As a significant protective equipment in electric circuits, the operation of circuit breakers has a direct impact on the stability and safety of the circuit.
Proper storage conditions are essential to guarantee circuit breakers can be used to their best when required. In this article, the storage conditions of circuit breakers and the way to give them proper environments so that they can better serve and work well will be introduced.
Why choose a suitable environment for storing circuit breakers
Storage conditions for circuit breakers
1. Temperature control
Circuit breakers should be stored in a moderate temperature, dry, and cool condition. Extremely high or low temperatures cause material aging or warping of its internal parts. Generally, it is recommended to store the temperature of circuit breakers between -10 ° C and+40 ° C.
2. Humidity control
Humidity is also one of the main factors that affect the functioning of circuit breakers. Excessive humidity enables water vapor to condense inside the circuit breaker, which will rust the electrical parts and even cause short circuits. The ideal range of humidity must be controlled between 30% and 80%.
3. Prevent excessive electromagnetic interference
When storing circuit breakers, do not store them in high electromagnetic field areas. Electromagnetic interference may affect the normal operation of the internal circuit of the circuit breaker, leading to equipment malfunction or failure.
4. Avoid dust and contaminants
Dust, grease, and other impurities are likewise a great concern in terms of electronic circuit breaker components.
Dust and impurities can penetrate the interior of the circuit breaker, interfering with the conductivity of its contact points and creating short circuits and electrical fires, respectively. The circuit breakers should therefore be kept in a manner that they are protected in clean environments to prevent direct contact with impurities.
5. Shading from sunlight
Circuit breakers are to be shielded from prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, since ultraviolet light accelerates the deterioration of the plastic enclosure and degrades the structural and service life integrity of the circuit breaker.
Storage method of circuit breaker
1. Original packaging
In the majority of cases, original packaging should be utilized since it is the ideal method for storing circuit breakers. Original packaging successfully shields the circuit breaker from foreign contamination, water, and physical damage. Where possible, the circuit breaker should be left in its original packaging until it is needed for use.
2. Use a dedicated storage box
If two or more circuit breakers have to be stored or if storage is not done in the original packaging, there can be use of special storage racks or boxes. Such boxes should be ventilated, dustproof, and moistureproof, and can guard the circuit breaker against exposure to impact or scratches by external forces.
3. Periodic inspections
Even when it is stored, the functionality and quality of the circuit breaker should be checked from time to time. Like damage inspections, rusting, corrosion, and other issues. If some abnormalities have been found, they either need to be remedied or replaced early enough before there can be a problem on the next use.
4. Don’t pile and store
Avoid stowing circuit breakers on top of each other for crushing or bruising their coverings. Instead, position each circuit breaker away from the other in a specific area to ensure that they should not crash into or crush against each other.
summarize
The storage environment of circuit breakers has direct influences on operating performance and service life. As a measure to ensure that the circuit breaker operates as needed in emergent situations, the circuit breaker is to be stored in an appropriate environment with stable temperature, humidity control, cleanness, and no electromagnetic interference.
Through correct methods of storage and periodical monitoring of equipment status, environmental factor-caused performance deterioration and failures can be effectively avoided.
I hope that this article has better taught you how to store circuit breakers so that they may provide the best protection when needed. If you have any questions about storing circuit breakers, please comment and refer anytime
