How to prepare wire and cable for winters?

Cold temperatures that occur in some climate zones in winter may have a damaging impact on cables. In particular, they may impact the flexibility of electrical cables and cause them to break. Moreover, winter temperatures make the installation of electrical cables more difficult. Here are a few tips on preparing your cables for winter and not being affected by harsh conditions.

Choose Cable Insulation With Outstanding Low-Temperature Flexibility

While standard PVC insulation does offer some protection from cold, it is more likely to stiffen during unusually cold winters. If you suspect that your cable might lose flexibility due to extremely cold conditions, choose the insulation that will be well-prepared to deal with that. Among plastic insulations, plausible options for you are Polyethylene (PE), Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), cellular polyethylene, and chlorinated polyethylene (CPE). If you go for rubber insulation, EPDM is good, but the one that will leave you with the best results that are impossible to beat is silicone.

If you go for fluoropolymer insulations, FEP, PTFE, and ECTFE are some of the best on the market for flexibility in winter temperatures, and ETFE and TPE are also wonderful choices to make.

Choose Cables That Meet The Cold Bend and Cold Impact Testing

While the low-temperature flexibility determines how insulation performs in cold temperatures, cold bend and cold impact testings help to determine how the cable performs in freezing conditions in general. As the result of these tests, the minimum operating temperature of each cable is determined.

The cold bend test determines how flexible and plastic the wire is in the process of bending. The cold impact test determines how resistant the cable is to damage at low temperatures. Aside from the cold bend and cold impact test, choose the cables with the appropriate CSA or UL rating for your specific installation. You can choose cables that meet cold bend and cold impact tests from the Nassau National Cable gallery. We sell thousands of cables at some of the best prices in the industry.

Do Not Install Wires At The Temperatures Below Their Minimum Recommended

Wires should not be installed in winter at temperatures that are below the minimum recommended. This is -40° F for XHHW and USE cables and 14° F for THHN and 15kV cables. The recommended temperature depends on whether the insulation is thermoplastic or thermoset. In any case, before being installed during the winter months, the cables should be stored indoors at least 24 hours before installation.