Gathering info for single-line diagrams is not my favorite, but necessary for permits. This one was less fun than most, a large place, multiple buildings, and all to do a small "facelift" on one building front.

The entire place is heaped with junk.

A particularly miserable fellow stopped to tell me that I really shouldn't be there, since another contractor (Mr. X) has taken care of all their needs for >20 yrs.

I need to get to that transformer









Aah, there it is.


As luck would have it, Mr X was working on the parking lot lighting (replacing capacitors barehanded on energized 1000w MH fixtures) the second day of my ordeal.

BTW, he also does control work


I asked Mr X about a couple of final panels I couldn't find, and he led me to an employee break room, opened a closet, brooms, mops, and all, and revealed a 277/480 and a 225A 120/208 panel....with no covers or dead fronts. (no pic, as Mr X was standing right there.) I thanked him and left the giant junk heap as fast as possible.





[This message has been edited by electure (edited 07-21-2005).]

Single line diagram? place a plate of spaghetti on the counter at the building dept and tell them thats as accurate as it's gonna get Seriously... this looks faintly familiar of a stripmall I worked on back in the day trying to troubleshoot some facade lighting... I spent more time moving crap outta the way than I did anything else... and charged them accordingly... BTW, is that the xfmr falling off the wall???

Randy

The way that XFMR is mounted gives new meaning to the term "wedge anchor"

Send the pics to the local newspaper! Nothing like a bit of free and democratic publicity to get a boot planted right up the nincompoop Mr X's butt, along with the cretins who are supposed to be managing that crap-heap. Those morons are a menace to the employees.
Alan

The xfrmr is hidden away at the bottom of the pic. The "wedge anchored" (great term, Sandsnow) enclosure is an air compressor controller. It's not as heavy as the xfrmr, so it's supported by the crap on the rack in front of it. It's still got 50 or 60 Amps of 480 3Ø power. I opted to go around, rather than under it, for obvious reasons.
I'm not sure if all of this is X's doing, but if not he sure is able to turn a blind eye to his customer's hazards.
He and his customer should both be set adrift in the middle of the ocean in a boat with a hole in it.




[This message has been edited by electure (edited 07-21-2005).]

Customer; "Hey, Mr X, have you fixed that hole yet, it's getting kinda wet in here!"

Mr X; "Don't worry Boss! I just drilled another hole to let all the water out again!"

Alan

Are you sure Mr. X is a contractor, not an arsonist?

Electure,
What's the story in the 3rd picture?.
I see a lot of cables heading upwards(or downwards) over the edge of a (sharp?) metal edge?.
Is it common practice to have Data connection blocks out in the open like that?, it would be the first time I've seen them without some sort of a cover or enclosure over them.
I can't say I'm a fan of all of them joints and missing covers in the 4th pic either.

66 blocks of the type shown in the first photgraph rarely have covers. The ones that do have covers usually have T1 or other data lines on them, or are the demarc for the incoming telephone lines.

Is the #3 pic blury? Or is that a scoech march on the covered potion of that box cover? (To the lower right of the label)

The box to the left will obviously never get covered....

Maybe a laundry list of violations for the customer, or a red tag will get Mr. X out of your hair.

It's just a blur, Mark. Scorching will come later.
This facility will be having an inspector in pretty soon, although not in the same area as the pictures were taken. I wonder what he'll have to say about the place.

Electure, just remember to have the door to that area open, with some 1000w floods placed in the room. I'm sure you would hate for the Inspector to miss it. I try not to get into trouble by "stepping on toes', directly pointing or directing inspectors to absolute horrors like you have there. I just make sure they are well lit, and tend to linger around with the Inspector positioned to see it. That way I can say, "I didn't try to hide it, and I didn't point it out to him, he just noticed it." Most inspectors in the know, will know, exactly what I'm up to. Maybe it can be arranged for Mr. X to be working at the same time.