Visual inspection of all insulating components will be performed in order to identify signs of electrical distress, tracking, corona, and thermal heating. The enclosure will be thoroughly cleaned and all busbars connections and splices will be inspected for signs of heating and then properly torqued.
Insulation Resistance, AC Overpotential, and Contact Resistance tests will be performed to provide a reliable indication of the presence of moisture, contamination or breakdown in the insulation and the quality of mating of the contact surfaces and pivot points.
Insufficient insulation resistance can cause a short circuit current between adjacent terminals while resistance build up on contact surfaces will reduce their ability to carry current causing localized heating and power losses.
A well planned electrical distribution equipment maintenance strategy should be incorporated into your overall asset management strategy which in turn will mitigate the risk of equipment failure.