Safety is always a primary consideration when selecting the right wire for any industrial environment. That’s certainly the case for transformer riser wire. Used in electrical distribution applications, transformer riser wire is designed to handle extremely high voltages, up to 35kV. Care must be taken at every step — from engineering and design to certification, manufacturing, and installation —to ensure performance, reliability, and safety.

What Is Transformer Riser Wire?

Transformer riser wire is used in switching yards and sub-stations to connect line conductors to transformers. Although classified as uninsulated, transformer riser wire is manufactured with a single layer of insulation that acts as physical protection for the conductor against atmospheric conditions, wildlife, and crossed leads. This outer jacket also offers excellent mechanical, abrasion, moisture, chemical, and oil resistance.

Transformer riser wire consists of a single copper conductor (solid or stranded) and an outer jacket. The most common jacket material is polyethylene (PE); however, Kris-Tech also offers a cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) option that provides greater durability and higher heat resistance.

Kris-Tech manufactures transformer riser wire in six standard sizes, from 8 gauge (.37 inches in diameter) to 1/0 gauge (.62 inches in diameter). Custom lengths, colors, stranding, and packaging are also available by request.

Certifications for Safety and Performance

Customer safety is top of mind at Kris-Tech, and we invest heavily in third-party certifications to document and validate the performance of all of our wire products. Our transformer riser wire is certified by a range of American and international standards organizations, including:

  • American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
    • ASTM B-1, B-3, B-8, and D-1248
  • National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)
    • NEMA WC-5
  • Insulated Cable Engineers Association (ICEA)
    • ICEA S-61-402 and ICEA S-70-547
  • Canadian Standards Association
    • CSA C68.9
  • Underwriter Laboratories
    • UL 83, UL 1581 and UL 2256

Additionally, All Kris-Tech transformer riser wire is spark tested at 7500 VAC, unless otherwise specified.

Integrated Manufacturing: Peace of Mind for our Customers

Kris-Tech is proud to be a fully integrated wire manufacturer. That means we do everything right here in our facility in Rome, New York. All of our copolymer materials are kept onsite. We draw all of our copper wire in-house and do all of our jacketing in the same plant.

Being a fully integrated manufacturer makes a significant difference in our quality control. We’re able to track the manufacturing process of our transformer riser wire from start-up to shipping. We know which operator performed each step and the date and time it was completed. This allows us to continuously improve our manufacturing practices and quickly identify and address any issues.

This integration includes extensive in-house testing. Kris-Tech has made a significant investment to build and maintain an onsite UL test lab, and all in-house tests remain on file, as per UL specifications.

Other Transformer Riser Wire Considerations

Transformer riser wire is a highly specialized product, and specifying the right wire is critical for maintaining safety and performance in switching and sub-station environments. Kris-Tech’s technical team is always available to consult with design engineers and provide complete specifications for our products.

Also, installing transformer riser wire should only be undertaken by licensed, training contractors, according to UL guidelines and all local standards.

Kris-Tech Customer Services

If you have questions about our transformer riser wire or any other Kris-Tech products, we’ll quickly get you the answers. Our customer service team is committed to responding to your query in 30 minutes.

Kris-Tech also offers industry-best lead times, smaller minimum run sizes, and no cut or reel charges — just a few of the ways we are making a difference every day for our customers.

Learn more about our transformer riser wire.

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