SURE-BOND ENVIRONMENTALLY SEALED STAR-WASHERS ARE DIFFERENT AND SUPERIOR TO TRADITIONAL STAR-WASHERS AND ARE A BETTER SOLUTION FOR USAGE IN ELECTRICAL BONDING AND GROUNDING.

What is electrical bonding and electrical grounding?

Electrical bonding creates a conductive path between non-current-carrying metal components (like appliance housings, pipes, and structural steel) to equalize their electrical potential and prevent dangerous voltage differences. Think of it as everyone at a party joins together hand-in-hand. Grounding connects this bonded group to the earth through a low-impedance path, creating a safe escape route for stray currents in case of faults. Imagine this escape route as a giant drain leading outside the party venue. While bonding creates the connected network, grounding provides the exit for unwanted electricity, working together to ensure everyone’s safety from electrical shock.

Here’s why SURE-BOND ENVIRONMENTALLY SEALED STAR-WASHERS play a huge role in improving electrical grounding and bonding.

The fasteners used in making electrical connections play a crucial role in both electrical bonding and grounding, forming the physical connections that ensure equipment and structures have the same electrical potential and safely discharge unwanted currents. They act as the conductive pathway, creating low-resistance connections between metallic components.

For bonding, fasteners connect non-current-carrying elements like enclosures, pipes, and racks, equalizing their potential and preventing voltage differences. In grounding, they connect this bonded network to the earth electrode, providing a safe path for fault currents to dissipate harmlessly.

How, when, where and why are external tooth star washers used to make electrical grounds and electrical bonds?

Regular external tooth star washers have been commonly used in electrical grounding and bonding. The use of traditional star-washers has been challenged by different types of corrosion and other types of problems such as vibrating environments, electrical connections exposed to harsh weather, salt water and even galvanic corrosion due to the joining of dissimilar metals can cause electrical bonds or grounds to fail.

There are many different star-washers that are designed so their teeth pierce painted or anodized surfaces when they’re fastened. This however regular unsealed star-washers are compromised and their long-term reliability reduced when contamination around the teeth occurs through the intrusion of air and water, leading to rusting and corrosion.

 Here’s why Sure-Bond Environmentally Sealed Washers are the better solution.

Sure-Bond Environmentally Sealed Washers make the electrical connection in an environmentally sealed barrier blocking out air and water that causes corrosion. When a Sure-Bond Environmentally Sealed Washers pierce through paint or oxides and their bite through these non-conductive layers of paint or anodization improving the electrical connection by sealing out the elements that degrade the electrical contact points.

Secure grounding and bonding connections are essential to a safe electrical system. Grounding is essential to ensure a safe return path for electrical current. Bonding ensures that all metal parts of electrical equipment have the same electrical potential, reducing the risk of shock hazard and damage. Both grounding and bonding are necessary for an electrical system to ensure safety, reliability, performance, and to prevent equipment damage.

Why worry about corrosion at all?

The effects of corrosion on grounding and bonding connections, especially outdoors or in humid or corrosive environments are significant. Humidity causes metals to corrode and can accelerate the galvanic action caused by using dissimilar metals used to bond electrical equipment. Corrosive atmospheres, such as in a swimming pool equipment room or dockside electrical equipment can quickly corrode grounding and bonding connections, rendering them unsafe.

Galvanic corrosion is an electrochemical process in which one metal corrodes preferentially when it is in electrical contact with another, in the presence of an electrolyte, such as water. By keeping the electrolyte away from the connection, corrosion can be significantly reduced.

Connections using dissimilar metals will quickly corrode when exposed to weather or corrosive conditions, causing failure of the bonding pathway.

Corrosion is a major problem for electrical connections, as it can lead to increased resistance and heating. Corrosion can lead to connections becoming oxidized, creating a high resistance contact, and can ultimately lead to the failure of the connection. Poor grounding and bonding connections can result in an electrical potential on exposed metal parts, which may result in property damage, injury, or death.

Corrosion is a natural phenomenon which occurs under certain moisture, temperature and atmospheric conditions; it cannot be avoided, only mitigated. Corrosion weakens products therefore affecting their function and integrity.

Corrosion is a large problem. A 2002 study by the National Association of Corrosion Engineers, backed by the Federal Highway Administration, estimated corroding metals in various industries, infrastructure and manufacturing cost $276 billion annually.

For example, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) ordered a recall of 1.3 million grounding lugs due to corrosion issues in 2014. Although no deaths were attributed to the recall, the cost to replace the lugs was significant. In another case, a recent article illustrated significant lightning damage to Orange County Florida’s public emergency communications equipment. The damage was caused by lightning strikes and corrosion of bonding connections on lightning protection conductors. These damages were between one and two million dollars over a ten-year period. According to the CPSC, approximately 90 people are electrocuted annually in the United States due to appliances or wiring issues. There are also at least 30,000 non-fatal shock incidents per year in the United States. Each year, approximately 5% of all burn unit admissions in the United States occur because of electrical injuries.

Preventing corrosion of grounding and bonding connections in wet, damp, or corrosive atmospheres can be challenging. Equipment located in these conditions are exposed to the elements, which can result in atypical situations where the usual practices for bonding may not perform as intended. For example, many listed grounding lugs are not designed to be installed outdoors; using a lug that is not rated for outdoor use can lead to premature failures in the intended path for fault current, impairing the functionality of overcurrent and ground-fault protection devices. Other issues include corrosion of bonding connections due to galvanic action.

Grounding lugs can damage the protective anodized coating on aluminum module frames and rails. For example, some manufacturers suggest scraping, cutting, or scuffing the anodized coating. Unless the connection is sealed (as air-tight and water-tight) from the elements, the aluminum becomes exposed to the environment which increases the rate of oxidation and galvanic corrosion. Corrosion at the connection will cause an increase in the connection’s resistance, and eventual failure of the bond. However, some equipment manufacturers do not permit removal of the protective anodized coating, such as galvanization, to make electrical contact. This is because removal of the coating will facilitate corrosion.

Tests conducted on a variety of bonding connections indicated that most typical connections failed quickly when exposed to deteriorating agents. Damp-heat resistances were relatively unchanged over a 20-week period. However, most samples corroded in just a few weeks for the salt-mist tests. Samples using an antioxidant lasted slightly longer before failing. Lay-in lugs with washers and grounding clips and compound lasted more than 20 weeks in the salt mist condition, but still failed.

Using connection hardware that is environmentally sealed (as air-tight and water-tight Sure-Bond Environmentally Sealed Fasteners) seal the connection against the effects of corrosion which will not only make installations safer but will reduce costs for the owner/operator.

Using an environmentally sealed electrical bonding device and bonding fastener with environmental seals creates an air-tight and water-tight seal around the teeth which make the electrical bonding connection and protect it from corrosion. As the nut and bolt are tightened the twisted teeth bite into the facing surfaces of the frames to penetrate any surface corrosion or coating and create a solid electrical connection that is air-tight and water-tight sealed against the elements and the effects of corrosion.

Environmentally sealed hardware creates more secure electrical connections by providing 360-degree protection against corrosion and degradation. This is achieved by embedding the washer in an air and watertight silicone layer. The silicone layer prevents moisture and other contaminants from coming into contact with the washer and mating surface, which can help to prevent corrosion and degradation of the electrical connection.

As a result of these benefits, environmentally sealed hardware can help to create more secure electrical connections that are less likely to fail. This is important for safety, as it can help to prevent electrical fires and other hazards. Environmentally sealed hardware is also important for reliability, as they can help to ensure that electrical connections remain functional for longer periods of time.

Here are some of the specific benefits of using environmentally sealed connections:

• Increased resistance to corrosion
• Reduced risk of electrical fires and shock hazards
• Improved reliability
• Longer lifespan