Are Insulator Flashovers Avoidable?

In the high-voltage world, you don't always need a monitoring screen to tell you there’s a problem. Usually, you can hear it. That specific, aggressive hiss or rhythmic crackle near an insulator is the sound of air struggling to stay non-conductive. We often talk about flashovers as if they are sudden, unpredictable disasters, but in reality, they are the final step in a long process of neglect. Whether it's salt spray from the coast or layers of industrial dust, that buildup is essentially a countdown to a service interruption.

The Problem with Traditional Maintenance of Insulators

For decades, the standard response has been a "wash and repeat" cycle. You send a crew out with bucket trucks, they spray down the porcelain, and everything looks fine for a few months. But that’s a massive drain on OpEx and, honestly, it’s just a temporary fix. This is where the actual science of Midsun HVIC (High Voltage Insulator Coating) changes the game.

Instead of fighting the contamination, you’re changing how the surface reacts to it. The silicone in Midsun's coating is naturally hydrophobic. This means water won't form a continuous, conductive film. Instead, it beads up and rolls off, taking most of the dust and salt with it. It’s a self-cleaning mechanism that keeps leakage currents so low that the risk of a flashover virtually disappears. Once you see a station go ten years without a single wash or trip, you realize how much time was being wasted on the old methods.

Why HVIC Changes the Equation on Flashovers

Here’s the thing. Midsun HVIC isn’t about fighting contamination. It’s about changing how the insulator surface reacts to it.

The silicone-based formulation creates a hydrophobic surface. Moisture doesn’t spread. It beads. It breaks apart. Without a continuous water film, you don’t get conductive paths forming along the surface. That alone keeps leakage currents under control.

Over time, HVIC also reduces surface degradation. Less wetting means fewer dry-band arcs. Fewer arcs mean less tracking. And without tracking, the conditions that lead to flashover simply don’t develop. This isn’t theory. You see it in stations that stay stable year after year without repeated wash cycles or unexpected trips.

Cleaning, Once. Not Forever.

Flashovers usually don’t start with voltage. They start with contamination that was never fully addressed.

Proper cleaning before applying HVIC matters. Bonded pollution needs to be removed so the coating can adhere correctly and perform as intended. Once applied, maintenance shifts. Inspections replace emergency cleanups. Simple rinses replace aggressive washing. Crews spend less time exposed. Equipment stays in service longer.

And the station tells you when it’s working. It goes quiet.

Flashovers aren’t random. They follow a pattern. Control surface conductivity, and you break that pattern.

Always take the time to remove bonded contamination before applying HVIC. A clean, dry surface is what allows the coating to perform as designed. Skip proper preparation and even the best material will underdeliver. In the field, this step is usually the difference between a coating that lasts a few seasons and one that keeps insulators stable for years.

If you’re ready to move away from constant cleaning cycles and preventable outages, the engineering team at Midsun IKM can help, contact us. We specialize in identifying site-specific risks and providing long-term mitigation that actually lasts.