Switchgear Maintenance

It’s natural for electrical equipment to deteriorate with age, however it doesn’t essentially have to fail. Preventive Maintenance conducted by CoreSystems will evaluate the condition of your equipment and determine the most cost-effective and manageable solution to ensure its overall performance, safety and reliability.

Elements of LV Switchgear Preventive Maintenance Program

• Identification of equipment or system that may not function properly.
• Typical equipment should inspect as well as protection relays, switch gear, circuit breakers, transformers, switches etc.
• Establishment of schedules and procedures for routine inspections
• Proper and periodic checking of plant equipment for structural soundness
• Repair or replacement of defective equipment found during checking and testing
• Inventory of spare parts for equipment that needs frequent repairs
• Use of an organized record-keeping system to schedule tests and document inspections
• Commitment to make sure that records are complete and detailed, and that they record check results  and follow-up actions
• Preventive maintenance inspection records should be kept with other visual inspection records

Key to Preventive Maintenance of Switchgear

Preventative maintenance is the key in keeping the system working properly. It is recommended that every year all of the circuit breakers, disconnect points, and switches be manually worked and tested to make sure they are functioning smoothly. A visual inspection should also be done to check for any buildup of dust or debris and at the same time look for tightness or discoloration in any of the parts.

In performing this type of maintenance, the longevity of switchgear power systems will increase. Installation of dehumidifiers and dust-free ventilation systems can also reduce a number of factors that can reduce the performance of the power system or potentially cause system failure due to damage.

As an annual procedure, inspect all Circuit Breakers, disconnects and switches. To reduce vibration (even small, continual vibrations can cause damage) re-tighten all mounting bolts. Also inspect all terminations for tightness.

Temperature Impact on Switchgear

Another, often overlooked element is the temperature of the switch room or facility. This equipment is highly sensitive to temperature changes. Inspect the temperature control panels, thermostats and actual temperature of the room to regulate if it is within the proper operating parameters needed by the equipment.

Switchgear power systems are generally a low maintenance type of equipment, but that should not prevent it from receiving some attention at least once a year. Even though the equipment can function smoothly for many years without inspection, ultimately the failure of the system could prevent with some simple annual maintenance. Get into an annual inspection routine and potentially save yourself the cost of new equipment installation or repair by respective suggestions that offered above. Using a simple maintenance routine can greatly extend the lifespan of the equipment by lowering the chances of malfunctions caused by easily fixed items that need only a small amount of attention.

Low Voltage Switchgear Equipment Reliability Program

One of the most overlooked areas in equipment reliability programs is the electrical system that supplies power to production equipment. A faulty electrical system will place a whole plant out of operation, but yet it gets less attention than single production equipment. Many manufacturing plants spend thousands of dollars to care for plant production equipment but spend little, if any on the electrical infrastructure of the plant.

Many people have a false sense of security about their electrical system because they have not experienced problems in the past. Unfortunately, with the electrical system you won’t know if you have a problem until a fault develops in your system and it results in an arc flash, blown bus bar, a circuit breaker melt down, or worse, a fire.

Proper switchgear electrical maintenance involves a lot more than just tightening loose connections. An electrical system requires cleaning, lubrication, linkage adjustment, and electrical testing. If your system has ground faults they should electrically tested and calibrated.

Annual Preventative Maintenance of Switchgear

• Infrared Thermal Survey
• Switchgear preventative executed by cleansing and lubrication
• Breaker contact resistance testing
• Operation and checking of pringle and bolted pressure switches
• Visual inspection of cables
• Transformer visual inspection and oil sampling
• Electrical testing of circuit breakers
• Electrical testing of transformers
• Operational testing of ground faults
• Insulation testing of cables

Don’t wait for a power outage before getting serious about electrical preventative maintenance. We serve a full line of electrical testing and preventative maintenance services focused at helping our clients sustain integrity of their electrical systems. We offer on-site testing or shop service for your spare breakers. We’ll pick up your circuit breakers, service them and return them along with an engineered test report. Breaker reconditioning and Solid State trip unit upgrades additionally obtainable to increase the lifetime of the electrical fuse.