If you’ve ever examined your electrical wiring, you know that there’s a smooth, rubber-like coating that goes over the wiring. This material is known as insulation, and it’s an absolute necessity for all your home wiring. We’re going to take a deep dive into understanding what electrical insulation is and why it’s so imperative to have.
Electrical Conductive Materials
Before we dive into what electrical insulation is, it’s first imperative to start with electrically conductive materials. These are materials that electrons move easily inside, meaning electricity flows freely through them. Some examples of these materials include silver, gold, aluminum, the human body, water, and even gold. Because of its known conductivity, copper is the most common wiring material on the market today.
Electrical Insulating Materials
Insulators are the complete opposite of conductors. They don’t allow for the free flow of electricity through their material. Some examples of insulating materials include glass, PVC, resin, varnish, asbestos, Teflon, silicone, and even paper. These insulating materials are commonly used to help direct the flow of electricity.
For example, with a typical electrical cord, you’ll find an outside insulating material of PVC. This thermoplastic product surrounds the internal copper wire. This allows electricity to flow directly through the wire without escaping into nearby objects. There are a few key attributes that every insulator needs to have for optimal efficiency and safety.
First, it must be able to withstand the electrical load that the wire is transferring. Second, it must be a waterproof, non-porous material, as water and electricity don’t mix. Insulators need a high resistance to high temperatures and, optimally, be fire-proof.
Why Is Electrical Insulation Important?
This protective coating is a necessary safety mechanism to ensure everyone’s safety when using electronic devices. If there was no insulation, anyone who came into contact with the bare wire could be electrocuted. This is because the human body is an electrical conductor, so it will encourage the free flow of electricity when it comes into contact with electricity.
Electrical Resistivity
It’s vital to realize that each electrical insulating material has a specific resistivity level. This is the amount of electricity it can resist before conducting electricity. For example, a PVC coating is put on modern-day household wiring to make it resistive to regular power voltages. However, in cases of severe power surges, like a lightning strike, the amount of voltage flowing through the internal bare copper wire can exceed the PVC coating’s resistivity. This can cause the PVC coating to conduct electricity and catch fire as a result.
The Evolution of Insulating Materials
When insulation was first used to protect household electrical wiring, the most common materials used were cloth and rubber. This is because these materials were very readily available. While they worked well for low voltage situations, these materials won’t stand up to modern-day voltage needs.
As we transitioned into the twentieth century, our electrical demands changed. We require more powerful electricity to power the necessary items in our lives. This upgrade required a new insulating material that could withstand the higher power. Polymers became the new standard material due to their higher resistivity. They also offer higher thermal stability and are more durable than cloth and other traditional insulating materials.
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene (PE) are the new standard for household wiring insulation applications as well as wiring for electrical devices. As high-voltage and high-temperature demands have risen due to our overall increased demands for production and other industrial applications, so has the need for new insulating materials. PVC and PE simply can’t insulate very high-voltage or high-temperature situations.
This is where ceramic and glass come into play. These materials have a higher resistivity and are known for their exceptional heat resistance. For example, ceramic is now the standard material in use for insulating vehicle spark plugs. It’s absolutely imperative to match the abilities of the insulating material with the electrical wire’s specific demands to ensure optimal functionality and safety.
The Various Benefits of Using Electrical Insulation
The most obvious reason to use electrical insulation is to provide safety for those working around electricity. Insulation helps to provide a necessary barrier to keep the electrical flow restricted to the wiring instead of surrounding objects. This not only helps to protect people but it also does wonders for protecting other components around the electrical wiring, like sensitive circuit boards.
Because the importance of insulation is well known in the electrical world, there are set standards in place for all electrical applications. For example, when it comes to household wiring, the specific type of wiring and its necessary insulating capacity must meet the set building code standards for your area. Without appropriate insulation, your home’s wiring won’t be in compliance with code standards.
Another lesser-known benefit of electrical insulation is that it helps to reduce the amount of electrical loss. If there are 110 volts going through a particular wire but half of that is lost when the electricity comes into contact with conductive materials, you wouldn’t be able to get the full 110 volts that you need to power your electronic device. Insulation helps to preserve the electrical load to ensure the starting voltage makes its way completely to your end destination.
Properly Maintaining Electrical Insulation
While electrical insulation is an absolute necessity to protect the safety of you and your home, it’s only as effective as its condition. Insulation must be properly maintained and issues fixed promptly to prevent safety problems. It can be exceedingly helpful to inspect the visible electrical wiring at your home every couple of months.
More specifically, you want to be looking for any oddities that could signal a weakness in your insulating material. These oddities include fractures, discoloration, burning odors, and similar problems. Anything out of the norm should undergo an assessment by a professional electrician promptly. It’s wise to have an electrician perform an insulation resistance test for your household wiring every couple of years to detect any potential issues that may not be in highly visible spots.
The Most Common Reasons For Electrical Insulation Failure
Just as with anything in life, there’s always a possibility of your electrical insulation failing at some point. By knowing the most common reasons, you can take better steps to prevent as many of these causes as possible.
Probably the most common reason for failure is simple deterioration of your wiring. This happens through the natural process of aging as materials break down over time. The best way to prevent this type of insulation failure is to replace wiring when it reaches the end of its manufacturer’s estimated lifespan.
Another reason for failure is due to mechanical stress. This is considered stress on the wiring itself from outside forces. This could be the result of bending the wire or not safely securing it where the wire undergoes regular movement. The key to preventing this insulating failure is to have a licensed electrician install all your wiring to ensure the right fasteners are used in an appropriate manner.
Trustworthy Wiring Service
Potts Electric offers trustworthy wiring service to the entire Fenton, MO area. Our electricians can help with all your generator, surge protector, car charger, smart home, electrical repair, new construction, electrical panel, commercial, and aluminum wiring needs. Contact us today to book your next service electrical consultation with one of our highly experienced electricians.
