Bus Plug Hit By Fork Truck
We received a question from Fred…Hi from Texas. I have a problem and I’m looking for a blogger to help me, if possible. We hit a 200 amp bus plug with a pallet being lifted by our fork truck. Nothing happened, but it is crooked and I’m worried, because my experience is this stuff will go bad on Memorial Day, the 4th of July. Just the way things seem to work out. To check the damage to the bus plug we have to turn a line off and that can only be done on a weekend and that costs overtime, which is invisible these days. Anybody out there with real experience that can tell me whether or not I should check this out. I don’t know how bus plugs are made or how they attach the main line. If I do shut the line down, what should I look for? What would typically go wrong if you hit one of these things and it moves about 2 inches? The pipe coming out the top looks okay, but I’m really concerned by how this thing connects to the hanging metal enclosure that runs the length of the room. Anybody been through this? Any ammo to take to my supervisor to justify the work? And what should I look for. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Fred Jenson
Answer: Fred, here are the easy answers. First, you need to check this out soon. The main bus duct that this bus plug connects to, could fail with a catastrophic fault that could destroy the main bus duct and the bus plug and possibly get someone hurt. Recommend to check it out at your first opportunity. Do you have a spare? Many electrical problems are actually just mechanical. So shut her down, Lock it out, Tag it out, Check voltage and then have your best electrician and mechanic investigate the damage. Take a good look at the connections between the old bus plug and the bus duct. Be safe Walt