Poor connections are a common source of downtime and energy waste. They also increase the likelihood of an arc fault, which can quickly turn into a catastrophic event. It's smart to schedule infrared scans and low ohms testing so you find problem connections. It's even smarter to prevent them by properly preparing and assembling the connection. There is more to this than standard practice would indicate.
- Use new hardware. Fasteners lose 50% of clamping power after first use.
- Use a contact enhancer appropriate to the application. These typically do more than simply clean the contacts. They may lubricate, provide oxidation protection, reduce asperity, or perform other functions. A little research can have a big payoff
- Use calibrated torque wrenches to tighten connections to the correct value.
