If you’re like most production professionals, you probably know that there’s nothing quite like the sight of a manufacturing line humming along, delivering outstanding yields and maximum up-time.
So you may be interested to know that there’s a new tool available that can help make sure that every piece of equipment under your purview keeps humming along, line after line shift after shift, in optimum safety.
It’s a new feature recently added to the Hubbell line of Watertight Devices. But before I describe it, let me paint a quick picture for you:
Imagine walking into your facility first thing and being greeted with a room full of dozens or hundreds of connectors and plugs glowing warm “go” green, letting you know at a glance that every piece of equipment is wired properly for maximum performance.
That’s a good feeling, right?
Or, let’s say you see one plug suddenly glowing red among that sea of green. Now, without waiting for a wire test to be conducted or being unaware of a detrimental wiring issue until a damaging line down condition—or injury—occurs, you can immediately tend to that wire and keep that piece of equipment humming along. Not the best way to start your workday, perhaps, but still a lot better than the alternatives!
Instant wiring condition information—before your eyes
As suggested, what I’m talking about here is a new addition to Hubbell’s industry-leading Watertight Devices family. These new Wiring Condition Monitoring Watertight Connectors are quite similar to existing models in the premium performance that they deliver; however, instead of that familiar safety yellow housing, the housing on this new line is clear. Inside is a PCB that is continually monitoring wiring conditions—and a series of green and red LEDs that illuminate to give you instant insight into any otherwise hidden, safety-threatening, productivity-threatening wiring problems.
Wiring issues can occur early on in installation as well as over time, and can wreak havoc in a facility, creating unsafe conditions as well as line down conditions. If a new connection is mis-wired, if a ground drops out, if a wire comes loose from a termination screw due to ongoing vibration or other factory conditions, or if water has encroached into the connector and ultimately shorts it out—now you can know immediately without even touching the plug.
Features that leave other water-tight devices all wet
As I noted, other than the addition of the valuable warning light feature, Hubbell’s new Wiring Condition Monitoring Watertight Connectors are otherwise identical in performance to the yellow Watertight Connectors that thousands of facilities around the world have trusted for more than 15 years.
And that’s a good thing—because both the traditional yellow and Wiring Condition Monitoring Hubbell Watertight Connectors provide features that no other connector on the market offer. For example, they are the only watertight connectors to have earned the IEC’s Ingress Protection Code IP69K, the highest rating there is, meaning that the connector can withstand the most extreme washdown procedures in food processing, agriculture, industrial, chemical and other industries. That means not only the highest pressure water, but high temperature water and dust as well—at multiple angles.
So, fact is, if you’re running a demanding food service operation or similar facility that uses high temperature cleaning water and have been having electrical issues, water ingress might just be the reason. Most connectors on the market—even watertight connectors—don’t stand up well to the combination of water at high pressure and high temperature. That can leave the operation vulnerable.
Another unique feature of both the traditional yellow and Wiring Condition Monitoring Hubbell Watertight Connectors is their body design. They are engineered to have no edges or angles that can trap food particles during a wash down, so these and other contaminants are sure to go down the drain where they belong rather than staying adhered to your plugs and connectors. It’s a real issue in food processing facilities that can lead to quickly eroding hygienic conditions. In fact, Hubbell watertight devices are even certified by NSF International, the leading food safety maintenance organization. And, of course all Hubbell watertight devices are also certified as Type 4X enclosures by UL, delivering outstanding high pressure performance and corrosion resistance.
Step up to the light
For the best mix of performance and safety features to maximize uptime it’s hard to beat the new Wiring Condition Monitoring Hubbell Watertight Connectors. They are getting glowing reviews from users and I must say, stepping into a “healthy” facility with all the green “go” lights illuminated can be a dramatic experience indeed!
These devices are available in both plug and connector side, and work fine with the mates from Hubbell or any other manufacturer, so in the short term you could, for example, add a Wiring Condition Monitoring Hubbell Watertight Connector with a Hubbell yellow or even someone else’s plug and get an instant upgrade in performance. Since it is a new offering, Hubbell is still adding different amperage and voltage sizes to the Wiring Condition Monitoring Watertight products line, which will ultimately grow to be as complete as the traditional yellow Watertight Connector line. If you are in need of a particular configuration, just let us know!
So whether you want to consider stepping up to water tight devices, stepping up to more full featured water tight devices, benefitting from the safest and highest performance scenario by adding the Wiring Condition Monitoring feature to all your equipment, or just want to find out more, now is a good time to make a call to your Hubbell sales representative or Hubbell authorized distributor. They will be de-lighted to hear from you.
