Quality and Reliable Cables for Irrigation Wiring Applications: Available at Tycab Australia
16 July 2019Objectionable outdoors conditions can play havoc with electrical cables. Let’s provide some evidence to prove that assertion. Over at a vineyard or farmland field, an irrigation system is doing its job. The pumped water is reaching every corner of what would otherwise be a parched parcel of dry land. Not wishing to play dumb, isn’t this equipment going to get wet? Suddenly, this all looks like a recipe for disaster.
Waterproofing the Equipment
Ingress protection codes protect the various equipment housings. The IP numbers are quoted as two digit codes. The first number determines how well a product can protect itself from solids. The second number shows how well a sealed housing can shrug off fluids. Starting at 0, for no protection, both numbers go all the way up to 8. That means an IP88 water pump, which would work well in an irrigation system, would be both waterproof and highly grime resistant. Let’s assume the pumps, controlling electronics, and valve wiring are all equipped with high Ingress Protection ratings. That, however, still leaves the electrical wiring undefined. If this cable isn’t designed to work out in a wet field, then short circuits are inevitable.
Installing Irrigation-Specific Wiring
If someone is selecting irrigation cabling, they’d better be sure this product is safe and reliable. If it’s safe, the wires won’t short circuit and cause an overcurrent event. If the wiring is reliable, it won’t open circuit and leave a thirsty crop high and dry. In plain English, without a dependable stream of water flowing in the irrigation lines, whole fields of veggies could dry up overnight. For a farmer or vineyard owner, that’s not an acceptable outcome. At any rate, how does a contractor pick out a wiring drum that’ll guarantee that plant-feeding flow? Buried, is this wiring waterproof and armoured. A strong form of moisture-resistant sheathing, which coats the wiring insulation, should be selected. Furthermore, this material should be UV resistant too, for it’ll be exposed to harsh sunlight.
Other features come into play when installing irrigation cabling. The field dirt could be mixed with chemical pesticides or herbicides. Acidic soil types are common. If that’s not the issue, perhaps the ground has slightly alkaline soil content. It might be a good idea to send the dirt to a lab to see if it contains any harsh chemical agents. Finally, assuming X number of controllers and valves, colour-coded wires are desirable. White wires are connected to valves and red wires linked to the irrigation controllers. Typically, 14-AWG cables are reserved for larger fields. For those bigger fields, because of the low voltage flow, high-quality copper conductors assure plenty of valve “holding” current.
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