6 questions you need to consider when buying cable protectors!

Cable protectors are cord management equipment to protect cable wires, network cables, electrical cables and extension cords.

You can efficiently arrange different wires and cables in the reusable ramp sleeving, preventing trips or any hazards.

But, these cord covers come in a vast range and randomly selecting any protector cannot give you the required protection.

Therefore, you must use a good guide for buying cable protectors and know how to buy the best ones for general or heavy-duty purposes. Additionally, these 6 questions will make your buying easy and rewarding.

How many cables do I need to cover?

Deciding how many cables you want to hide or cover with cable protectors leads you towards an ideal purchase.

There are 1, 2, 3, and 5 channels cable protectors or floor cable covers so you can hide multiple wires using the same cable protector. Each slot is known as a channel, and organizing each cable or cord into different channels gives a mess-free area.

• If bundles of cables or wires are at your place, you must go for the high channel option. Using a multi-channelled cable ramp is far better than buying small cable protectors. This mostly happens if you manage events or work in an office with printers, TV screens, speakers, or many other devices. In such a case, you should choose maximum channel cable protectors.

• On the other hand, if you want to protect one, two, or three appliance cords in your home, you can select floor cable covers or cable ramps.

As a rule of thumb, you must know that the channel width will increase when the number of channels on the cable protector decreases. Some people mistakenly assume the contrary scenario and select a cable protector based on the absolutely incorrect size.

So, finalize the number of cables you need to protect first and then decide how many cable protectors you want, whether for your home, office, warehouse, raceway, or road.

What is the outside diameter of these cables?

Remember the diameter of each cable is different from the others, and if you want to hide multiple wires in a single cable protector, make sure their diameter must allow them to fit in the slots.

Usually, cable protectors perfectly fit cables of diameters as low as 20 mm and as high as 120 mm. If the diameter of your home appliance cables is less than that of standard cable protectors, you can use the least-diameter channels and accommodate wires so they look tidy.

Suppose you want to buy heavy-duty cable protectors for any construction area. In that case, you must consider the wire’s diameter because using small cable protectors for thick or heavy wires is useless. Similarly, hoses are thicker than typical wires and ideally fit into hose protector ramps.

On the other hand, using heavy-duty cable protectors at homes or events will give off a look for wires of small diameter. So, always check to see what is the diameter of your cables and wires and select what suits your needs. It will be safe and prevent hazards from wire heat shrinkage.

What kind of traffic will be crossing over these cables?

You must consider hiding cables in your house, outdoors, on roads or driveways, or at a construction site. Determining the targeted areas helps narrow down the selection per the traffic.

• If it is intended to protect home appliances, cleaners, TV screen cables, Ethernet cables, printers, or speakers’ cables, you need light-duty cable protectors to save wires from foot traffic. These cables do not have much power load, and using these light-duty protectors gives your property and equipment the required protection. Similarly, low-profile cables help to crossover wheelchairs or trollies without damaging cords.

• On the other hand, you can look for modular cable protectors for driveways or roads. These areas have high traffic, and constantly moving cars, motorists, and even pedestrians exert pressure. So, determine the load-bearing capacity per axle or tire and critically choose cable ramps for the best user experience.

• Next, consider heavy-duty cable protectors as the best wire protection option if you want to cover heavy-duty construction wires for any project or at any industrial spot. As the heavy-duty wires have maximum power and can quickly heat up, throwing them away can add danger.
  Secondly, massive foot and vehicular traffic can harm the wire, leading to hazards.
  Therefore, never compromise on safety and hide bundles of cables and cable with heavy-duty cable protectors to ensure everyone is secure on the working site.

Do you need to consider the connector style for compatibility reasons?

All cable protectors protect wires, cables, and cords to prevent damage, but they do not have the exact design specifications. One of the design features of the cable protectors that distinguishes one from the other is the kind of connector used to link individual cable protectors.

These connectors allow users to interlock multiple cable protectors and extend cable protection to any length. You must consider the connector style for compatibility reasons, as they can separate due to foot traffic, and it will be a constant headache to reattach them.

You can find different connector styles such as below:

T-shaped connectors

Ideal connectors for heavy-duty to lightweight or general use purposes. These connectors are difficult to pull apart, and if you use these connectors, you would not need to worry about cable protectors coming apart due to the weight of heavy vehicles or tremendous loads.

Dog-bone connectors

These connectors can also bear the heavy load, and you can uplift these connectors and slide them to different angles. As dog-bone connectors give the dual advantage of convenience and toughness, extending cable protectors greatly helps.

L-shaped connectors

These connectors are highly suitable for light-duty cable protectors in light traffic areas. A considerable advantage of L-shaped connectors is their ease of use and quick deployment.

What material should be the best for cable protectors?

It is one of the most important questions to ask about the best cable protector materials. As low-quality material neither saves wires nor the owners.

Primarily, you can find rubber or polyurethane cable protectors. Rubber withstands pedestrian traffic and light vehicle traffic and is best used in homes, offices, or events.

In contrast, polyurethane can bear light to extreme loads and be used for general to heavy-duty purposes.

This material also withstands harsh weather conditions and is equally suitable for entertainment, construction, material handling, or even homes or streets.

Will cable protectors be visible enough?

Cable protectors’ visibility is a primary concern, especially for high-traffic areas, as the ramps give a slight bump in the road.

Therefore, the colour of cable ramps must be highly visible so that pedestrians or traffic can guess their presence.

Yellow cable protector covers are mostly considered visible for the bright and easy-to-recognize colour.

On the other hand, orange, black, and blue colours are also used to make cable protectors’ covers visible in low or high-traffic areas. So, ensure your protection system must be safe for all.

Conclusion

Cable ramps or cable protectors can help their efficiency in minimizing trip hazards. They conceal industrial cables, Ethernet cables, and cords of electrical boxes and give cord management solutions.

Their expandable plus locking power to hide wires makes these cable protectors extraordinary and makes a cluttered site a pleasant working space. So, if you want to take the protection system to the next level, buy a cable protector, considering these essential factors.

You will see these non-conductive cord covers make you stress-free, and you can work in a productive environment.