The problem this solves
Motor control centers, switchgear, panel interiors, and motor windings accumulate dust, oil mist, carbon, and conductive grime. Left in place, that buildup raises operating temperatures, drives nuisance trips, and contributes to insulation breakdown.
The cleaning options have historically been bad: a planned outage for solvent and rag work (expensive), a contact-cleaner spray-down (limited reach and leaves residue), or wait-until-it-fails reactive work (worst-case).
Why dry ice blasting fits
Dry ice is non-conductive and leaves no residue. De-energization and lockout/tagout per your site's procedures is required before work begins. Some sites run an energized-work program that permits blasting on live equipment under a qualified-persons determination and the site's own arc-flash analysis — whether that applies is your electrical safety program's call, not ours.
The pellets penetrate around bus bars, between phases, and into motor windings where rags and brushes can't reach. The contaminant is removed dry; the cabinet is ready to close as soon as the blast is complete.
Surfaces and equipment we clean
- MCC interiors, bus bars, and phase separators
- Motor windings (open frame and TEFC)
- Panel interiors, terminal blocks, and DIN rails
- Switchgear and breaker interiors
- VFD enclosures and drive cabinets
- PLC cabinets and instrumentation panels
Where this isn't the right method
- Cabinets with active arc-flash incident history — schedule the work behind your arc-flash analysis and PPE category. Energized work only proceeds under your site's written energized-work permit.
- Equipment with manufacturer-specified solvent-only cleaning protocols.
How the engagement runs
- 01Pre-job walk + LOTO coordination
We walk the cabinets with your electrician and confirm scope, PPE, and de-energization (or live-work) plan.
- 02Containment
Vacuum-assisted capture keeps loose contaminant out of adjacent panels and the surrounding air.
- 03Blast pass
Methodical zone work — bus bars, phases, control wiring, terminals. Photo documentation per cabinet.
- 04Close-out
Walk-through with the electrician, IR scan if requested, return to service.
What drives the quote
- Number of cabinets / size of MCC lineup
- De-energized vs. live work (live work carries different PPE + procedure burden)
- Containment requirements
- Outage window vs. PM-window scheduling
What we bring, what we coordinate
- LOTO coordination is mandatory for any de-energized scope.
- Arc-flash PPE per the site's analysis for live-side work.
- CO₂ monitoring inside enclosed electrical rooms.
- We coordinate with the plant's safety lead on every job — no shortcut procedures.
Electrical Cabinet & Motor Cleaning — questions buyers ask us
Only if your site's energized-work permit process and arc-flash analysis allow it, and only with your qualified electrical staff signing off. Absent that, the cabinet is de-energized and locked out per your site's LOTO procedure before we start. Many customers schedule the work around an existing PM or outage window instead.
Yes. That's one of the most common applications. Buildup that's caused phase-to-phase warmth on IR scans typically clears in a single pass.
We don't — but we coordinate with the customer's IR contractor and time the work around the before/after scan.