Have you heard of insulating electrical washers? When most people think of washers, they envision metal, ring-shaped discs with a hole in the center. You can place a bolt or similar threaded fastener through the center of a washer to evenly distribute the fastener’s load across a larger area. While insulating electrical washers use a similar ring-shaped design, they aren’t made of metal.
The Basics of Insulating Electrical Washers
Insulating electrical washers are characterized by a nonconductive construction. Unlike traditional washers, they aren’t made of an electrically conductive material. Rather, insulating electrical washers are made of a resistive, nonconductive material. This nonconductive construction makes them ideal for use in electrical devices and devices, which is why they are known as “insulating electrical washers.
What Are Insulating Electrical Washers Made Of?
While traditional washers are typically made of metal — aluminum, steel, brass, etc. — insulating electrical washers are made of a nonconductive material. Some of them are made of plastic. Plastic electrical washers are inexpensive and readily available. Other insulating electrical washers are made of ceramic. Ceramic electrical washers are known for their excellent heat-resistant properties.
Other common materials in which insulating electrical washers are made include nylon and rubber. Both nylon and rubber electrical washers are strong and semi-flexible. They can also withstand chemicals and moisture without degrading. Whether it’s plastic, ceramic, nylon or rubber, however, insulating electrical washers aren’t made of metal; they are made of a nonconductive and electrically resistive material.
How Insulating Electrical Washers Work
Insulating electrical washers work by disrupting the flow of electricity. Since they are made of softer materials than traditional metal washers, they typically aren’t used to distribute the load of fasteners. Instead, insulating electrical washers are used to insulate spaces between two or more conductive parts.
Electricity can flow through conductive parts, such as metal bolts. If a bolt is used to secure an electrical device or system, it may become charged. Electricity may flow from the device or system to the bolt. A solution, though is to use an insulating electrical washer. The nonconductive properties of the washer will disrupt the flow of electricity.
You can also use insulating electrical washers to seal spaces. Placing an insulating electrical washer around a bolt or rod will seal it. With that said, the primary purpose of insulating electrical washers is to disrupt the flow of electricity. When placed between two or more conductive parts, an insulating electoral washer will disrupt the flow of electricity between the parts.
