Distribution network operators and maintenance contractors all over the world struggle against water and dust ingress in electrical assets such as substation basements and control rooms. Since humidity is often the cause of partial discharge activity, equipment damages, switchgear failures and costly power outages, they have a lot to win in keeping the basements dry. There are ways of sealing properly against water leakage through openings for cables and pipes and thereby eliminate the risk.
- Face the facts
To be honest, mastics, compounds and other traditional sealing products do not withstand the pressure of a high ground water table or the strain of the cable load. Neither do they seal between cables. Mastics may be cheap to buy, but the total cost of damages and outages makes them expensive. When the flood enters, you should call a provider of reliable cable sealing solutions.
- Locate the leaks in the flooded substation
A professional sealing expert will meet you, survey the flooded site and establish an action plan. This specialist presents durable retrofit solutions for each opening, in line with requirements. Meanwhile, you will learn how to detect weak sealing methods – and to secure the openings before it is too late.
- Get it all right
When you turn to experts, you get drawings, certificates and installation instructions and you often receive the seals within 48 hours. In addition, the experts provide onsite support and perform quality checks after installation. First class retrofit seals can be used in running water conditions and will still perform within 24 hours. Compare this to the normal curing time of ten days for mastics…