Troubleshooting Industrial Electrical Issues: Common Problems and Solutions

Electricity keeps New Zealand facilities running, helping us create useful products that Kiwis use and enjoy every day. Industrial electrical systems are often much larger and more demanding than residential or commercial systems, so they require specialised service to keep running.

If you manage an industrial facility, then you’re most likely wondering what the most common issues are for electrical systems and how you can resolve or prevent them.

Common Industrial Electrical System Issues And What To Do About Them

When handling any kind of electrical system, it’s essential to remember that complex tasks should only be handled by trained professionals. Electrical systems can be very dangerous if mishandled, so to prevent injury to yourself, your team or your equipment, always call a reliable industrial electrician to maintain, upgrade or service your electronics.

So, what are some common electrical problems that you should know about?

Power Surges. Power surges, or sudden influxes in electricity, can damage equipment and shorten the lifespan of your machinery. Severe power surges can also cause fires. Power outages, electrical equipment malfunctions and lightning storms can cause power surges.

How do you prevent power surges? Your industrial electrician should ensure that your electrical system is adequately grounded. Additionally, surge protectors can also be installed for further protection.

Overloaded Circuits. Circuits can become overloaded if too much electricity flows through them. If this happens, the circuit can trip and shut down. This is often caused by having an electrical demand that’s too much for your circuits.

Your industrial electrician should ensure your electrical loads are evenly distributed throughout multiple circuits that can handle them. Always ensure your circuits can handle your electricity demands because frequent circuit breaks can cause downtime, hindering your productivity and profitability. If you frequently experience circuit trips, contact your electrician and ask them to inspect your system.

Equipment Failure. Equipment can fail for many reasons, including standard wear and tear, poor maintenance and power surges. They should always be handled carefully, as malfunctioning equipment may be dangerous and unpredictable. Equipment issues can cause unprofitable downtime, loss of productivity and high repair or replacement costs.

First, your industrial electrician should inspect your machinery to figure out why it failed. Explain to them the symptoms your equipment exhibited, such as strange noises or overheating. They will discover the root of the problem and fix it. Then, to prevent the problems from happening again in the future, your machinery should be routinely inspected and maintained.

Along with routine maintenance, make sure you also monitor your industrial electrical equipment to check for any problems. Issues can be indicated by abnormal sounds, overheating, strange smells and poor performance. If you notice that your equipment is malfunctioning, stop using it and call your industrial electrician.

Regular servicing and maintenance can prevent the need for repairs and replacements in the future, ultimately saving you money and reducing downtime and safety risks to your team.

Insufficient Voltage. Voltage sags or dips occur when there’s not enough voltage to sustain electrical equipment. This may prevent equipment from operating correctly, hindering your productivity and potentially damaging the equipment itself. Voltage sags can be caused by short circuits, power overloads or starting electric motors.

Just like with power surges and circuit overloads, your electrician should examine your equipment and your industrial electrical system as a whole to identify insufficiencies. They can determine the best ways to upgrade your system so that it supplies enough power to your equipment.

Resolving Common And Complex Industrial Electrical Issues With Echo Automation

Trust our Echo Automation team to handle all of the above-mentioned problems and more. Together, we can resolve issues involving:

• Downtime. Problems like equipment failure and short circuits can cause downtime, eating into your profits and negatively impacting your productivity. We can keep your operations on track.
• Safety Issues. The safety of your team should always be your top priority. We prevent dangerous situations by making sure your equipment is safe and operational. 
• Noncompliance. We stay current with New Zealand’s regulations, ensuring your industrial electrical system is fully compliant. 
• High Electricity Bills. Upgrades and repairs could reduce your energy usage, lower your electricity bills and give you more money for your facility. Making energy-efficient upgrades now can save you plenty of money in the long run. 

We at Echo Automation have experience with designing, installing and maintaining electrical systems for industrial facilities. We strive to create efficient frameworks for our clients that support productivity and growth. Efficiency, compliance and safety are some of our core priorities. 

To learn more about how we can help you, please visit our website to read about our various services. We also work with machine automation, robotic solutions and more, creating customised machinery that’s built to fulfil specific roles. 

Would you like to get in touch? Call us on +64 784 93246 or use our contact page to message us.

Echo Automation: Let’s keep your facility on track.