Industrial Wiring and its characteristics

Wiring plays a crucial role in electrifying a place. If the wire is weak or faulty, it may pose a great threat. To ensure that you get the right wiring for your need, you must know how to identify it, how to buy it, and how to install it with proper connections. Not only residential areas need to be wired up since commercial and industrial establishments also need electrical installations. Electrical equipment mostly uses a wide variety of wires and cables. It is important for us to correctly identify and use the wires accordingly. The wrong wire type will cause operational problems and could be hazardous. Because every type of machine has unique requirements for wiring methods and operator's safety depends on your understanding of the differences between residential and industrial wiring.

Here are a few points to consider before investing in industrial wiring:

1. The insulation material

Insulation is a material that is resistant to the flow of electric current. The work of insulation is to resist electrical leakage. It also prevents the wire’s current from coming into contact with other conductors. Insulation material determines the safety and effectiveness of the wire.

2. The size of the conductor; 

There are different kinds of wire available in the market which is made for a different purpose. With any of these wire types, knowing the right wire sizes or gauge is key to making the right choices. The physical size of the wire is called wire gauge. The smaller the wire gauge number, the larger the wire diameter.

3. What it’s made of;

The most common material for electrical wire is copper and aluminium, these are not the best conductors however they are abundant and low cost. Gold is also used in applications because it is corrosion-resistant.

4. Whether it’s solid or stranded and flexible.

It is very important to know which wire should you use. One with solid conductors or one with stranded conductors? 

Solid conductors: They are made of a single piece of metal. It is tougher than a stranded conductor but rigid and less flexible than a stranded conductor. When subjected to frequent flexing, a wire with a solid conductor is much likely to break. 

Stranded conductors: They are made of multiple small strands, which group together to make up a single conductor. It is more flexible than a solid conductor but less durable.

Wires and cables (conductors) are insulated and protected by a variety of materials (insulators) and each one has its own specific properties. As a part of the wiring characteristics, a wiring material may have to withstand without failing:

1. Extremes of current or temperature;

2. A corrosive or similarly harsh environment;

3. Higher voltages than the rest of the circuit.

Because of the different properties and applications of wirings, it is important to check the wiring specification for the correct type to use. 

Colours for the purpose of identification are as follows:

• Black represents an ungrounded line, load and control conductors at line voltage.

• Red represents ungrounded AC control conductors, at less than line voltage.

• Blue represents ungrounded DC control conductors.

• Yellow represents ungrounded control circuit conductors that may remain energized when the main disconnecting means is in the OFF position. These conductors must be yellow throughout the entire circuit, including wiring in the control panel and the external field wiring

• White or natural grey represents a grounded circuit conductor.

• White with blue stripes represents a grounded DC current-carrying circuit conductor.

• White with yellow stripes represents grounded AC current-carrying control circuit conductors that remain energized when the disconnecting means is in the OFF position.