Bus Plugs Blog – Expert Safety and Usage Information

We asked MIDWEST’s Switchgear Shop for an example of a replacement bus plug problem or defect that would not be picked up by standardized reconditioning and testing procedures.  Procedures that might be found in published data. We were looking for something that went directly to the value of experience. The value of quality workmanship.  Here’s a quick example from one of MIDWEST’s switchgear Engineering Technicians.

He spoke of a Federal Pacific bus plug, catalog number LSP 1436SN, 600 volt, 400 amp, just as an example. He said it could just as well be a Cutler Hammer Bus Plug catalog number HD 1364N, or a replacement Square D bus plug or Westinghouse bus plug. It didn’t make a difference.  A service company could simply test, or repair or completely recondition a bus plug. Then perform the tests that look for current or voltage related problems. Do the quality control physical and mechanical inspection. The reconditioned Square D bus plug could look and perform so well that you might think it was brand new. But as part of the quality control, veteran Engineering Technicians

Cutler Hammer HD1364N Bus Plug For Sale by MIDWEST

 know to double check the nameplate of the reconditioned bus plug with what they actually have. They said this could very easily be missed, because the nameplate is always correct, almost. The last error he found was a bus plug that had a neutral indicated in the catalog number on the nameplate, like the two just mentioned, but actually did not have the neutral bus. It had been removed. It came into the Switchgear Shop that way, as was determined by inspecting other bus plugs in the same lot. Just a detail, a really big detail. So standardized tests can not replace experience and quality workmanship.      

Cutler Hammer CP2HD366 Bus Plugs For Sale by MIDWEST

Much of the demand for reconditioned and new surplus bus plugs is because the user has to replace bus plugs that are defective.  One of the worst things that happen is the bus plug operating mechanism breaks when you try to open or close it. It is very dangerous if the bus plug is half open or one pole opened and the other two are half closed yet. This type of failure is due to the lack of maintenance, specifically the lack of exercising the bus plug operating mechanism periodically. The other enemies are dirt, moisture, heat, and, as we have said many times, fork lifts.  Sometimes folks are very surprised that so many reconditioned bus plugs are used to replace damaged or defective bus plugs rather than just for additional load or expansion.

Federal Pacific LSP1432 Bus Plugs For Sale by MIDWEST

For every Cutler Hammer CP2HD366 bus plug purchased for an expansion project, we might also replace a Federal Pacific LSP1432SN bus plug because the customer’s existing bus plug failed to operate properly. When it comes to bus plugs, run to failure is the standard operating mode. The perception is they don’t need maintenance because the never do anything. They just sit on the bus duct. And that is true, but it is also the reason they eventually may fail to operate properly when needed.

The only real pattern may be the use of newer style replacement bus plugs for expansion projects than for replacement of defective equipment

Bus Plug Square D PKA36200

If you read the recent information on Facebook beating Myspace by managing in “white space,” rather than in a formal business management environment, you have a good idea how MIDWEST makes many decisions to improve its web site for our customers. We make so called guesses based on conversations and suggestions from our customers.  They tell us what they like. And in doing so, they are the white space between all the seasoned directives we get from the marketing professionals. The ‘world wide web’ is still exciting uncharted territory.  There are not many years of prior art.

In response to customer white space chatter, MIDWEST set up a web site specifically directed at those looking for buyers of bus plugs. Hence, the domain name www.busplugsbuyer.com. You see here the results of white space management. This specific target site makes it easier for those that have bus plugs to sell to find us in general. Of course, they could find MIDWEST specifically if they already knew we existed. But, for those that don’t know who MIDWEST is, they might make a general search for buyers of bus plugs. Then go from the general to the more specific. Specifically, whether a GE General Electric bus plugs, Square D bus plugs, Cutler Hammer bus plugs, ITE Bus Plugs, or Federal Pacific bus plugs, it doesn’t make a difference.  According to our customers, they would first search for a bus plug buyer and then go from there. This is all very simple from the seller’s point of view.

Square D PQ3206 Bus Plug

It is not unusual for MIDWEST to get a call because a company is having numerous problems with their old bus plugs. Things go along okay for years and then one year they have one failure after another. It seems to make no difference who the manufacturer is. They could be old Square D bus plugs, GE General Electric bus plugs, Westinghouse bus plugs, Cutler Hammer bus plugs or ITE bus plugs. The problem seems not to care who the manufacturer is.  When this pattern appears, it is usually because a chronic mechanical or environmental problem has been present for many years and has been getting progressively worse. Soon or later the mechanical problem or contaminate reaches a critical stage and the bus plugs collectively start to fail. Usually the failure seems to be caused by overheating, or by mechanical failure between the bus duct and bus plugs, or by moisture.  The problem isn’t just moisture or dirt. It’s the accumulation of dirt over many years or the presence of moisture over many years. This means there is a chronic condition causing you to replace bus plugs. One typically doesn’t have to suddenly replace Square D bus plugs or replace Cutler Hammer bus plugs because of normal operating conditions. And replacing Westinghouse bus plugs one after the other without addressing the root cause, will not make the problem go away.  So if you find yourself having to repair or replace numerous bus plugs, look for a chronic cause. If you just don’t find something, then look for a recent acute change that would affect all the bus plugs.

MIDWEST’s Switchgear Shop received an unusual request for blue Square D bus plugs and black General Electric bus plugs. Plus, we were asked if we could paint ITE and Cutler Hammer bus plugs other colors and if we could put a unique label on each bus plug. Of course the answer was yes, but this was different. We have reconditioned Westinghouse bus plugs and Cutler Hammer Bus Plugs that were already painted black and we had to repaint them gray.  We had some Square D bus plugs and General Electric Bus Plugs that were a 1950’s kitchen cream color and looked like they had been repainted every ten years. But this was the first time that a customer requested a specific color, other than the manufacturer’s original color, which is usually gray.

They had a lot of 30 amp and 60 amp bus plugs. Quite a few 100 amp bus plugs and a couple 200 amp bus plugs and one large 400 amp bus plug. But what was really unusual was their reason for the color coding and labeling. It appears that, in some states, bus duct and bus plugs that are used only on a specific manufacturing machine or production process, are exempt from state tax. If they buy replacement bus plugs or have service on the existing bus plugs, the replacements and service is non taxable.  If the bus plugs or bus duct are used on something other than a specific manufacturing machine or process, service and equipment is taxable. They wanted the bus plugs for a specific process to be all the same color. They also wanted the bus plugs to be painted the same color as the bus duct and to be labeled for the specific manufacturing machine or process.  We are not state tax experts, but, as they explained it, it seemed to make sense.