Want a facility that runs smoothly without unexpected downtime? You need a plan for your medium-voltage power distribution systems. Most facility managers think they’ve got medium-voltage equipment under control. They run periodic inspections. Check a few boxes. And move on with their day thinking everything is fine.
Here’s the problem…
They’re actually losing thousands of dollars every month with that strategy. Unexpected downtime costs two-thirds of companies at least once a month. And the median cost of downtime? $125,000 per hour.
The good news?
Most breakdowns are preventable. Follow these lifecycle planning best practices and facility managers can dodge expensive mistakes when it comes to medium-voltage power distribution systems.
Key Takeaways
- Many facility managers neglect medium-voltage equipment planning, leading to costly unexpected downtime.
- Three major mistakes include not having a documented replacement plan, ignoring environmental factors, and treating all assets the same.
- Run-to-failure maintenance is costly and risky, as equipment failures can lead to expensive emergency repairs and safety hazards.
- To improve lifecycle planning, audit your equipment, create replacement windows, prioritize critical loads, and budget for replacements.
- Implementing condition-based monitoring helps identify issues early, allowing for data-driven replacement decisions and reducing downtime.
Table of contents
The Biggest Lifecycle Planning Mistakes
Here are the biggest mistakes most facility managers make…
They assume medium-voltage equipment lasts forever. Breakers, transformers, disconnects, switchgear. You name it. They aren’t set it and forget it assets. They degrade over time and fail when you’re not expecting it. Sound familiar?
The largest costs come from 3 lifecycle planning mistakes:
- Having no documented replacement timeline
- Ignoring environmental factors
- Maintaining all assets the same
Equipment reaches end-of-life with or without a plan. When there’s no timeline for replacements, they’re done reactively. When a critical piece of equipment breaks and the plant shuts down.
Environmental conditions play a huge role in medium-voltage equipment deterioration. Heat, moisture, dust, vibration. The facility where that breaker is located matters. That breaker will fail faster in a steel mill than a clean data centre every single time.
Not all power distribution system components fail at the same rate. Treat them as though they do and you’ll either miss failures or maintain equipment too frequently.
Working with a switchgear manufacturer that understands medium-voltage equipment can help you understand which components fail first. Plus build a replacement timeline that makes sense for your facility.
Easy stuff, right?
Nearly every facility gets these things wrong. Which leads to the most expensive mistake…
“Run It Until It Breaks” Maintenance Failures
This one costs facilities the most money.
Run-to-failure maintenance is the worst strategy you can use for power distribution systems.
And despite how ill-advised this strategy is, 57% of facilities still depend on some level of run-to-failure maintenance.
“It’s working fine.” “Why replace it if it doesn’t need to be replaced?” Sound familiar?
Here’s why those cost you tons of money.
Medium-voltage equipment won’t say when it needs to be replaced. There’s no check engine light that comes on before your breaker fails. Facilities that run-to-failure are playing with fire.
When that breaker does fail. It likely takes the whole system down with it. Emergency repairs and rush orders cost 4-5x more than replacing equipment on a predetermined schedule. Little things like expedited parts shipping and overtime pay add up quickly.
That’s just the money side of downtime.
Safety should be your biggest concern with power distribution system failures. Arc flash incidents and shock hazards put your employees at risk of serious injury. Loose connections account for over 30% of electrical failures and can’t be seen with the naked eye.
Running equipment to failure is gambling with your facility’s safety and profitability.
How To Build A Better Replacement Strategy
So what does a good medium-voltage equipment lifecycle plan look like?
For starters, you need to know the age and condition of every single component your facility has in your power distribution systems. Visual inspections don’t cut it. Document when things were installed and where they’re located.
Here’s an easy lifecycle planning framework you can start with:
- Audit what you have. Document every piece of medium-voltage equipment you own. Switchgear. Transformers. Breakers. Disconnects. Conductors. You get it. Note when it was installed and the environmental conditions it operates in.
- Create your replacement windows. All electrical equipment has a useful life it’s meant to be used. A circuit breaker on a standard floor of an office building degrades slower than one used in a manufacturing facility. Know the max ages, then create your replacement windows based on that info.
- Prioritisation is key. You can’t replace everything at once. Start with critical loads. Equipment that failures will cause the most expensive downtime. Or parts that are located in harsh environments. These are the things that will fail first.
- Budget for lifecycle replacements. All that planning doesn’t matter if you don’t have the money to replace stuff. Budget for capital replacements every year so you can actually follow through with your plan.
That’s it! Your power distribution system equipment won’t break your budget or cause unexpected downtime.
You can make that happen even better by adding one more thing…
Introducing Condition-Based Monitoring
What’s the best thing you can do to take your medium-voltage equipment lifecycle planning to the next level?
Condition-based monitoring.
Most maintenance schedules are time-based. Inspect that breaker every 6 months. That switchgear every year. Replace things after XX years of service. But time-based schedules don’t factor in how equipment is actually doing.
Condition-based monitoring allows you to see what’s going on inside your power distribution systems. Using tools like infrared thermography, PD testing, and DGA you can identify issues before they cause failures.
Here’s a simple example…
You have two identical breakers. Installed on the same day in two different locations in your facility. They will age completely different rates. One is located in a climate controlled room. The other is right next to the dusty steam boiler room.
Condition monitoring allows you to:
- See which breaker is overheating BEFORE it fails
- Identify damaged insulation on cables and inside switchgear
- Monitor component degradation over time to know when failures are imminent
- Base replacement decisions off actual data vs educated guessing
You can extend the life of assets that aren’t deteriorating quickly. And know when stuff absolutely needs to be replaced. Condition monitoring helps you prevent failures instead of reacting to them.
Combine that with your written equipment replacement lifecycle plan? Almost zero downtime.
Wrap Up
Medium-voltage equipment lifecycle planning is easily the most neglected part of facility management. And yet facilities make these 3 mistakes over and over…
- Not having a documented replacement plan
- Running-to-failure maintenance
- Treating all assets like they fail at the same rate
Here’s your fix:
- Know what medium-voltage equipment you have and where it’s located
- Schedule realistic replacement cycles based on risk and age
- Implement condition-based monitoring to catch issues early
- Budget for scheduled replacements instead of breakdown replacements
Power distribution systems aren’t disposable. They’re the lifeblood of your facility. Treat them that way. And your equipment will keep you up and running for years to come. Ignore this advice? That’s when expensive failures will shut you down.
Don’t wait for your next emergency replacement. Start making a plan today.
