Switchgear Maintenance: A Vital Operation of Your Backup Power System
Switchgear both controls and protects electrical equipment. This combination of circuits, breakers, switches, and other power conductors is an integral piece of equipment designed to control the flow of power, enabling a building's safe use of electrical energy. It can also disconnect from a power supply during a fault.
Every facility with switchgear and electrical distribution equipment wants safe, reliable power that has an extended system lifespan. Don't be that electrical systems operator who neglects equipment because there hasn't been a problem. Staying ahead of any potential issues is critical — especially for facilities that need to de-energize equipment for maintenance or that experience faults. Regularly scheduled maintenance and testing reduces the probability of an unscheduled outage and can save you significant headaches and money.
Switchgear maintenance, testing, and regular inspections are important safety measures, and the development of a preventive care plan is your first step toward dependable operation. Your system should be checked annually by a professional service provider like Prime Power, otherwise a switchgear complication could lead to extensive damage that requires costly repairs. This type of system catastrophe poses significant danger to people and the devices/appliances utilizing the supplied power. It can also be financially draining to let a system run until something fails, which could lead to an entire system replacement.
The first step in preventive maintenance is scheduling a Prime Power professional assessment, which includes four steps:
1. Overview of the system components to determine if a failure is imminent or if parts need to be serviced.
2. Review of repair history, manufacturer specifications, and unit schematics.
3. Update written records after scheduled care has been completed.
4. Perform visual inspection, tests, and possible, preliminary thermal imaging to determine if additional evaluations will be necessary before the switchgear maintenance routine is derived.
Following the assessment, you can schedule routine maintenance with a Prime Power technician, who will determine the best plan for keeping your system in optimal shape for dependable performance. Maintenance plans include cleaning, part changes, correction of inconsistencies, and inspection of each critical component, as well as providing an accurate assessment of any equipment needs.
