You can tell where this engineer has been, because everything he "works" on has similarities.








It might be catching up with him, though











He needs to be stopped. His stupidity is unforgiveable. This whole mess was connected to a 100A 208V 3Ø Pin and Sleeve receptacle.
He wanted to know why "our" C/B didn't trip.

Fire Inspectors showed up the next day, and the Building Dept. is notified whenever FD responds to a fire.
...S




[This message has been edited by electure (edited 03-11-2004).]

Scott, can you gives us more details?

Scott... Can you elaborate on the equiptment? The jist of what I've gotten is some ratty cords running what looks like some computers & other misc stuff on a 100A circuit???
-Randy

Sure.
The larger piece of equipment is a chiller.
The smaller piece was test equipment that was made "in house". The test equipment was connected directly to the 100A cord, and caught fire in the night.
The company makes pneumatic accessories.
This engineer has a habit of taking all the covers off of a piece of equipment, panel, etc and haywiring up some cord, without regard to overcurrent or the open wiring shock hazards. The facilities manager has shut his department down in the past, until he removed some of his "wiring".
(See an earlier topic- "More Bad Things" in this pictures forum)
We got a call Wed. morn that the company had a small fire, and all the power (3000A 480/277V) to the building was off. When I got there, about 60,000 sq. ft. of the building was flooded (only 2 fire sprinklers had gone off, but had run all night due to a faulty valve).
Another guy (Roger) and I restored some lighting, connected some GFI protected temp power for the cleanup, and powered up the unflooded office and IT areas.
Here, they've got some of it mopped up.

They also had to move the entire contents of their warehouse outdoors.





[This message has been edited by electure (edited 03-12-2004).]

Scott, this wouldn't be the same pneumatics factory that's kinda right off the 5 fwy would it... I think I know who you're talking about!!! Did they can him finally???

-Randy

Randy, let's go e-mail please
Randy and I know a lot of the same people,(hence [Roger]) and have worked in lots of the same places.
As this is a worldwide forum, I don't want it to get too "local".
THX.
And BTW, The Cord Guy, as of now, hasn't been fired...only time will tell.
This place has been written up for cord violations before.
As soon as they're cleaned up and approved, the Rats go back to work.

Scott....
If you're actually going to attempt to bring that place to code... Let me know, I'm going to invest my life savings in the KO seal & 4/5S blank markets

-Randy

I'm just amazed that a supposed "engineer" doesn't even know how to wire a simple plug properly!!!

Seriously....how hard can it be to do so?

Just out of curiosity...what are the configurations of the plugs and were these all extension cords? I notice some of them were connected directly to machinery?

[This message has been edited by SvenNYC (edited 03-13-2004).]

I'm an engineer (but not the one who built this) and I've seen lots of prototype and R&D setups. Usually not too well wired. He probably didn't think much about it when he connected the low amperage loads directly to the 100A source. May have thought that he was avoiding extra extension cords running to outlets elsewhere in the room. I probably would have used one of those outlet strips that come with its own mini-circuit breaker (15A) and cut the plug off and connect it to the 100A source (but keep the 14 gauge wire short so it can take out the 100A breaker if it shorts). This would likely still not be satisfactory, but would have avoided this fire. Do they make circuit breaker panels suitable for portable use? Something you can feed with a heavy 100A portable cord with the proper connector/clamp on the panel? Then you could have your own protected branch circuits.

wa2ise

Yes, portable panels do exist. A big pin and sleeve connector goes in and smaller pin and sleeve connectors and ordinary outlets come out. It also contains a few breakers and often a GFCI. I don't know if these are sold in the US, but they are common in some countries on construction sites and in other places were you need something temporary that is bigger and better than ordinary 'household' extension cords. Like this small one here

I'm confident that some people can make a disaster out of them too

Something like: http://www.laner.com/cgi-bin/wwiz.asp?wwizmstr=MVES.SEE&pid=WEB-SPECS*PB101&u=wwizmstr=MVES.SEARCH|pcat=TOOL5&pcat=TOOL5&x2=3&sku=175977

-Jon

So that is what the NEMA version looks like. I did wonder what was used on your side of the Atlantic. Looks very robust. Question is how you get the handyman engineer to use it

You force them to use it.
Those are only for 1Ø 120/208 0r 240 temp services, but a great idea.

Sorry about getting so crazy about this, but I've been fighting (as quietly as I can, which is not very quietly) this stuff for > 3 yrs)

I'm scared for the people that work there.

I've come into this place and found the panel covers off, all the screws lost, and a cord tied into a loosened up 225A Main lug panel's feed. Just to insert a #10, which the engineer will argue is good for 60A
The entire factory is a spider's web of homemade, non listed extension cords.


[This message has been edited by electure (edited 03-14-2004).]

is the guy a P.E. If so, can't he decide what he can do or not according to the NEC. I think in Maine a P.E. can overrule code if he says it will work, of course if it doesn't he hangs.

I guess it must be tough to follow those directions that come with those cord ends, eh?

He probably cannot overrule OSHA rules even if he can overrule NEC rules. Of course how do you arrange a visit from OSHA without the boss knowing?....

wa2ise,
You've hit exactly on my dilemna.
I've scolded and mouthed off (you think I came up with this "electure" stuff all by myself? It was a nickname given to me by co-workers when the word "electure" came up in the 2000 Presidential elections. My ravings about Code & safety caused it)
The fingers would all point to me.
I'm stuck, guys. All I can do is wait it out, and hope that nobody gets hurt in the interim.
There's been an inspector, recently retired, that's been through this place many times.
Although he was pretty good on collecting permit fees, it seems he was blind in one eye, and couldn't see out of the other.
Hopefully, things will change.
BTW, this lab has a myriad of different receptacles available, from 15A 120V through the 100A 208V. The guy always seems to pick the biggie, though. I'll try to get a pic of his "adapters"
...S
PS. He's an ME, Manufacturing Engineer, not a PE, he can't overrule anything.

[This message has been edited by electure (edited 03-15-2004).]

I'd hesitate to call him an engineer without a PE license. I'd say if he not a PE he's a dub and should be refered to
accordingly