the_msp
Lifetime Supporting Member
I normally go for the side of enclosure-mounted isolators. Sure, this means you can open the panel while it's live, however, to do so requires a panel key which your operator should not possess or have access to.
I have been asked for some upcoming panels for front door isolators, interlocked to the contacts on the chassis plate so it can't be opened live. Unless you push the little pin with a pen of course.
My experience with door isolators that are interlocked has generally been poor (17 years in Industry). E.g. they have no unlock pin, so they just get ham-fisted and twisted. Or the bar linking to the contact block drops out as you open the door. This leads to an isolator with no bar, and if say you had an emergency (e.g. fire, not E-stop scenario), you go to isolate the panel and you are turning thin air.
What is your experience and have you any recommendations for a brand that is easy to fit, can be unlocked with a pin to open when the panel is live, and seems to last the test of time?
3 phase 415V <100A
I have been asked for some upcoming panels for front door isolators, interlocked to the contacts on the chassis plate so it can't be opened live. Unless you push the little pin with a pen of course.
My experience with door isolators that are interlocked has generally been poor (17 years in Industry). E.g. they have no unlock pin, so they just get ham-fisted and twisted. Or the bar linking to the contact block drops out as you open the door. This leads to an isolator with no bar, and if say you had an emergency (e.g. fire, not E-stop scenario), you go to isolate the panel and you are turning thin air.
What is your experience and have you any recommendations for a brand that is easy to fit, can be unlocked with a pin to open when the panel is live, and seems to last the test of time?
3 phase 415V <100A