They show up in the worst places. Top offenders are inside A/C units and car engines. Yanno, where there’s lots of vibration to help the little bastards cut through insulation.
I had a domestic A/C unit fail this way. Zip ties kept the power leads to the compressor taught against the bottom leg of the compressor housing (cast iron or some kind of steel). The edge of the zip tie, combined with vibration and moisture abraded the insulation over the period of about 3 years and grounded out against the housing. This destroyed the compressor motor windings (melted to a dead-short under power), leading to a pricey repair.
Technician knew what to look for since he saw the exact same failure mode on that make of A/C unit in a commercial model on a rooftop.
Damn! Yeah with the vibration and start torque that makes sense. Sounds like it didn’t have strain relief? I imagine if the wire is cheaped out on at all by the manufacturer it could be more prone as well.
Please. Tell Me those aren’t zip ties though!
They show up in the worst places. Top offenders are inside A/C units and car engines. Yanno, where there’s lots of vibration to help the little bastards cut through insulation.
Huh… Cutting insulation is a new one for me. I’ve seen it with adel clamps that chewed through their grommet but never nylon.
Were they in areas where the wires needed to be allowed too mice but were too constricted?
I had a domestic A/C unit fail this way. Zip ties kept the power leads to the compressor taught against the bottom leg of the compressor housing (cast iron or some kind of steel). The edge of the zip tie, combined with vibration and moisture abraded the insulation over the period of about 3 years and grounded out against the housing. This destroyed the compressor motor windings (melted to a dead-short under power), leading to a pricey repair.
Technician knew what to look for since he saw the exact same failure mode on that make of A/C unit in a commercial model on a rooftop.
Damn! Yeah with the vibration and start torque that makes sense. Sounds like it didn’t have strain relief? I imagine if the wire is cheaped out on at all by the manufacturer it could be more prone as well.
Zip ties so tight you know the person installing them pulled each one until all of their neck veins bulged out.