Wires and cables refer to materials used for power, electrical, and related transmission applications. There is no strict boundary between "wires" and "cables." Generally, products with fewer cores, smaller diameters, and simpler structures are called wires; those without insulation are called bare wires; and others are called cables. Therefore, wires and cables are very prone to overheating and overloading. So how can we prevent wires and cables from catching fire due to overload?
1. Ensure construction quality, especially the quality of cable head fabrication, which must strictly meet the specified requirements.
2. Conduct cable tests regularly, and address any problems immediately.
3. Install fire alarm devices to detect fires immediately and prevent cables from catching fire.
4. The cable trench must be kept dry to prevent the cables from getting damp, which can cause insulation degradation and short circuits.
5. Enhance cable operation monitoring to prevent cable overload operation.
6. Occasionally clean up the dust accumulated on the cable to prevent the dust from spontaneously combusting and causing the cable to catch fire.
7. Enhance the regular inspection and maintenance of cable circuit switches and protection devices to ensure their reliable operation.
8. When laying cables, maintain a sufficient distance from the heating pipeline; control cables ≥ 0.5 meters; power cables ≥ 1 meter.
Control cables and power cables should be laid out in separate trenches and layers, and should not be overlapped between layers.
For areas that do not conform to the designation, flame-retardant and heat-insulating measures should be taken for the cables.
9. Equip with necessary fire extinguishing equipment and facilities. Overhead cable fires can be extinguished with common fire extinguishing equipment, but automatic or remote-controlled fire extinguishing devices, such as 1301 fire extinguishing devices and water spray fire extinguishing devices, should be installed in cable interlayers, shafts, trenches and tunnels.
10. Take fire prevention and flame retardant measures.
Fire prevention and flame retardant measures for cables include:
(1) Apply fire-retardant coating to the surface of the cable.
(2) Wrap the parts of the cable that need to be protected from fire with fireproof tape.
(3) Seal the holes through which the cable passes through the wall, the bottom of the tray, and the shaft with fire-resistant materials to prevent the spread of high-temperature smoke when the cable catches fire, which would cause the fire area to expand.
(4) Heat-resistant fireproof boards, segmented partitions and fire doors are installed between cable layers to prevent the fire from spreading between cable layers and escalating the fire.
