ECN Forum Forums Photo Discussion Forums Photos for General Discussion TEST: What's Wrong With This?

Awful shallow pan and I thought switches had to be "down-to-turn-off"

What's missing is the ACTUATOR ARM....the looped handle, designed to be snagged by a hook on the end of a pole. This is usually on the side of the box....what you see is simply a lever actuated indicator, so you can tell the position from a distance. (On some of these switches the actuator didn't move very far).

You all are very good, not much of a test for this crowd.

It is upside down.

This bus duct runs vertically 15 floors in an condo building. There is a switch like this every other floor.

What I really want to know is if the tags where moved by the EC because they installed the bus duct the wrong way up or if FPE supplied it this way.

Here is the first one I saw, it's hard to tell but the switch handle is about 4' off the floor



This is the top floor and is only a 200 amp fused switch.

Now here is one of the 400 amp fused switches opened up



It is supposed to have a plastic barrier to protect people from the line side busing but it is missing, there was a piece of Sheetrock in there leaning on the busses when I opened the door.

This building was built in 1963-64 and I am sure that the rules for "Up is On" where in place long before that.

Bob

Bob,
In the second to last pic, is that a piece of string or wire supporting that conduit?.
(Just next to the ladder)

I have a question about that 400a. disco. Shouldn't there be more than just the bus duct to support something that large (i.e., some kind of support from the back of the box directly to the wall)?

Mike (mamills)

The metal nameplate is definitely upside down, so it's quite clear that the boxes are. The inside door label in the 3rd photo confirms that. And there are the inverted mounting keyholes. Were it not for that string hanging there, I could invert the 3rd, and maybe 1st, photo and no one would be the wiser.

Gotta love the garbage heap in there.

smokumchevy

It is RMC.

adamb

LOL

sandsnow

The door catches are the items that really caught my eye when I was looking at the switch.




watthead



electure

I am starting to worry about you..

The original prints I saw have late 1964 as a date, not sure exactly when it was constructed.

Trumpy

No, that is 3/8" (12 mm ?) steel threaded rod. Very strong but not doing much as installed.


Bob

Mike (mamills)

Mike I have never seen one that required additional support or recommend it. This is actually shallow for a 400 amp fused bus duct disconnect. I would expect one today to be at least a 12" deep not 6"(?) like these ones.

The switch grabs the bus duct in 4 places, it is very rigid, the bus duct is bolted to each floor it passes though through a series of springs to compensate for expansion / contraction. Mounting the switch to the wall would defeat the reason for the springs.

We usually use flex for the connection to a bus duct switch.


Actually the metal name plate is right side up,



and that is impressive as is is on with rivets, not nuts and bolts like a I would expect in a 'field modification'.


Another 'impressive' job was the use of a wireway 'ell' in place of a conduit body or bend.





This was repeated 3 or 4 times, besides the fact the wireway should be supported and it is just plain ugly work I know I would not have enjoyed getting the four 500 or 600 Kcmil copper conductors into that fitting.

Bob

Bob,
I don't mean to be silly here, but shouldn't there be some sort of Fire-stopping around where the cable duct penetrates that ceiling?.
I realise you still have to have ventilation for the cables inside, but....