Electric wire and cable systems are the lifeline of any industrial application. If one of your cables fail — the entire system comes to a halt, leaving you with costly downtime.
ELECTRIC WIRE AND CABLE CARE
As a busy department head in an industrial plant, you have a lot to worry about on a daily basis. Practicing some general guidelines for electric wire and cable care not only will extend the life of your cable, but can reduce downtime, decrease safety and non-conformance issues, and increase the overall efficiency of the plant.
Some common practices for proper wire & cable care include:
1: Choose an Effective Approach
- Choose the most suitable cable for the application and its harsh environment*
- Choose a cable size and type that will work best for the following:
- Safety
- Carrying capacity (ampacity)
- Voltage drop
- Ambient temperature
- Mechanical strength
- Expected performance in its environment
- Educate maintenance personnel on cable limitations and what to inspect to reduce cable failures
2: Prevent Damage
- During installation, avoid kinking or twisting the wire and cable
- Kinking and twisting the cable may mechanically stress and weaken the conductors
- Avoid tension & run-overs
- Take note of the minimum bend radius
- Consult electrical wire and cable provider for appropriate recommendations
- Avoid any form of impact or crushing that may damage the jacket
- Keep wire and cable away from any elements the application does not have to be exposed to (such as direct flame)
3: Make Cable Reel Adjustments
- Periodically reverse cable ends to prevent one end experiencing prolonged exposure to a harsh environment, like high temperature
- Tie cable to avoid backspooling
- Keep proper tension
- Note potential current overload; expect to derate** a cable if powered while on a cable reel with multiple layers
- Account for voltage drop, if left unaccounted for it may lead to premature machine/motor failure
- Machine can overheat
- Account for voltage drop, if left unaccounted for it may lead to premature machine/motor failure
4: Make Repairs
- Inspect cable and make repairs before the cable is damaged beyond repair
- Remove cut or crushed cable before it leads to an unsafe condition
- Keep spare cable handy to replace damaged cable in place of a temporary fix
5: Keep Records
- Maintain the following records:
- Installation date of electrical wires and cables
- Cause of every failure:
- Highlights exactly where your biggest problem areas occur
- Pinpoints failure at the root of the cause
- Helps develop a preventative maintenance plan to catch failures before they occur
- Removal of wire and cable for repair(s)
- Analyze wire and cable performance
PROPER WIRE AND CABLE CARE REDUCES DOWNTIME
DOWNLOAD THE ELECTRICAL WIRE AND CABLE CARE CHECKLIST:
*Harsh Environment: Harsh environments in electric wire and cable applications can include abrasion, chemicals, extreme temperature, flexing, impact, and tension; or any combination thereof.
**When the cables are used with one or more layers wound on a reel, the ampacities shall be corrected as follows (ANSI/NEMA WC 58-2008, ICEA 5-75-381-2008):
Number of Layers | Multiplying Correction Factors |
1 | 0.85 |
2 | 0.65 |
3 | 0.45 |
4 | 0.35 |