Winter conditions pose significant challenges to weighing systems, particularly in outdoor applications like truck scales, mining operations, and oil & gas installations.
Freezing temperatures, moisture, condensation, road salt, de-icing chemicals, and the constant freeze-thaw cycles can all combine to make load cell wiring corrode faster & accelerate signal drift, inaccurate readings or even total system failure.
Protecting load cell wiring is essential for maintaining reliability and accuracy during harsh winters.
Understanding Winter Temperature Effects on Load Cell Wiring
While load cells themselves are sensitive to temperature changes, load cell wiring (cables) also experiences notable effects, primarily electrical, with some mechanical implications in extreme cold.
Electrical Effects
- Conductor Resistance Shifting: Copper wires increase in resistance as the temperature drops and decrease when it gets warmer. This causes the voltage to drop along the cable and affects the signal going to your indicator or amplifier.
- The Accuracy Conundrum: With a standard 4-wire setup, you can’t totally compensate for the resistance changes, so you get a little error in your span (sensitivity) and zero point.
- 6-Wire Setup Advantage: Systems with sense lines continuously compensate for resistance changes, virtually wiping out temperature-related errors in load cell wiring completely.
- Excitation Voltage Fluctuation: Resistance changes can slightly lower the voltage at the load cell bridge, which also affects sensitivity.
Mechanical and Physical Effects in Cold
- Jacket Stiffness: Standard PVC jackets become stiff as all get out when it gets below 0°C to -10°C and get brittle when it gets even colder. This makes ’em more prone to cracking from flexing or vibration.
- Moisture and Condensation: Moving equipment from a warm shop to the cold outdoors can cause condensation inside connectors or cable entries which promotes corrosion or shorts over time.
How to Prevent Load Cell Wiring Corrosion Under Winter Conditions?
Corrosion in load cell wiring usually happens when water, salt or chemicals get inside the jackets or connections. Focusing on proactive measures like proper material selection, sealing, protection, and maintenance helps extend the lifespan of load cell wiring.
1. Choose the Right Cables & Load Cells
When it comes to load cell wiring, pick cables with high ingress protection (IP67 or better) and jackets that are rated for low temps like polyurethane or Teflon. Avoid standard PVC in extreme cold. Get load cells with stainless steel bodies and protective coatings. For high-salt exposure, consider armored cables or chemical-resistant varieties.
2. Seal Your Connections Properly
Dab some silicone-based dielectric grease on connectors, terminals and pins to keep moisture out and prevent oxidation across temperature extremes.
Use adhesive-lined heat shrink tubing over splices or exposed wires to keep ’em waterproof. Have a waterproof connector (Weather Pack style) or gel-filled wire nuts on hand too.
Keep splices to a minimum – when you need to solder and seal properly.
3. Protect Your Wiring From the Elements
Route load cell wiring away from road salt spray, standing water or ice. Use conduit, protective sleeves or enclosures for outdoor runs to shield against winter weather. Avoid tight bends or damage when jackets are brittle.
4. Regular Check-Ups and Maintenance
Frequently inspect load cell wiring for cracks, brittleness, discoloration or corrosion, especially after salt exposure or freeze-thaw cycles. Give ’em a good clean off, dry ’em and reapply grease or sealants. Wash equipment after a winter event to get rid of de-icing chemicals. Do a seasonal recalibration to account for any cold-induced drift.
5. Some Winter-Specific Tips
Try to keep from having rapid temperature swings to prevent internal condensation. In extreme salt environments, think about applying corrosion inhibitors or using additional shielding. Store spares with protective caps & pre-applied grease.
Massload’s Load Cell Cable Design for Winter Conditions
Massload Technologies specializes in load cell wiring that’s designed to handle the harsh Canadian & arctic-like winters.
Massload Blue Load Cell Cable main features include:
- Polyurethane Jacket: Remains flexible and durable down to -40°C (unlike PVC, which cracks in cold). This stops stiffness and mechanical failure from vibration or bending.
- Tinned Copper Conductors: 22-gauge tinned copper in a 4-conductor setup resists corrosion from moisture & road salt.
- Temperature Rating: Explicitly rated to -40°C for extreme colds.
- Shielding: Protects against EMI/RFI interference.
- 6-Wire Options: Available for superior temperature compensation in harsh setups.
- Custom Solutions: Our molded cables, with their super-tough quick-disconnect connectors, keep on working even when the snow is coming down or the ice is forming because they’re completely sealed to keep out the elements.
These design choices are all about giving you some room to work with, keeping corrosion at bay, accounting for temperature effects, and making sure the signal gets through in one piece. That’s why Massload load cell wiring is a natural fit for any job that depends on getting it right even on a winter’s day.
A few preventive measures and the right load cell wiring solutions go a long way in keeping performance accurate and reliable during the winter season.
