On becoming an electrician

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Kajiimagi

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Threaded rigid before for power , up to 6" (Harrier jump jet 480v 400hz primary power) just never gas, like I said before: I sub that shit out.
 

Hatorade

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This was fun, only had a pallet jack due to room size and location…
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Kajiimagi

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Not sure what OSHA thinks about it but I found duct jacks very helpful in tight spaces. More maneuverable that a pallet jack. We were using them to set 'add-a-phase' transformers in elevator closets.
 

Hatorade

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Not sure what OSHA thinks about it but I found duct jacks very helpful in tight spaces. More maneuverable that a pallet jack. We were using them to set 'add-a-phase' transformers in elevator closets.
No way we getting one of those…
Can already tell pulling 500 wire through this is gonna suck.
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Erronius

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WTF is up with those 90s and knockouts? It all looks wobberjawed to me.

Was one of the pre-bent 90s on the left cut short? It looks like this kicked someone's ass, LOL

What size conduit is that? Is each set going to be 4x500?
 

Hatorade

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WTF is up with those 90s and knockouts? It all looks wobberjawed to me.

Was one of the pre-bent 90s on the left cut short? It looks like this kicked someone's ass, LOL

What size conduit is that? Is each set going to be 4x500?
3 inch and yeah fuck that 90 it was more like a 92 so we cut about 4 inches off it, my guess is the boss will have us swap it. Lower angle doesn't help but everything is level. We started piping on the right side before switch was mounted based on both tops being level, then the switch position had to change.

Not sure if it will all be 500.

I didn't do the knockouts myself but I cut the pipe to fit, the journeyman I work with knows his shit but sadly he is usually hung over and I think he hates working Fridays.
 
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Kajiimagi

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Not my pics guys so I don't have insight but these are too cool not to share. My brother is working on an expansion in Charlotte NC to an existing hospital and they just started setting switchgear. This is one of them. I do know this takes medium voltage and steps it down to 480/277V but that's about it. I've never seen blower fans in a transformer.
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Kobayashi

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Not my pics guys so I don't have insight but these are too cool not to share. My brother is working on an expansion in Charlotte NC to an existing hospital and they just started setting switchgear. This is one of them. I do know this takes medium voltage and steps it down to 480/277V but that's about it. I've never seen blower fans in a transformer.View attachment 554944 View attachment 554945
Hard to tell from the photo, is that a cast coil transformer? Seems like it would be overkill since I wouldn't think a hospital would be a harsh environment. They do look nice though.
 

Kajiimagi

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Hard to tell from the photo, is that a cast coil transformer? Seems like it would be overkill since I wouldn't think a hospital would be a harsh environment. They do look nice though.
no idea bro, like I said not my pics. Would that info be on the nameplate? I didn't add that pic as it has my brothers company info on it and I don't need to get him in trouble (nor do I know if it matters).
 

Kobayashi

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no idea bro, like I said not my pics. Would that info be on the nameplate? I didn't add that pic as it has my brothers company info on it and I don't need to get him in trouble (nor do I know if it matters).
Wouldn't say on the nameplate but could in theory have an idea based on the manufacturer, there aren't a lot of companies doing cast coil. That enclosure looks like Square D, so, I'm guessing it is one.

Definitely don't share it, don't want anything out there that could fuck with your brother's business.

Dry type transformers aren't the easiest to forced air cool, so, it's not super common since you won't get that much more out of them and it's another maintenance item. If you ever think you might need it though, it's way better to have it in from the start.
 

Kajiimagi

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Wouldn't say on the nameplate but could in theory have an idea based on the manufacturer, there aren't a lot of companies doing cast coil. That enclosure looks like Square D, so, I'm guessing it is one.

Definitely don't share it, don't want anything out there that could fuck with your brother's business.

Dry type transformers aren't the easiest to forced air cool, so, it's not super common since you won't get that much more out of them and it's another maintenance item. If you ever think you might need it though, it's way better to have it in from the start.
It's 100% Sq-D says 'power cast II' and son of a bitch 'Cast Coil Dry Type Xfmr' 24940v HV side.

So teach this old dog a new trick. Medium - High voltage was also something I always subbed out (NC license said we could work on it but ------fucccckkkk thatt I like my voltage slow enough to shock me). Never even heard of a cast coil xfmr. Also Square D was always too damn expensive and everything we did we had to squeeze every dollar out.
 
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Kobayashi

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It's 100% Sq-D says 'power cast II' and son of a bitch 'Cast Coil Dry Type Xfmr' 24940v HV side.

So teach this old dog a new trick. Medium - High voltage was also something I always subbed out (NC license said we could work on it but ------fucccckkkk thatt I like my voltage slow enough to shock me). Never even heard of a cast coil xfmr. Also Square D was always too damn expensive and everything we did we had to squeeze every dollar out.
They're definitely something you don't see every day (or at least I didn't, I'm sure they're dime a dozen in some industries). I feel like most of the advantages they bring to the table can be solved in other ways, but they do look a lot cleaner than a standard vpi dry type transformer. If you want to check out really crazy transformers, check out water cooled dry types.

The one thing I liked about medium voltage is the noise would remind you it's dangerous. All the extra details that are important like stress cones are kind of interesting too. You can start to get kind of cavalier around 480 and below.
 
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Goatface

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wouldn't have posted that here, except for a comment posted this, which i didn't know existed
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comments says, dude should still be wearing a face shield and different footwear
 

Kajiimagi

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My brother just sent me that same post. I don't know, that looks like one of those jobs I always subbed out.
 

Kobayashi

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wouldn't have posted that here, except for a comment posted this, which i didn't know existed
View attachment 556380
comments says, dude should still be wearing a face shield and different footwear

Old guys called those chicken switches. I didn't give a shit what they were called, it's far superior to be a safe distance away than having my face in front of a literal bomb racking in a breaker.
 
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Kajiimagi

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Old guys called those chicken switches. I didn't give a shit what they were called, it's far superior to be a safe distance away than having my face in front of a literal bomb racking in a breaker.
And that's why I subbed that work out. Although looking at the rest of the video this looks like a sub station and my license didn't cover utility work. Best to leave that shit to people that know wtf they are doing.
 

BrutulTM

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That high voltage stuff is nasty. My brother has a story where he had just received training about how high voltage gear basically explodes like a bomb when it's shorted and he was working in a lift over a live buss with an older electrician and he dropped the combination wrench he was using into the buss. He told the older guy what happened and he kind of went pale. Apparently the wrench landed neatly between the conductors and nothing happened but according to him if it had landed across the conductors both of them probably would have been dead.
 
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Kobayashi

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That high voltage stuff is nasty. My brother has a story where he had just received training about how high voltage gear basically explodes like a bomb when it's shorted and he was working in a lift over a live buss with an older electrician and he dropped the combination wrench he was using into the buss. He told the older guy what happened and he kind of went pale. Apparently the wrench landed neatly between the conductors and nothing happened but according to him if it had landed across the conductors both of them probably would have been dead.
480V can be just as nasty, it's all about the energy behind it. The only good thing is it's not really going to come out and bite you. My old job we used to have to do arc flash training every year - it was basically a day of videos watching people die, then ok, back to work!
 

Kajiimagi

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While I was still in the field the absolute worst I ever got shocked was on 120V. Completely my fault. I 100% knew the circuit was hot and my dumb ass for some stupid fucking reason did the hot wire first not, last and then proceeded to get into it sitting on a metal duct. Damn good thing I didn't kill myself. Second worst was a 277V neutral, old magnetic fluorescent lighting ballasts , who knows how much harmonic voltage was on that thing. I took my line pliers and just started jabbing it into the hot wires until everything shorted out.