How To Extend The Life of Your Electrical Wires & Cable

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

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):