Tips for Exceptional Wire Management

Tips_for_Exceptional_Wire_Management.pdf

Transcript:

[0m:4s] Hi I'm Josh Bloom, welcome to another video in the RSP Supply education series. If you find that these videos are helpful to you, it certainly helps us out if you could give us a big thumbs up and subscribe to our channel.
[0m:16s] In today's video, we are going to be talking about wire management. For the most part our videos focus on industrial applications and control panels, and while we use a control panel to demonstrate some of the wire management techniques in this video, these techniques can be used in almost all areas where wire management needs to be addressed.
[0m:38s] Before we begin, the question is often asked, why should we care about proper wire management, and why does it matter?
[0m:46s] Chances are if this question is being asked. It is by someone who has never had to trace wires in a situation where the wire management is poor.
[0m:55s] It can take forever and cause all kinds of problems. Proper wire management is important for many reasons. First and foremost, it leads to a safer electrical environment.
[1m:8s] When wires are run all over the place with no regard for organization, it can be confusing and potentially dangerous when trying to disconnect existing wires or adding new wires.
[1m:22s] Good wire management can also lead to much more efficient troubleshooting when problems do arise. Also, proper wire management shows that care was taken when fabricating or wiring was done.
[1m:36s] It is good electrical practice to always take time to manage wire runs correctly and in an organized fashion.
[1m:43s] Now that we have addressed why it is important, let's talk about a few tips that can help lead to exceptional wire management.
[1m:51s] Tip number one: be consistent. This is one of the most overlooked aspects of great wire management. When wiring devices, no matter what the scenario is, it is very important to remain consistent and your approach and techniques in regards to how you make your connections.
[2m:11s] If every connection is different and there is no method for how you are running your wires, you will never see the results you hope in regards to achieving great wire management.
[2m:22s] This consistency should apply to everything from the length of wire that is being used, to the bend radius of the wire, label positions, wire placement within the bundles, and anything else in regards to how you run your wire.

[2m:38s] The more consistent your approach is when addressing all of these areas, the better your results will be in regard to great wire management.
[2m:47s] Tip number 2:
[2m:49s] don't always take the shortest path.
[2m:51s] When routing wires and trying to achieve a clean and organized, look that will leave others wondering how you did it,
[2m:59s] it is important to not always take the shortest route to land the wires in question. For instance, when wiring hardware on the door of an electrical enclosure is important to consider all of the wires that are going to be at that certain location,
[3m:14s] and try to bundle these wires whenever possible.
[3m:17s] So instead of just running the wires directly to the place that they need to be connected, instead, try to route your wires in a way that they will pass the other devices or connection points near the wire you are routing, and pick up any other wires along the way that are related to those other connection points.
[3m:38s] By the time you have run your wires where you want them to go, you will have one clean bundle instead of multiple wires going in many different directions. That will lead to a very clean and organized result.
[3m:51s] Tip number: three wire tie everything that is not concealed.
[3m:56s] When wiring in a control panel, oftentimes the wires being run are concealed by the wire ducting in which they pass through. However, any time that you are running wire that is not concealed. It can be difficult to control these wires in such a way that will result in a clean and organized result.

[4m:16s] To assist with this problem, it is important to use wire ties and wire tie anchors which can help in avoiding messy and unorganized wiring situations. The more wire ties that are used, the cleaner the install will typically go. Once again, be consistent in how you use your wire ties. Make sure you use the same size tie and also the same color throughout your install process. Also, make sure to evenly space your wire ties which will give you a
much better look once you are done. By using wire ties when wires are exposed you'll be able to achieve a much better result in regards to overall wire management.

[4m:58s] I hope these tips help you in the various wiring applications you might encounter. These are just a few things that we have found that lead to exceptional wire management results. There are certainly many different methods to achieve great results in all sorts of different scenarios. What is most important is that you take your time, put safety first, follow a few simple guidelines, and good results will follow. For a full line of industrial control panel hardware and thousands of other products, please go to our website. For more information or other educational videos go to RSPSupply.com, the Internet's top source for industrial hardware. Also, don't forget: like and subscribe.