Electrical fires could be a thing of the past thanks to the efforts of a South Jordan man and his camera.

Hal Smith, a metallurgical engineer, decided to trade his professional career for the chance to work for himself.

Three years ago Smith purchased a $30,000 infrared camera and founded C&I Inspections, a South Jordan-based business specializing in thermographic imaging inspections.

Most of Smith's time is devoted to shooting thermal images of electrical wiring and breaker panels. His camera can detect infrared radiation coming off a surface, taking 76,000 temperature measurements and then converting those measurements to an image.

Most commercial or industrial buildings, Smith maintains, have problems.

"I don't know that I've ever gone into any place and not found any problem," Smith said. "Most things start heating up before they actually fail. I've gone into hospitals and found Level 4 problems."

Level 4 — an acute condition that demands immediate attention — is a rating that indicates wires are exceeding 90 degrees Fahrenheit or more above an ambient reading.

But wires even 10 to 18 degrees above normal, Smith said, deserve monitoring.

Jim Thomas, co-owner of West Valley City-based Capital Electric, owns and operates a similar thermal camera. Thomas said readings 20 degrees above ambient are a concern.

"A lot of times we'll do a sample shoot for our customers," Thomas said. "Eighty percent of the time we run into something that needs to have some attention."

Smith said identifying and replacing problem wires not only can prevent potential fires, but also can lower utility bills and offer building owners peace of mind.

About 90 percent of Smith's business comes from commercial or industrial building inspections. A small company can expect to pay $400 to $800 for an inspection. Larger businesses, where an inspection can take a couple weeks, can pay as much as $6,000.

Thomas said thermal imaging cameras are rare, mainly because of their cost.

"Not every electrician is going to have those," Thomas said. "In fact, there are very few contractors in the valley that have that technology."

Thomas said his camera cost about $30,000 and generates roughly $50,000 in business each year.

While the camera can spot hot wires that are visible, it is limited in revealing problem wires hidden within walls.

In 1980, the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas caught fire, killing 84 people, due to a faulty wire within a wall.

"That's tougher to do," Thomas said. "It's not an X-ray camera."

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