So, you want to get rid of that pesky condensation that forms inside your electrical panel?
Boy howdy! You’ve come to the right place.
ISC Sales has experts that know all about enclosures and how to keep them dry.
We can help you find your perfect solution.
Why is Condensation Bad for Your System?
Condensation inside of enclosures can cause big problems for the electrical equipment housed inside. I mean, the whole reason you put it in an enclosure was to keep it safe from harm!
Adding condensate management means a huge pay off, including…
- NO more short circuits. Keep your electrical connections dry and keep your equipment working at its best.
- NO rust or corrosion. Humidity and moisture will cause steel and other metals to corrode or rust.
- NO water dripping onto floors. Sitting water is a danger for employees, who can slip and injure themselves.
- NO blocked drains. Typical condensate drains tend to clog, leading to complex problems.
- Longer life for equipment.
There are two common causes for condensation inside of electrical enclosures, and luckily for you, they both have an easy fix.
Before we can decide on a solution for your problem, we need to understand why the condensation is forming.
Why is There Condensation in My Electrical Panel?
There are two main reasons why condensation occurs inside electrical panels.
- Condensation is caused by the equipment inside, primarily from the evaporator coil of the enclosure’s air conditioner. Air passes over the evaporator coil of the enclosure air conditioner, cooling it, which causes water to form.
2. Condensation can form because of naturally occurring temperature drops. If an electrical panel is installed outdoors, it is more vulnerable to the environment. If temperatures drop during the night or during cooler months, and it reaches the dew point of the surrounding air, water will form.
Dew point is when air becomes fully saturated, or in other words can’t hold onto any more water vapors, so it condenses into liquid water. It is the point when dew forms- think wet grass in the mornings.
The Solution
OK, so now we know why condensation keeps forming inside your enclosure – time to fix the problem.
The solution for combating condensation that is formed from the evaporator coils of some enclosure coolers is to upgrade your cooling equipment.
Delta-T enclosure cooling systems evaporate the moisture by utilizing the heat from the hot gas after it has been compressed. They are designed with condensate management in mind.
The condensate is funneled to a pan at the bottom of the air conditioner. Discharge tubing, that contains refrigerant, is routed through this pan and evaporates the water while also cooling the hot gas inside the tubing.
This is a double whammy, because not only is the water eliminated but it pre-cools the incoming gas, significantly increasing the efficiency of the air conditioner.
If you’d like a full description on how Delta-T eliminates moisture take a minute to watch the video below:
Is replacing your existing cooling system not in your budget for now? No worries, prepare for option two.
The best fix for condensation that forms because of temperature swings is to add an enclosure heater.
Heaters will ensure that enclosure temperatures are never the same as the dew point. This will prevent moisture from building up. A heater can be added to any enclosure, and some options offered by ISC Sales can both heat and cool.
A little condensation can become a huge problem inside of enclosures, but thankfully, it is easy to remedy. By using the right equipment, condensation becomes a distant memory.
