{"id":3532,"date":"2026-10-09T15:35:27","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T07:35:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cidadenoticia.com\/blog\/?p=3532"},"modified":"2026-10-09T15:35:27","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T07:35:27","slug":"how-can-i-tell-if-control-and-special-cables-are-damaged-4f7b-fdbdf9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.cidadenoticia.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/09\/how-can-i-tell-if-control-and-special-cables-are-damaged-4f7b-fdbdf9\/","title":{"rendered":"How can I tell if control and special cables are damaged?"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a supplier of control and special cables, I talk to plant managers, maintenance techs, and project engineers every week who\u2019ve discovered a critical system outage because they brushed off a small cable \u201cglitch\u201d as \u201cno big deal.\u201d The truth is, control and special cables aren\u2019t just wires\u2014they\u2019re the nervous system of industrial operations, automation lines, and specialized equipment. Cables for motor controls, temperature sensing, data acquisition, or hazardous location monitoring don\u2019t wear out the same way a power extension cord you use around the house does. Their damage is often hidden, or mistaken for a temporary issue, and catching it early can save you from costly downtime, safety hazards, or even full system replacements. Control And Special Cables<\/a><\/p>\n

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Let me break down the key signs I share with every customer, based on decades of seeing what works and what leads to headaches. These aren\u2019t abstract rules\u2014they\u2019re the things techs on the ground can spot during a quick walkthrough, and they align with industry standards set by groups like the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), which we follow to make the cables we supply.<\/p>\n

First, let\u2019s split damage into two categories: visible damage and hidden (electrical) damage. Both are equally important, and neither should be ignored.<\/p>\n

Visible Damage: The Things You Can See During a Routine Check<\/strong>
\nThis is the easiest to catch, but I still see companies only checking this during major shutdowns, not weekly. Most control and special cables run in cable trays, are tucked behind control panels, or run along machinery that vibrates constantly, so small issues pop up fast.
\nThe first red flag is fraying or cracking in the cable jacket. Wait\u2014this isn\u2019t just the outer plastic casing. For specialty cables (like those rated for hazardous locations, high-temperature environments, or outdoor use), the jacket is a critical layer that protects the internal conductors from moisture, chemicals, oil, UV light, and abrasion. If the jacket has cracks around bends, or frayed threads where the cable has rubbed against a metal tray or sharp machinery edge, that\u2019s a ticking time bomb. For example, we supplied a batch of high-temperature thermocouple cables to a steel mill a few years back; the maintenance team only noticed minor cracking after three months, so they didn\u2019t pull them to inspect. By the six-month mark, the jacket had completely failed, and moisture got into the conductors, leading to a $120,000 shutdown of their annealing line. That\u2019s way more than the cost of pulling those cables and replacing them early.
\nNext, pay attention to discoloration or deformities. Burn marks, blistering, or a dull, faded jacket are signs of something wrong. Burn marks usually mean the cable was exposed to extreme heat\u2014either from a nearby process, an overloaded circuit, or a short that didn\u2019t trip the breaker fast enough. Faded or chalky jackets are almost always from UV exposure if the cable is running outdoors or in a space with constant bright light (even industrial fluorescent can cause this over time). Deformities like kinks or bulges? Kinks are usually from improper installation\u2014yanking a cable too tight around a sharp corner during pull-in. Those kinks weaken the internal conductors and insulation, making them prone to breaking. Bulges, on the other hand, can mean internal damage: water has seeped into the cable and frozen (if it\u2019s outdoors in cold weather), or the insulation is breaking down and releasing gases. Neither is good.
\nAnother often-overlooked visible sign: loose or corroded connections at the ends. Control cables terminate at terminal blocks, sensors, motor drives, or PLC I\/O modules. If the wires sticking out of the jacket are frayed, or the lugs have rust or white powdery corrosion, that\u2019s a sign the connection isn\u2019t making good contact. We see this all the time in plants with high humidity or exposure to chemicals\u2014corrosion builds up over time, increasing resistance, which leads to heat, intermittent signal loss, or even complete failure. A quick check of every connection during a shift change can catch this before it turns into a outage.<\/p>\n

Now, the hidden damage\u2014this is the stuff you can\u2019t see with the naked eye, and it\u2019s the most dangerous because it\u2019s often mistaken for other issues. For example, if your temperature sensor is giving erratic readings, you might blame the sensor, not a damaged thermocouple cable. That\u2019s why testing your cables\u2019 electrical performance is non-negotiable, even if they look fine.
\nThe first test most techs can do is a continuity test. This checks if the conductor inside the cable is intact. If there\u2019s no continuity, that means the wire is broken somewhere\u2014either from a kink, overheating, or corrosion. For multi-conductor control cables, you want to test every conductor individually, because sometimes only one breaks, which would cause a sensor or motor control to fail even if the others work. We had a customer a few months ago who had a conveyor line that would stop randomly; their first thought was a motor failure, but when they tested the control cable, they found one broken conductor out of eight. Replacing that small section fixed the issue for a fraction of the cost of a new motor.
\nNext, insulation resistance testing. This is the real workhorse for checking hidden damage. The insulation around each conductor keeps electricity where it should be\u2014inside the wire. Over time, insulation breaks down from heat, chemical exposure, vibration, or age. If insulation resistance drops below the level recommended by the cable\u2019s rating, that means current is leaking out of the conductor into the jacket or other conductors, causing signal interference, short circuits, or even electrical shock. For example, special cables used for hazardous locations have very strict insulation resistance requirements to prevent sparking that could ignite gas or dust. If that insulation breaks down, you\u2019re not just risking a process outage\u2014you\u2019re risking a safety incident. Our engineers recommend testing insulation resistance at installation and then every 12 to 24 months, depending on the environment the cable is in. Cables in steel mills or chemical plants need more frequent testing than those in climate-controlled office areas.
\nIntermittent signal issues are another big sign of hidden damage. If your control system is giving random error codes, sensors are sending wrong data, or motors are starting and stopping for no apparent reason, it could be damaged control or special cable. This happens when a damaged conductor or insulation only makes contact intermittently\u2014like when a cable is vibrating against a sharp edge, or moisture is seeping in and causing tiny, temporary shorts. We had a food processing customer who was getting random errors on their packaging line that no amount of PLC programming tweaks could fix. It turned out the cable running along the packaging machine\u2019s moving arm had a tiny nick in the insulation that would only short when the arm moved to a certain position. Testing the cable under loaded conditions (moving it like it does during operation) caught that, even though the continuity and insulation tests came back fine when the cable was stationary. That\u2019s why testing under actual operating conditions is so important for special cables\u2014they\u2019re designed to flex, move, or perform in specific environments, so testing them how they work is the only way to catch subtle damage.<\/p>\n

Wait, there\u2019s another area people don\u2019t talk about enough: age and environmental stress. Control and special cables aren\u2019t meant to last forever. Even if they look perfect, their performance degrades over time. Standard PVC-jacketed control cables typically have a service life of 10 to 15 years in normal environments, but special cables\u2014like those with Teflon jackets for high heat, or shielded cables for electrical noise\u2014can last longer if they\u2019re matched to the application. But if your cable is approaching the end of its rated service life, it\u2019s worth proactively inspecting and testing it, even if there are no obvious signs. We recently did a cable audit for a brewery that had 20-year-old temperature sensor cables running inside their fermentation tanks. They thought they were fine because they looked good, but our tests found the insulation resistance was 40% below the minimum required. Replacing those cables prevented a major error in temperature control that would have ruined an entire batch of beer.<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s talk about how to tell the difference between a temporary issue and actual damage. For example, if you\u2019re getting a single error code, it might be a loose connection that works itself loose when the machine runs. But if that same error comes up every time the machine is in a certain position, or after the cable has been flexed, that\u2019s almost always damage. If you see a small fray on a cable jacket, don\u2019t just tape it up\u2014check the conductor underneath for nicks, and test insulation resistance. Tape is a temporary fix, and it won\u2019t stop moisture or chemicals from getting in, so you\u2019re just delaying the inevitable.<\/p>\n

As a cable supplier, I can\u2019t stress enough how important it is to match your cable to your application in the first place. A lot of damage happens because companies buy a standard control cable when they need a special one for their environment. For example, using a standard PVC cable outside, where it\u2019s exposed to UV light, will lead to jacket cracking in months, not years. Using an unshielded control cable in a plant with high electrical noise (like near large motors or transformers) will cause signal interference that you might mistake for cable damage, but it\u2019s actually the wrong cable for the job. That\u2019s why when we work with customers, we don\u2019t just sell them a cable\u2014we ask about their environment, operating conditions, and expected life, so we can provide a cable that\u2019s built to last, which makes damage easier to spot before it becomes a problem.<\/p>\n

Let me leave you with a quick actionable checklist you can use on your next walkthrough:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Visually inspect every control and special cable in high-stress areas (near moving parts, heat sources, chemicals, or outdoor locations) for fraying, cracking, discoloration, bulges, or kinks.<\/li>\n
  2. Check all terminations for corrosion, loose wires, or damaged lugs.<\/li>\n
  3. Test cable continuity for every conductor, especially for multi-conductor cables.<\/li>\n
  4. Test insulation resistance annually for cables in harsh environments, every 2 to 3 years for normal environments.<\/li>\n
  5. When you get intermittent errors, test the cable under actual operating conditions (flexing, moving, or under load, as it would run in production).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Cable damage isn\u2019t something you have to wait for to cause an outage. Catching it early saves money, prevents safety risks, and keeps your operations running smoothly. If you\u2019re dealing with unplanned downtime related to control or special cables, or you want to set up a regular maintenance plan for your cables, we can help you assess your current setup, identify potential damage, and recommend the right cables to keep your system reliable. Get in touch to discuss your needs and find a solution that works for your facility.<\/p>\n

    Aluminum Alloy Cable<\/a> References
    \nInternational Electrotechnical Commission. (2018). IEC 60227: Polyvinyl chloride insulated cables of rated voltages up to and including 450\/750 V. IEC.
    \nNational Electrical Manufacturers Association. (2020). NEMA WC 5: Standard for industrial control and power cables. NEMA.
    \nUnderwriters Laboratories. (2021). UL 1581: Standard for reference wires and cables. UL.<\/p>\n

    \n

    Hebei Fengbo Electrical Equipment Co., Ltd.<\/a><\/p>\n

    Address: No.100 meters south, East Ring Road & Wei’er Road intersection, Huang’erying East Village, Jiajiakou Town, Ningjin County, Xingtai City, Hebei Province, China
    E-mail: fonbocable@gmail.com
    WebSite:     https:\/\/www.fonbocable.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    As a supplier of control and special cables, I talk to plant managers, maintenance techs, and … How can I tell if control and special cables are damaged?<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":300,"featured_media":3532,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3495],"class_list":["post-3532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry","tag-control-and-special-cables-4e0b-fdfba3"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cidadenoticia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cidadenoticia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cidadenoticia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cidadenoticia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/300"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cidadenoticia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.cidadenoticia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cidadenoticia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.cidadenoticia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cidadenoticia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.cidadenoticia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}