How to protect cables
Why is cable protection so important and what do you need to know?
Whether you’re dealing with industrial generator parts or your data centre server cabinet, you need to plan for your cable management. In this article, we’ll be outlining these considerations and the role of different solutions to ensure that your cable management installation is an asset for years to come.
Know your capacity
It’s crucial that you never overfill cable management devices such as cable trays.
- Doing so runs the risk of cable damage, insulation damage, crosstalk, or more seriously if you’re managing power cables, overheating and potentially fire.
- Always use the correct length of cable. Using too much will only create a mess that can create air dams, which in turn damage your cables.
Don’t overtighten your cables
From heavy duty cable ties to mounting cable ties and everything in between, including push mount cable ties and stainless steel cable ties: they’re all an effective way to organise your cables.
- Be careful to not tighten your ties too much.
- Doing so can risk damage to the cable insulation, which presents a safety risk.
- Too-tight cable ties can stop signals from travelling properly through the cables.
- This affects performance and the efficacy of your devices and machinery.
The cable bend radius
Every cable has a bend radius beyond which it begins to lose signal. When it comes to machinery, such as HVAC system components and network cables, such as what you’ll find in a rack mount cabinet, this can have significant implications for your business and productivity.
- Prolonged exposure to over-bending can cause permanent damage to your cables.
- This can result in the need for regular repairs and replacement, which has both financial and operational ramifications.
- Cables need sufficient space – don’t over exceed the bend radius by over packing.
Protecting your pass-through
Occasionally you will need to create holes in furniture, server containers or other items to allow cables to pass through. When passing cables through plastic, wood or metal, it’s important that you use grommets, as these holes can often have rough edges that can damage the insulation of the cable, or even sever the cable itself. Grommets protect the cable as it passes through this hole.
Cable management solutions
Cable management is essential to preventing problems. In the table below are just some cable management solutions you should consider:
|
Recommendation |
Purpose |
| Hold small bundle of wires or cables together to keep them organised | |
| Protects wires and cables from abrasions that pass through holes | |
| Insulate wires, providing abrasion resistance and environmental protection. Available in colours, which allows for colour coding | |
| Organises wires and cables into one bundle while allowing them to break out at any point for re-routing | |
| Secures wires and cables at a fixed point on a surface | |
| Defines a route for cables along a wall or within instrumentation, providing mechanical support | |
| Holds cables, protecting them from abrasions, liquids, chemicals and other factors | |
| Protects cables against damage caused by sharp objects, impact and moisture. Conduit is used to route wiring in a building or structure. | |
| Ideal for circuit and electrical boards. Holds wires in place away from panels. |
Download free CADs and try before you buy
Free CADs are available for most solutions, which you can download. You can also request free samples to make sure you’ve chosen exactly what you need. If you’re not quite sure which solution will work best for your application, our experts are always happy to advise you.
Whatever your requirements, you can depend on fast despatch. Request your free samples or download free CADs now.
Questions?
Email us at sales@essentracomponents.co.uk or speak to one of our experts for further information on the ideal solution for your application 0345 528 0474.