Went out on a service call today.
Job description was to install an auto-restart on a center pivot irrigation well. It was a brand new pivot plumbed into a old 40HP electric well.
What I found was that the pivot panel had not been wired to the incoming three phase power. The pivot power is typically tapped off the well panel.
There was no real well panel, the well was being operated with a nema 1 starter that was powered by a nema 1 disconnect. There were open conductors (no raceways) between the disco and the starter and going to the nema 1 start/stop. Not only were there no raceways, but the wires were run out of the enclosure KO's with no bushing or fittings. This is all 480v/3 phase power. A good recipe to get someone killed.
I called my boss and told him about the situation and that we would have to install a proper well panel to make it safe. He called the customer and could not sell him on the well panel......You know the story, "It's been working fine like this for 20 years, there's nothing wrong with it".
Bottom line, the boss came back and told me that we will power it up "as is". I suggested that he tell the customer to find another contractor but that didn't go very far.
If your boss ordered you to connect an installation like this...would you do it??
