Test, Treat, or Replace Your Underground Cable

UtilX offers a unique, turnkey program to our electric utility or distribution system owner customers called "Test, Treat, or Replace." This program allows you to maximize your distribution reliability budget by treating all cables that can be treated, then replacing only those that cannot be effectively treated with the CableCURE process.

While a majority of underground cable can be cost-effectively treated with the CableCURE process, cables that have too many blocked splices or too many severe neutral corrosion sites in them may not be cost-effective for silicone rejuvenation. These cables will need to be replaced.

Prior to injection, the UtilX crew will do some initial testing that will help your team to make the right decision, CableCURE treatment or replacement. If the crew determines that they cannot effectively inject a particular cable, they document this fact and move on. Until the work actually begins on the system, it is often difficult to predict with certainty exactly what percentage of the cables scheduled for treatment can be injected successfully, although we experience success rates of 80-90% at many customers.

Many customers have opted to have UtilX replace these cables that cannot be injected using a directional drilling or treating service. In many cases, directional drilling has proved to be the most cost-effective and least disruptive method of replacing underground power cables. UtilX and its drilling/treating subcontractors has vast experience in cable replacement all over North America.

By the end of the Test, Treat, or Replace process, your distribution system is completely upgraded with either treated cable or new cable. This approach insures the most cost-effective use of your budget dollars while also providing for an approach that assures that your entire system has been addressed. So you maximize your reliability while minimizing your costs!

Is Your Cable a Candidate for CableCURE Enhancement Service?

When deciding whether to enhance or replace an existing cable, a good place to start is to answer these questions:

• Are we experiencing reliability problems due to failures in stranded, solid dielectric cables?
  
• Would the disruption to landscaping and pavement caused by replacement be expensive or create public relations or customer satisfaction problems?
  
• Do we have more problem areas than we have budget to address?
  
• Would we like to save money with a much more cost-effective approach than replacement?
  

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, CableCURE treatment is an alternative you should consider.