What Happens After a Hotspot Is Found During an Infrared Inspection?

What Happens After a Hotspot Is Found During an Infrared Inspection?

Infrared electrical inspections are designed to find problems before they cause failures.

But for many facility managers, plant operators, and property owners, the inspection itself raises a question that nobody seems to answer directly: once a hotspot is identified, what actually happens next?

Understanding the post-inspection process is just as important as understanding the inspection itself — because the value of thermal imaging is not in the image. It is in what you do with it.

Key Takeaways

• A hotspot finding does not mean immediate shutdown — severity classification determines urgency
• IRIS PDM categorizes findings by risk level so facilities can prioritize repairs appropriately
• Every hotspot finding is documented with thermal and visual images, temperature data, and repair recommendations
• Follow-up inspections after corrective work confirm the issue has been resolved
• The full process — find, document, repair, verify — is what creates a defensible maintenance record

Step 1: Severity Classification

Not all hotspots are equal.

When IRIS PDM identifies a thermal anomaly during an inspection, the first step is classifying its severity based on the temperature differential between the affected component and a reference point.

Common severity classifications include:

• Low priority — Minor temperature differential, monitor and address during scheduled maintenance
• Moderate priority — Elevated differential, repair within 30 days
• High priority — Significant differential, repair as soon as possible
• Critical — Extreme differential or immediate fire or failure risk, action required before next operation

This classification determines how urgently corrective action needs to be taken — and prevents facilities from shutting down unnecessarily over a finding that can be safely managed on a normal maintenance schedule.

Step 2: Detailed Documentation

Every hotspot identified during an IRIS PDM inspection is fully documented in the inspection report.

Documentation for each finding includes:

• Paired thermal and visual images of the affected component
• Exact location within the facility
• Measured temperature differential
• Severity classification
• Description of the likely cause
• Recommended corrective action

This report is not just a record of what was found. It is the document your maintenance team, electrical contractor, and insurer will use to understand the issue and plan a response.

Vague or image-only reports create confusion. Structured documentation creates action.

Step 3: Communicating Findings to the Right People

Once the inspection report is delivered, findings need to reach the right people quickly.

For most facilities, that means:

• The facilities or maintenance manager receives the full report
• The electrical contractor responsible for repairs receives specific findings relevant to their scope
• The property owner or risk manager receives a summary of high and critical findings
• The insurer may receive documentation as part of a compliance file

IRIS PDM reports are structured to be shared across these stakeholders without requiring translation or interpretation.

Step 4: Corrective Repairs

Repairs are carried out by a qualified electrical contractor — not by the thermography provider.

The IRIS PDM report gives the contractor everything they need: the location of the fault, the affected component, the severity, and the recommended fix. This eliminates guesswork and reduces the time spent diagnosing what the thermal scan has already identified.

Common corrective actions following a hotspot finding include:

• Tightening or replacing loose electrical connections
• Rebalancing electrical loads across phases
• Replacing failing breakers or switchgear components
• Upgrading undersized conductors or fusing
• Addressing insulation breakdown in high-load circuits

The speed of repair depends on severity classification. Critical findings require immediate attention. Lower-priority findings can be scheduled into planned maintenance windows.

Step 5: Follow-Up Verification Scan

After corrective repairs are completed, a follow-up infrared scan confirms that the issue has been resolved and that no new thermal anomalies have developed in the affected area.

This step is frequently skipped — and it is one of the most important parts of the process.

A follow-up scan serves two purposes. First, it verifies that the repair was effective. Second, it creates a closed-loop record: issue identified, repair completed, resolution confirmed. That documentation is exactly what insurers and institutional clients expect to see.

Why the Full Process Matters

The inspection is the starting point, not the finish line.

Facilities that treat thermographic inspections as a checkbox — scan done, report filed, move on — are missing the point. The value is in the complete cycle: identify, document, repair, verify.

That cycle is what reduces risk, extends equipment life, and builds the kind of maintenance record that supports insurance compliance, institutional reporting, and regulatory review.

For more on how infrared inspections support insurance compliance in Ontario, see our guide on thermography and insurance compliance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a hotspot finding mean I need to shut down immediately?

Not necessarily. Severity classification determines urgency. Critical findings may require immediate action, but most hotspot findings fall into moderate or low priority categories that can be addressed during scheduled maintenance without operational disruption. IRIS PDM reports clearly indicate which findings require immediate attention and which can be managed on a planned timeline.

Who is responsible for making the repairs after a hotspot is found?

Repairs are carried out by a qualified electrical contractor of your choice — not by IRIS PDM. Our role is to identify and document the issue precisely so your contractor can address it efficiently. The inspection report provides all the information a contractor needs to proceed without additional diagnosis.

How quickly does IRIS PDM deliver the inspection report?

Reports are delivered promptly following the inspection so that facilities can act on findings without delay. Contact IRIS PDM directly to discuss turnaround expectations for your specific inspection scope.

Is a follow-up inspection required after repairs are made?

A follow-up scan is strongly recommended after corrective repairs are completed. It confirms the issue has been resolved and creates a complete closed-loop maintenance record. Many insurers and institutional clients expect follow-up verification documentation as part of a compliant preventive maintenance program.

What if new hotspots are found during a follow-up scan?

If a follow-up scan identifies new or unresolved thermal anomalies, those findings are documented and classified using the same process as the original inspection. This allows facilities to address issues systematically rather than discovering them through failure.

To learn more about our infrared inspection process, visit our Infrared Electrical Inspection Services page.