When it comes to installing electrical systems, one of the easiest oversights imaginable is considering the materials that make up your electrical enclosures. You know you need the boxes, but it’s easy to spend little thought on their makeup.

The truth is that choosing the right material matters, especially when it comes to choosing between metallic and non-metallic enclosures. You might not know it, but there are very compelling reasons to stick with non-metallic options.

Corrosion

One of the leading reasons to choose non-metallic boxes is to avoid corrosion. Metallic boxes offer a lot of advantages in strength and durability, but in corrosive environments, they’re a major liability. Any area that works with corrosive chemicals (such as manufacturing facilities) or is near saltwater will benefit from the corrosion resistance provided by polycarbonate and vinyl electrical boxes.

You can install them in indoor and outdoor settings, ensuring that you have safe boxes that protect your electrical systems, especially in adverse conditions.

Grounding

Another important factor of non-metallic boxes is that they are non-conducting. For certain electrical designs, a metallic box offers a risk of unintended grounding that can damage the electrical system. In the worst cases, metallic boxes represent a significant element of danger.

Non-metallic boxes still provide the means to ground your system, but without the extra conductive materials, that grounding is more precise and better controlled.

Weight

Perhaps the most underrated aspect of non-metallic electrical enclosures is their weight. This advantage can benefit a project in two ways.

First, the lighter weight reduces shipping costs. This isn’t just a cost that hits you when you order large numbers of enclosures. You’re paying more to ship them from your own storage facility to project sites. Considering that non-metallic boxes can weigh less than half as much as their metal counterparts, it’s a cost that adds up over time.

The other place where weight matters is in major construction. Any time you might be installing thousands of electrical boxes, the weight adds up enough that it requires careful consideration. Non-metallic boxes are viable in large-scale projects where metal boxes just might add too much weight and prove a liability.

Cost

The final issue is, for many, the most compelling. On average, non-metallic boxes cost less than their metallic counterparts. This is partly because the raw materials for fiberglass and polycarbonate boxes cost less than metals. So, you get savings right off the bat.

There’s another aspect of savings. Fiberglass and polycarbonate are materials that are much easier to customize and manipulate than the metals used for electrical enclosures. That means that customizing non-metal boxes is easier and cheaper too. You can double your savings.

Let Allied Moulded Help

Clearly, there are great reasons to look into non-metallic electrical enclosures. If you need them in large quantities, or if you need customized specifications, then Allied Moulded is your best resource. We design, customize, and fabricate electrical enclosures. We will partner with you to ensure that you have sufficient access to the exact enclosures you need, and we offer bulk pricing.

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