Hot Summer Will Impact Security Systems And Infrastructure.
Australia’s looming hot summer will impact electronic security installations will be affected by an increase in temperature.
As ambient heat goes up, resistance in copper wire will go up, too – this could exceed a cable plant’s resistance threshold and introduce unreliability through period voltage drop.
There’ll also be higher capacitance in electrolytic capacitors, a decrease in the brightness of LEDs and a decrease in the capacitance of polystyrene capacitors.
Batteries too, can be affected by excessive heat and they’ll lose their charge sooner at temperatures above 33-35C. You will also get problems with cameras installed in hot conditions with temps inside housings that are above 70C able to destroy components and processors.
Servo motors not designed to function in extreme heat (they need insulation on their windings) will offer very short life or they may suddenly burn out, while capacitors serving the motor and circuit boards must also be rated for extremes or they’ll fail.
Another problem with great heat is component expansion and contraction. This will impact on mechanical parts far more than it will on electronic circuitry. Use grease and lubricants rated to high temperatures and allow some flexibility in system design and installation.
External sensors will be impacted as ambient temperatures exceed their detection thresholds – they’ll become less sensitive, and their components will be seriously stressed.
Something else to consider is thermal expansion and contraction, which over time will lead to fixings loosening, will cause fractures in metal and plastic, while direct sunlight will damage housings and cloud dome bubbles and housing windows.
Hot Summer Will Impact Security Systems
Control boxes mounted on poles will also be impacted by intense heat and may need to be fitted with ventilation fans to cool processors and other components – you need these powered cooling systems to be filtered or you’ll get dust ingress.
Another strategy is to ensure your control boxes are not too densely populated so the heat they generate can dissipate. You can install install system components where they will be shaded from afternoon sun by trees.
Additional strategies to ameliorate heat damage, including adding ventilation, re-locating vulnerable components, going direct to cloud rather than storing locally and installing devices with solar protection firmly in mind.
Mounting shades above components is another good strategy. A metal shade with a 5-ply insulation board fitted beneath it can reduce heat levels by 30 per cent compared to metal shades alone.
Sensor placement out of direct sunlight around building verandas and on south facing walls of buildings will also provide a level of protection from extremes of summer sun.
If you must expose systems to high levels of heat, there are cooling systems that ameliorate the damage.
Plan ahead and you’ll avoid expensive maintenance callouts this summer. You can find out more about heat protection of electrical systems using Vortec coolong systems here or read more SEN news here.
“Hot Summer Will Impact Security Systems And Infrastructure.”
