Bus Plugs: We’ve got what you need. MIDWEST sells reconditioned, used and new Bus Plugs. All manufacturer’s available – Square D, ITE, General Electric, Westinghouse, Cutler Hammer, Bull Dog, Continental, Federal Pacific, Gould, Siemens, etc. Call today 800.803.9256! http://www.swgr.com/store/Bus-Plug-Home.aspx
Here’s another odd but very dangerous circumstance that MIDWEST ran into during the field data collection for an Arc Flash Hazard analysis. The customer had an old Square D bus duct run in the oldest part of their plant. It was actually a complex made up of several buildings, the oldest being a wood structure going back seventy years. They had mostly Square D and General Electric bus duct and bus plugs, and a small run of ITE. The old part of the plant was used for storage. All the manufacturing equipment had long ago been removed. There were very few Square D bus plugs still being used in the bus duct in this area. There were maybe a dozen bus plugs that were still installed but no longer in use. In most cases, the pipe and wire feeder had been removed. But we found one 100 amp bus plug, no longer used, had a conduit going into a small room full of junk. We had been told the bus plug was off and the fuses probably removed. They didn’t know where the conduit went. When we checked, and we always check, we found the bus plug closed and hot, the feeder energized. The electrician was pretty surprised. We traced the conduit to a back small storage area, dark, no lighting, where it terminated in a 6 by 6 junction box on the wall right next to the door. This circuit was “deadly hot” because the cover was missing and the conductors were sticking out of the box, wrapped with the frayed remains of old cloth type tape. This was a deadly accident just waiting to happen. When MIDWEST recommended turning off the old bus plug; removing the fuses; and removing the conductors and conduit from the bus plug, they balked. Thought just turning it off was okay. But, since this was an abandoned circuit, not to be used again, we always recommend removing it. We consider this a safe work practice that eliminates the possibility of something “deadly hot” injuring or killing someone in the future.
Square D Bus Plugs Cat. No. PQ4620
We ran across blogging information about safe clearances for bus plugs. There was interest in the correct code requirements for various size bus plugs, 2000 amp bus plugs to 400 amp bus plugs to 60 amp bus plugs. Sometimes code requirements are the only hammer the electrician may have to force others to be safe. We’ve dealt with used, obsolete, and new bus plugs for decades and we have one big rule for experienced electrical personal who work around this stuff for a living. “If it seems unsafe, it is unsafe.” As far as inexperienced or non electrical folks, stay away from electrical power bus plugs. They are not your friend.
Would it make sense to tell an experienced electrician, who feels that a 200 amp Square D bus plug is unsafe to fool with, that he actually would be safe just because it meets code. Nonsense. We would trust the extra caution of experience, over code, any day, especially when the code is defined as a minimum safety standard. Having said this, we would also caution against listening to the type of experience that says something is safe, even though it does not meet code, just because the experienced person has done it many time before and nothing ever happed. Experience or not, just don’t work on or around anybody’s bus plugs hot. Whether Square D, Cutler Hammer, GE General Electric, or Siemens bus plugs, do not work on bus plugs energized.
Sometimes the criticism of the location of electrical bus duct and bus plugs is heaped on the electrical contractor that installed it. Having worked in electrical contracting in a past life and worked in manufacturing plants for decades, we often find the electrical bus duct and bus plugs are ignored when other equipment is installed near them. Space is a premium, so newly installed pipe or duct or hangers can go only a foot or two from the bus duct or plug. And after 20 years, there isn’t enough room left for an electrician to safely work around bus duct or plugs, regardless of code or experience. So don’t!
MIDWEST was asked by a manufacturing plant that used Siemens bus plugs in their facility, why they had not only Siemens bus plugs, but also used ITE Siemens, Square D and Cutler Hammer bus plugs. And most of his main switchgear and circuit breakers were GE General Electric. His purchasing department wanted maintenance to pick one electrical equipment manufacturer and stick with them. Purchasing figured they could get better prices that way.
ITE Bus Plugs Cat. No. RV424
First we explained that each type of electrical equipment they had, probably represented a time period or an expansion project. For example, that 100,000 square foot addition in 1968 may have been all Square D. The electrical contractor may have got his best pricing from Square D and therefore bought Square D bus plugs and bus duct. The contractor on a later project may have used Cutler Hammer. Later yet, Siemens. This was not unusual. Or this may have happened because of different delivery dates. Or a particular manufacturer of bus plugs may have fallen out of favor with contractors because of quality problems or high prices.
All this could be avoided by specifying a specific manufacturer. But single sourcing one manufacturer of electrical switchgear may result in higher prices. The manufacturer would have a lock on the sales. The manufacturer’s sales rep would usually figure this out pretty quick. If you put an alternate in your specification, you basically have the same environment as open source bidding. Sometimes a particular electrical bus duct and bus plug manufacturer has a lock on a customer’s business because of the purchasing department or maintenance department at that time. The head of maintenance for ten years just may be more familiar with or favor GE General Electric bus plugs. Or purchasing may be hooked on Eaton Cutler Hammer bus plugs. So it goes sometimes. But it can be very difficult to continually single source the electrical equipment you purchase for many years and decades. There are just too many variables and they change over time. There is not a problem having equipment from different electrical equipment manufacturers, as long as replacement bus plugs or other equipment and parts are readily available. Delivery is sometimes a problem in today’s ‘just in time’ world. MIDWEST’s reconditioned electrical switchgear, including bus plugs, is one solution to the availability problem.
There are situations where using only one manufacturer of electrical switchgear may be important and required. For example, Mission Critical facilities, remote access facilities that require many spare components, continuous process facilities, and, of course, facilities that are actually subsidiaries or are owned by a specific electrical equipment manufacturer.