Virtually all ceramic (porcelain and glass) insulators as well as some polymer insulators (e.g. EPDM) or insulator coatings require regular cleaning and maintenance when exposed to severe environmental conditions.

While insulators are designed to survive external elements such as fog, mist or rain, some elements create a conductive film on the surface of dirty insulators. This results in abnormal leakage currents or scintillation on the insulator surface. With increased contamination, higher leakage currents occur on ceramic and some polymer insulators, leading to dangerous flashovers and pole fires resulting in power service interruptions. Power Services’ regular washing and maintenance schedule helps to significantly reduce the risk of flashover and costly outages. In addition, a detailed inspection report of the line or plant being washed will be provided that will note any deficiencies with recommendations for corrective action.

An alternative method to reduce costly outages is the installation of K‑Line’s high quality silicone insulators. To learn more about K‑Line’s high quality silicone insulators please visit k‑line.net.