had those t shirts in Moles in Bath.

Rpa07 · Oct 25, 2018

Was interested in the details so googled it. They (sellers of the Biothermal shirts) made 50 million dollars in months but didn't slow the market to control it. Oh and the shirts went a murky brown after a couple of washes as it was only a second dye with a chemical and saline to sense the temperature change.
Someone else came out with the idea again in 2008 but people were over it by then.
Moles - now that's going back a few years!

jonny5 · Oct 25, 2018

Have tried samples .... Looking to use on our next control panel .... a quick PM check.

SparkyChick · Oct 25, 2018

@Gavin John Hyde ,

I've been trying to find a price for them, how much are they?

Gavin John Hyde · Oct 25, 2018

SparkyChick said:
@Gavin John Hyde ,

I've been trying to find a price for them, how much are they?

When I go In Kew Electrical again next week i will ask. It is one of them places where they dont show prices, you get charged based on what you spend and 9 times out of 10 they are cheapest in town. will always try and undercut others if they can.

Edit
According to t'interweb YESS stock them so if you have the book to hand might be worth a look?

SparkyChick · Oct 25, 2018

Gavin John Hyde said:
When I go In Kew Electrical again next week i will ask. It is one of them places where they dont show prices, you get charged based on what you spend and 9 times out of 10 they are cheapest in town. will always try and undercut others if they can

Great, thanks

Tried finding prices at some of their distributors... couldn't even find the product.

Deuce · Oct 25, 2018

I'm confused. Only someone investigating a potential issue would ever take the cover off to see the indicators in the first place. And the only people that should take the cover off would be equipped to test anyway - and would almost certainly know which circuit was to be investigated as something on that circuit would be the reason they were called out.

Would make a great deal of sense if MCB's had overheating indicators built in though, as they could be visible from the front of the unit.

PEG · Oct 25, 2018

Similar temperature tell-tales,are available for the engineering job,with a range of limits and applications.
A thought would need to be given to any possible environment condition,such as someone sticking a fan heater on full,in the room with the DB,to dry a carpet...and tripping all them decals.

My missus could get any given room,to 70 degrees C

Gavin John Hyde · Oct 29, 2018

@SparkyChick
Went in KEW this morning, nearly choked these indicators are £10.76+vat per pack but did say if I am ordering some other bits at the same time then they can come to a deal, as they aren't selling many of them at the moment!
at that price I wouldn't necessarily use them on every circuit but on the ones where over heating and loose connections are most common such as showers, cookers etc and the relevant isolation switches. then they could be useful as a indicator or to keep an eye on a vague intermittent problem that is not showing up during testing. could use them on the tails going into main switch too.