It’s finally springtime and the sun is shining, birds are building nests, flowers are starting to bloom — oh, and your control panel is filthy. You probably already know why preventative maintenance as simple as cleaning your panels matters, but just in case you need to jumpstart your motivation, let’s review the facts.

Filters

As you go through your maintenance checklist, don’t skip the filters. If your electrical control panel came with filters, read the recommended replacement frequency and swap out the filter now if it’s been neglected.

There are several filter options that can make maintenance and cleaning easier. Look for control panels that feature filters positioned outside of the enclosure in particularly dusty or dirty environments. This traps contaminants that much farther away from your equipment, while also providing easy access.

It’s also valuable to choose filters that are affordable and easily accessible when it’s time to change them out. Consider keeping a few filters in stock to make maintenance as quick and painless as possible. Some brands also offer washable filters, saving you money on replacement costs.

Dust, Dirt, and Carbon

So your control panel is a little dusty. What’s the big deal?

Well, some dust and dirt build-up can actually consist of conductive materials. This build-up could be impacting circuit paths, causing short circuits or leeching current. Without regular cleaning, “just a little dusty” can escalate to “dirty enough to cause problems” faster than you think.

Fortunately, there’s a safe and easy way to clean out most dust and dirt. Use a vacuum to clean the enclosure rather than compressed air, which may actually grind and ingrain some of the contaminants even deeper into the crevices of your panel.

Plastic can also degrade and cause carbon build-up, or may result from contacts that arc at open and close. This is more common with older equipment, but can be easily overlooked. Be sure to use safe cleaning products designed to remove carbon or other stubborn contaminants.

Good Maintenance Starts with Design

Your custom control panel builder can help make maintenance and upkeep easy. Choosing an enclosure with an external filter is just one of many ways that an experienced panel builder can improve the lifespan of your panel. A control panel builder with a solid background in engineering can even suggest ways to make your panel design more efficient and cost effective!

PanelShop.com delivers custom control panels with beginning-to-end engineering support. Our production team takes pride not only in our products but in our relationship with you, the customer.

Whether you know exactly what you need or you're seeking a partner to help develop and accelerate your project, PanelShop.com can help. Call us today or submit a quote and our experienced support staff will be happy to help you in any way we can.

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