Hospital wards are busy places and bed spaces are at a premium. Any planned work or maintenance must be carried out quickly and efficiently to minimise downtime. That’s one reason why Bedford-based electrical contractors, Edmondsdale Electrical Ltd first looked at Debox, a new concept in electrical junction boxes from Hylec-APL, which promises to save installation time, improve quality and reduce costs

Edmondsdale specialises in electrical installations for healthcare facilities. Hospitals in Milton Keynes and Bedford, explains the company’s project manager, Ray Robinson, may have 500 light fittings on each corridor and ward. Therefore, installation, maintenance and repair must be simple, effective and fast.

A couple of years ago, Hylec-APL, the specialist supplier of electrical components, enclosures and rack systems, decided to look at the humble in-line junction box with the aim of improving its usability. The result, launched in January 2015, is Debox, a completely re-imagined product that not only reduces time on-site thereby reducing the overall cost of installation, it also improves the quality of the installation and offers great flexibility.

Debox features a registered design that maximises efficiency at every stage of installation. Unlike competing products, each junction box is supplied as standard with a four-pole terminal block which is secured on a push-fit mounting pole. This means that the installer always has everything he needs immediately to hand, and there is no chance of items being dropped or mislaid.

Continuing the easy-to-use theme, a ratchet arm is used to secure the cable within the junction box, which allows it to accommodate both flat and round cable whilst still producing secure cable retention. A fixing pin is used in place of a screw, clipping the lid in place quickly and efficiently. Finally, two mounting ears are included which allow the Debox to be securely fastened in place, relieving tension from the cables.

Deboxes are constructed from flame-retardant polypropylene and are sealed to IP20. Installation requires only a screwdriver to tighten down the terminal screws – IDT termination can be used to completely eliminate the need for tools. Ray Robinson picks up the story: ‘The benefits start even before you get to the site’, he explains. ‘With other in-line junction boxes, we have to create kits, sets of boxes, screws, and terminal blocks for our installers to take with them. Otherwise they are bound to end up short of something.

‘Then, of course, when our installers are on-site there are considerable time savings’, he continues. ‘An ordinary junction box can take up to 25 minutes to install. Debox can take as little as 45 seconds to install, but typically two to three minutes, which, when you have a large project to complete, is a very significant saving.’

Robinson sees other advantages too: ‘Similar products that we have used can be bulky: even if they are the same size, they will require more space to install simply because you have to get your hand into awkward spaces to manoeuvre components into position and complete the extra tool tasks required. With Debox all you need is a simple, small 2in (50.8mm) diameter hole. We also find that Debox connects well to leading-industry secure lighting and control connection systems such as Klik from Hager which we regularly use.’

Edmondsdale has built its reputation by providing a high quality service for the rightly demanding medical sector. Therefore it only employs highly-trained electricians who always work to industry standards and according to guidelines set down in best-practice manuals. However, Debox also encourages best practice because it includes secure fixtures and lid closures as standard, not allowing poorly-trained operators to cut corners.

Professional Electrician & Installer - December 2016