maintenance guide

How to Dispose of Porcelain Insulators Removed From Service

Withdrawn porcelain can be reused as fill or ground for refractory and mortar filler once the metal hardware is separated.

Small brown porcelain strain insulator for guy wires

Reuse Routes for the Porcelain

Insulators removed from distribution or transmission lines can be used as landfill. They can also be ground or milled for use as filler in refractory material, in mortars, or as construction fill, which is possible because of the high stability characteristics of the porcelain.

Separating the Hardware

For insulators containing metal parts, the metal hardware must be separated first. The porcelain is then handled as above and the hardware can be used as scrap metal in iron-melting processes.

Planning It Into a Replacement Programme

Disposal is simplest to organise when the replacement programme is planned, because the volume and the split between porcelain and hardware are known in advance. Where a whole route is being re-insulated, the scrap value of the hardware is worth putting into the project budget.

Questions Buyers Ask