I finally took a camera with me out to work... Here's a bit of the fun I came across....

I was requested to replace the light fixture here... it keeps cycling off/on all night and they say it's cheaper to buy a new fixture than a ballast kit (I've already relamped it once a week ago)


After that I swung around to the front to see the light fixture and noticed there wasn't much keeping the 15KVA transformer in the air!



transformer name and data plate.... I've never heard of this brand before, but I like the spaceship



Just because, I decided to take a peek in the disconnect for the light... Ugh! fused neutral! among other things!




Well... Now I decide to take a peek in the disco for the control building, and lo and behold..... (The #12 double taps go to the previous disco)



Really good (errr, BAD!) place to keep a spare fuse!



more to come!

Randy

You think that the someone would be more serious with their electrical especially at a facility like that. Go figure.

In actuality, they are pretty serious about things out here... This (along with alot of other leases owned by the company we're working for) have been passed from owner to owner many times, starting life as Unocal Oil. As alot of the Midway Sunset leases were developed between the 40's - 70's, we come across all kinds of strange ideas. This facility is from the 60's, and has likely been operating like this since then. The current lease owner has had possession for about 3 years now and is steadily coming across these things and cleaning them up as they show.... After alerting them to the fused neutrals and the barely up there transformer, I'm told we'll be addressing them this coming week. (Oil is about $90/barrel... it's not like they're broke or something!)

Randy .,,

What the 15 KVA transformer feeding for?? for the parking lot luminares only ???

IMO only for parking lot luminaires you can get rid of those 15 KVA pots

Merci,Marc

Marc, the 15KVA is also feeding a control building for the water plant (you can see part of it in the 1st pic, the last disco with the 80A fuses is for the control building subpanel! PLC's and computers on a fused neutral

That spare fuse in the disconnect gives me the willies. I guess in phase to phase short, it would blow. Nice pictures.

The white tape on the neutral fuse doesn't make it code complaint?

It is to. The tape holds the fuse together so it will not blow. Duuuh!

I am very concerned that a 120 or 240 volt light is mounted above the HV conductors. My overhead standards book requires around 3 or more meters vertical separation. Anyone servicing that fixture has to break a lot of rules to work there. Close limits of approach, Hot stick work and line trucks to change light bulbs.
The main switch should be rated or equiped with a neutral block and should be marked for use as a service entry.

I initially thought the same thing, but looking at the first picture more closely it looks like those overheads are actually the 480 feeds to the transformer primary. I've never seen cutouts in low-voltage distribution but, then again, what I know about O/H I could write on a matchbook.

-John

I see the incomming voltage might not be HV afterall but that makes me really wonder what were they thinking when they built that mess?

Mikesh, the cut-outs are indeed 480V and are for the transformer... And as you do, I wonder who came up with this whole idea

Xfmr nameplate says 287 lbs.

Is someone going to re-inforce it before it goes? Or after?

"And that Johnson, is why we wear hardhats!!"

We've already lifted the transformer with a line truck and placed large square washers on the mounting bolts, along with retightening the crossarms back into place

that'll be exciting if that transformer pops loose of those bolts, i just hope nobody gets hurt if does pop loose.

Makes me think think of some of the stunts I've seen SEMI-TOOL pull in their old building near where I live.

Actually I think we have few Land-Air xfmrs here. I know I've seen em before, mostly in the Midwest though. Darn things are pretty tough, it should survive the fall. HATE fused neutrals, too.

Please tell me you also fixed the fused neutral, cause I such problems rather disturbing.

That last pic lookslike something from a movie of bombs, like die hard, when the liquid explosive was in a bomb