Preventing Vandalism & Theft of Electrical Enclosures & Equipment
Vandalism of electrical enclosures is a growing problem. Frequently, the aim of the vandalism is not obvious apart from a desire to cause malicious damage and inconvenience to maintenance personnel. In other situations, it would appear that theft of copper wire and high value components may be a motivating factor.
Secured enclosures are totally sealed to make it difficult for intruders to gain access. However, this form of protection also leads to a risk of enclosures becoming excessively hot due to the lack of ventilation. In order to prevent equipment overheating, it’s becoming more common to install active methods of electrical enclosure cooling to control the interior temperature to within the limits required by the equipment manufacturer.
Here are some ways that enclosure cooling products can increase the security of electrical enclosures.
Security Package
Manufacturers have a range of enclosure air conditioners specifically designed for secure applications. These units have no openings apart from those required to ventilate the condenser coil. There’s a fan opening covered by robust louvers that is part of the housing and a a special security cover for the filter.
Remote Controller
In line with the philosophy of not having any openings through which vandals can access the enclosure air conditioner, the digital controller is remotely mounted inside the electrical enclosure. This ensures that the controller cannot be damaged, tampered with, or removed.
NEMA Rating
Security packages should be available with either a NEMA 12 or NEMA 4 enclosure rating. The NEMA 12 rating is intended for indoor use and provides protection against the ingress of solid objects including dirt and dust and a degree of protection against the ingress of water. The protection against the entrance of solid objects ensures that it’s impossible to insert any solid implement into the enclosure though the fan louvers. The NEMA 4 rated enclosure is similar to NEMA 12 except that it is designed for outdoor locations and can withstand any form of weather. It is particularly suited for protection against malicious tampering or vandalism.
Alarms
An alarm and controlling Web server option is an added security measure that monitors air conditioner operation. With equipment such as Thermal Edge’s, a facility can monitor a total of 18 enclosure air conditioners and checks the performance of each air conditioner so that if there’s any change in temperature or if an alarm occurs, it is immediately reported by email, SMS, or FAX. It’s possible to link to a smartphone and the system has a calendar function that can be programmed to filter alarm transmissions depending upon the time of day.
Prevent Vandalism by Monitoring Electrical Enclosures
Thermal Edge’s security package enhances the integrity of secure electrical enclosures. Additionally, the features offered by Thermal Edge’s monitoring system give utilities early warning of air conditioner malfunction so that first responders can be dispatched with minimal delay. Contact us today to speak to sales.
