Running an industrial based business means making sure that all of your equipment is running smoothly. This means creating maintenance schedules for each type of equipment and sticking to those schedules. The problem is when you have a maintenance schedule that does not include everything it should. This could lead to missed issues that become costly repair problems. One of the areas that may lead to issues is the maintenance plan for your transformers. Here are three tasks that should be part of a normal maintenance routine for transformers.
Checking the Silica Gel Colour
Your transformers likely have a silica gel in the breather of the transformer. This can be overlooked easily during daily or routine maintenance checks. The colour of the silica gel should be a dark blue. This is the normal operating colour of the gel. However, if the gel turns to a pink colour or shade of pink then it could mean that it has absorbed moisture of some kind. This is an indicator of an issue within the transformer and should be checked immediately.
Cleaning of Marshalling Boxes
The maintenance schedule for your transformers should include yearly tasks as well. One of these tasks is to clean the marshalling boxes. The marshalling boxes are the substation within the transformer terminal. If these boxes become dirty, have debris, or collect too many containments they can cause issues with the transformer. These issues include not switching properly and can lead to burnouts and explosions. Make note during the cleaning if there are any issues such as an overabundance of debris. This could indicate an issue with the seal around the marshalling boxes.
Current Checks
You should, at least twice a year, check the current level. This is to ensure that current is flowing with no issues or severe spikes. The transformer is set up to stop and turn off if there is a huge spike in the current levels. The problem with this is there could be a delay in the spike and the shut off of the transformer. This could cause severe issues including explosions. By checking the current levels on a routine basis, you can determine if there is an issue in current flow that you should keep an eye on.
These are just three of the points you should ensure are part of your transformer maintenance schedule. If you are ready to move forward, consider meeting with a transformer maintenance specialist to determine if anything else may be missing from your current schedules.