Circuit Tracing
Most industrial facilities have a complex system of cables and electrical conduits necessary for day-to-day electrical operations. Over time, these circuits can be susceptible to various electrical problems.
Over the past decade, wire tracing was physically (visual) carried out by following the wire from point to point following them through walls, ducting or ceilings to locate a fault. This could often take hours and even days.
We know the challenges of operating in such environments and are able to use modern tools to provide a faster tracing of electrical cables. This enables us to locate any “hidden” electrical circuits in walls and floors, used to locate ground lines, control wiring, neutrals, feeders, branch lines or even identifying circuit breakers precisely.
We can also trace HV and LV buried cables to reduce the risk of any digging or excavation work from affecting electrical services.
How do I identify my circuits?
One of the major setbacks we often find is that the circuits and / or breakers in the electric panel are not labelled or sometimes incompletely labelled. This can be caused by a circuit directory sheet that has gone missing or if it is so faded that it is no longer readable.
Sometimes new breakers have been added, the old ones rearranged and though there are some circuit directory entries, they are not the best. It is either scratched-out and scribbled over, leaving everything scrambled and confusing. Identification or Labelling of all the circuits is very important for trouble-shooting your electrical system when problems arise and for quick shut-off circuit of a specific affected area in an emergency – rather than the entire plant.
Single electrical panel may contain multiple breakers depending upon the end usage and volt (generally 400 or 230 V) ratings.
A simple directory form is shown below for illustration purpose for a 16 circuit panel board. This form can be filed properly in the panel board itself (Stickers) or in the records room/ panel room addressing the location with unique identification number that matches with the panel. These procedures generally forms part of ISO 9001 quality process and documentation certification.
