The Best Ways to Prevent Corrosion around Electrical Wiring

Alongside the insulation and plumbing, the wiring inside and outside of your home is usually one of those essentials that you won’t consider until there’s an issue. However, preventing these issues is often far cheaper and easier than fixing the damage later, and rusting and corrosion is one of the easiest to prevent.

Waiting for this problem to arise can also result in dangerous incidents, especially when it comes to electrical problems, as this can put your family at risk electric shocks or present a fire hazard to your property.

There are a variety of issues that can occur with electrical wiring, but most others relate to faulty fitting or bad wires, whilst electrical corrosion can happen in any instance where wiring could be exposed to the elements or worn over time. Whilst most wiring will have plastic or metal casings, both of these can also wear over time, and a coating of specialist rust or corrosion-resistant paint can greatly add to the life of your electrical wiring. These coatings can also be useful for preventing natural wear over time for indoor wiring, making the casings more hardwearing.

By protecting your wiring, you can prevent electrical corrosion for as long as possible, avoiding the costly need for buying and installing replacements, and paint and coatings are some of the most cost-effective solutions for protection.

How Corrosion Forms on Electrical Wiring

Before showing you the different paints and coatings you can use, it’s vital to understand how corrosion can occur on your electrical wiring.

Corrosion appears by moisture bumping into the metal areas of anything electric. Alongside this, the electrical current passing through the metal connections will attract and hold onto all sorts of tiny compounds such as dust; this will happen even if there is a tiny amount of electric current passing through. Slowly these compounds will build up into corrosion and will therefore break the connection of the electrical current.

Here are a few different paints and coatings you can use to help you prevent electrical corrosion to ensure safety for both your family and electrical system.

Rust-Resistant Paint

Rust-resistant paint is an excellent option for preventing corrosion, specially formulated to provide a tough barrier to external or internal signs of weathering. You can also buy paints that apply directly onto rusted metal, so in the case of a rusted wire casing, you could reinforce the structure with this sort of coating.

Waterproof Sealant

Waterproof sealants come in a variety of forms, from sprayable cans and tubes to paint, pastes or a thin wash.

Dialectic Grease

Working as a cheap and easy solution to your corrosion problems – dialectic grease is a silicone-based, non-conductive grease that is designed to prevent moisture and therefore seal out corrosion on electrical connectors. It is also used to disrupt the flow of electrical current, making it effective at sealing and lubricating the rubber areas of electrical connectors.

This grease is most effective when applied correctly as it will prevent almost all corrosion from even the beginning. Which is why it’s vital to plan ahead of time to apply the grease and protect any electrical connections that you believe may become corroded over time.

Electrical Contact Cleaner

This precise aerosol spray is available at most hardware or home stores, and is a quick solution working to dissolve and remove tarnish, dirt, oil, grease, dust, oxidation build-up and other deposits from electrical components.

Alkyd Enamels

Applied using a spray or brush roller, this coating allows for solid corrosion resistance for up to 3-5 years. Made to use for both indoor and outdoor surfaces, alkyd enamels also provide high-gloss colour and resistance against colour fading.

Polyurethane Coating

One of the best quality paints out there to prevent corrosion, withstanding the harshest environments and also lasts for up to 10 years. Applied by spraying, it provides a strong colour, long lasting gloss and is resistant to abrasion.

We hope this article was useful and provided some helpful options for preventing dangerous corrosion on your electrical wiring and its casings – however if you already think your wiring casings are looking worse for wear, don’t risk the safety of your home and family (or business and staff). Call a professional such as ourselves to come and do an examination, and if the wiring is unsafe, we will replace it and its casing to ensure there is no risk to residents or the property. Your safety comes first!

The information for this article was contributed by Trade Paint Direct is one of Europe’s best trade paint supplier, offering decorative, industrial and specialist trade paints for both domestic and commercial customers. Trade Paint offer a variety of water resistant, rust-resistant paint (some of which are mentioned in this article), and even specific corrosion inhibiting primer such as Owatrol CIP Corrosion Inhibiting Primer which can be used to prevent electrical corrosion and rusting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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