Replacing a Pad Mounted Residential Transformer
After several futile phone calls to the Clallam County Public Utility Department (PUD) expressing my concerns about the aging, unsightly metal transformer box located next our driveway, I decided to go to their Main office in Sequim, Washington in person so I could speak directly to a Customer Service representative. Upon my arrival at PUD, no one else waiting in the lobby, a woman behind the counter beckoned me over. I gently explained my concerns about the ugly, faded-green metal transformer box located at the corner of our property, then showed her some photos I took with my iPhone. I asked her if could paint it myself, or if PUD could dress it up with some new paint and signage. I further supported my argument informing her that several new transformer boxes had been installed throughout our 40+ year-old community, and that we were making expensive improvements to our home and that the old transformer box was an eyesore. The woman politely said that she would relay my concerns to the service manager and recommended that I follow up by sending him an email with photos. She handed me a PUD business card with his name and contact information. As soon as I returned home, I sent an email. A few days later, three PUD vehicles and a crew of five appeared in front of our house, and in just two hours’ time, the team removed the old transformer and replaced it with a brand new one! In addition to enhancing the curb appeal of our home and that of our neighbors, we have additional confidence that our electrical service will continue to be stable for a long time to come. Many thanks to the Clallam County PUD for their quick response and for an excellent job done!
That's the pole people are referring to, when you say "I wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole"
Fat cheeks and electrics have a lot in common lol.
it has nothing to do with those poles at all, unless your saying they were installing transformers into gardens in 1843? i think the ten foot pole refers more to barge and pushing poles.
Hahaha dude it's a joke, It didn't need fact checking. But thanks for unsure answer of where this saying might have started.
@@obviouslytwo4u Fat cheeks?
@@alexoike5381 Arc Flash is more likely with large contact surfaces!
Just as a followup, the customer contacted the PUD about the condition of the transformer on his property. Crews were concerned that due to the age that it might be had a good potential for leaking. Upon inspection it was determined it was in rough shape with quite a bit of corrosion (the unit dates back to the 1970s) and warranted replacement to avoid a potential leak. A win-win for both the customers and the PUD, as a changeout would not have occurred for simple aesthetics. The old unit was standard painted steel and the new unit is painted stainless steel, which will be much more resistant to the elements. Great video!
25 as in 25 KVA= 100 AMPS ?
Guys must be non union rats 🐀
As stated in the video, that transformer was providing service for 3 homes, so up to 600 amps of secondary protection on that. The poco assumes the services are rarely going to be at full capacity, and wet transformers can take a beating.
Transformer must be dead, parking the other ends killing the primary side. Still lot of safety issues to be addressed.
If this exact same job was done in 1319 territory for UGI or PPL every person on site would be terminated immediately. So many bad practices and safety violations it is insane. Not a great video but a disgrace to the electrical industry and lineman everywhere. I cant believe PUD would even acknowledge this videos existence let alone comment on it
My Dad was a lineman for 35 years. I watched this with him. He agreed that the crew did a great job. Especially with the camera around.
My Dad was a lineman for 35 years ukhdskujdokdp shut up dude
Would have loved to ask your dad a few questions about the inner-workings! Great Upload R. W.!
@@tonytran4857 U okay?
@@tonytran4857 😅
@@slump6982 No i'm not OK dude kkkkkkkk
I have the utmost respect for those that work with high voltage systems like our power grid. You can see they are well trained and are well disciplined. After all, there lives are at stake. Now if only our elected officials could function with that same respect and understanding.
I often think about this too... What I think is happening is the type of mental focus it takes to design and implement these things it's very different than the environment of policy making and human behavior focused endeavors. I really like maths, I suck at it but I really enjoy the intense discipline and focus and creative thinking you need to discover unique and interesting patterns and relations. I also like system building. But what I often don't like is people hahahaha.... I think that speaks perhaps a little to how we get such a reliable powergrid and such a shit show of everything else! But that's just my two cents! Take care!
They are not quite that disciplined. Numerous safety violations were taking place here. The biggest one was not using adequate PPE.
It's even worse when you get up high! I work around 480v on power bars 50 ft in the air on a cherry picker. You have to be aware of where you are at all times, one wrong move and you'll get nailed.
@@johnarmenta2199 What do you think the primary voltage is? I'm sure much more than 600 VAC. I thought cotton clothing, like blue jeans, would be verboten.
@@toma5153 - it's 15kV class equipment. My guess is the operational voltage is either 12.47 or 13.2kV. Cotton should be fine provided they have the breaker set on a hot line hold or arc flash mode. But they are not wearing Lineman gloves - the high voltage rated gloves. That's not necessary if the system is de-energized and grounded. I don't see any grounds though - maybe its grounded elsewhere. The big deal is no consistent use of glasses and hard hats. Just my observations.
oh so thats a transformer i use to sit on those when I was younger lol
Older whinos like to use it for braking when they run off the road.
Had one behind my basketball pole growing up. It was the rest spot.
Used to love the humming they put off
Those don’t jump sign, made me wanna jump! Pretty stupid but never got hurt 😆
My brother and I used to dare each other to pee on them when we were little. And we did it, never got shocked luckily lol.
And for today on our regularly scheduled episode of FULLY RANDOM, the KZhead algorithm has a wonderful selection of Linemen changing a transformer for you. Thank us later!
InstaBlaster.
And for today's unoriginal lame comment....
The fact that "it is an eyesore" has got to be one of the silliest reasons I have heard to replace a transformer. Better call the phone and cable company next, their boxes don't match the transformer now. :P
I wouldn't have put that in the description! My old switchboard is from the 1930's. I like it.
Yeah, they should’ve just went with the paint job. There’s an expected useful lifespan of all thing, but some things can last 100 years. I’m curious as to what these transformers expect to run. I know the one by my house has been there since the buildings near it were constructed.
He did not ask for it to be replaced..."I asked her if could paint it myself, or if PUD could dress it up with some new paint and signage."
@@EqualsThreeable lifespan is up to 50 years, dependent upon the quality of paint used for the exterior.
@@EqualsThreeable AC transformers are incredibly simple devices. They're literally just hunks of metal with wires wrapped around them. Most are oil cooled, and as long as the oil doesn't leak out, they can easily last 50+ years.
A big thank you to all the linemen and linewomen who do this dangerous work in precarious conditions... THANK YOU!
linewomen....ha ha. At least I've never seen one.
It's their job
Retired lineman 40 years at UI in ct. Great job. 70 years old diyer automotive
I bet those guys loved having you hover around them with a camera
I am hoping he threw a sixer each in the back of the truck for thanks.
I doubt he gave them a sixer - sort of guy that complains about an "eyesore" transformer box is probably "careful" how he spends other people's / his money....
I mean it makes sure they do that job by the book. I’m more interested in what the back half of that transformer looks like.
No they don’t
A good crew always works like their work will later be seen by others. Should not bother them. You should assume these days someone may be recording you either like this or on a home surveillance system. He was probably just curious.
Now I know how to replace mine when it goes bad. I bet I can get one on eBay from China.
Lol
Yes but you will have to DC the primary at it's source fuse or closer or you will have live 7200 volts which is not ideal to have to deal with in close quarters. The unit in the video has a dead (DC'ed) primary and is shunted to the ground through that block they installed just in case someone closes the circuit up stream while they are working.
@@Elfnetdesigns My friend repaired a toaster once, I'm sure we can figure it out.
Here central California the city I live the irrigation district is responsible to replace those! And also, I would have thought those things are that heavy!!!
@@Elfnetdesigns Omg elf!? What are you doing here? Small world man, small world.
We call the one in our backyard the "monster box." Because there is a warning label with a monster made of electricity on it and as little kidss we thought thats what it had inside.
What do you mean thought? That's exactly what's in there!
That guy actually has a name. He’s called “Mr. Ouch”
@@trainman5371 lol wayyyy more than just an ouch 😂
God is in that box. Because if you go messing around in there without knowing exactly what you are doing; you'll meet him as will anyone else that tries to help you .
@@SirHeadly84 is god Col. Sanders?
I worked for Con Edison, Westchester Division 36 years. OMG, if I got caught near a Pad Mounted transformer without rubber gloves on like that, SUSPENSION! ONLY time without would be ALL power off. Very simple job, except when the 7.2KV bushings are alive. Be Safe Everyone
I was thinking the same thing. So much so that at the beginning I thought the power was off because of the lack of insulated gloves & face shield
and they knew they were being recorded
3:32 goodbye wrench
now that's some sharp eyes right there!
Not wrench, ratchet.
Wow...speechless.
I was browsing to see that comment ))
hahaha
You guys are extremely courageous people doing what you do.. so thank you for you're hard work....stay safe!!!
I’m a engineer on IEC MV-systems in Europe and it is always both interesting and inspiring what grid solutions are used around the world. Thank you for this detailed and in-depth video! 🤘 Stay safe ⚡️👷♂️
Do you not use pad mount transformers?
@@TheArtificiallyIntelligent No. Never something this small. We use more kiosk style transformers for 100 houses. But we also run a 22kV distribution grid, and 400V 3-phase to the houses, so there are less voltage drop and losses involved.
Good job guys. Thanks. Our concrete pad mounted transformer was slowly slipping off the pad, over the years, as the soil underneath it slowly settled on the side of a ravine. I was afraid the cables inside of it would snap.
I used to build those boxes back in the 80's,first time I've seen one actually installed.
Ahhh, so you know your way around boxes huh.... wanna meet up for coffee.
@@Fanta.... sure
cool story
@@Fanta.... lol
When our transformer was being changed, we had about 20 of us out there watching. Nothing else to do but watch since all the power was out. To a whole 20 minutes or so. The lot up thg block with milwaukee tower lights, used milwaukee battery tools and even borrowed my m12 tower light... pretty freaking cool to watch
You just know the guy that puts the stickers on the box is making the most money.
And they're not even straight
My stickers were always straight.......
You can tell he's in charge -- he's not wearing a hard hat.
Why is that?
@@derickgutierrez211 Because he doesn't have to follow the safety rules.
You can tell these guys work together a lot. They all know what each other's next move is going to be.
Its lineman in general
Good to see a swap out/swap in go well, I’m sure everyone has had the experience where you think “I’ll just swap this out for a new one” and designs or dimensions have changed and nothing fits quite like it was supposed to. I suspect they don’t schedule this type of work in the dark or during storms, but you still have to appreciate the work that linemen do to keep us powered.
They do it for a paycheck, not helping you lol
We caught some homeless guys scraping one of these, luckily they didn't get fried! But, the electric company was sure mad!
I do not believe they “schedule” these change outs during storms… @mk420 😂😂 no sh$t Sherlock. He means when a storm damages or floods a transformer and they must change out to restore power ASAP. I believe you know what he means, your comment just came off looking like you are telling him they don’t schedule during rain or storms. Neither of those ⚡️ ⛈️ are scheduled as well. Cheers carry on mates. Oh and a big thank you to the linesmen and women. Electricity ⚡️ ⚡️ ⚡️ is a fascinating energy state that must be fully respected in order to stay safe. Always work with ⚡️ like the safety man in right behind you. Yes use those earplugs and PPE!!
Depends if there are natural disasters they might have to work in a storm or bad weather
We loved watching our wire getting pulled as well as our transformer being set, and we got a great video out of it. Thanks for sharing!
lmao you love watching those boys pull your wire?
;) @@nukeman360
These guys have a fascinating job. I'm glad they're brave enough to do it because I'm not.
you´d be startled with what people do for a living. I work in holes in the ground that are deeper than my height, and sometimes they cave in. I earn a decent living, but not as good as a guy behind a screen. my job is hazardous as hell, and he gets bad eye sight and an early retirement.
@@Sarocco1 That's because the guy behind the screen has more responsibility. I'm an engineer and not the actual electrician down in the mud and rain doing the work, but if I fuck something up the electricians die. That's why I get paid more than they do even tho I'm sitting in front a screen and not out doing the dirty work.
Great video, thanks for showing this. I really enjoyed watching these guys work.
They just did this in my front yard but they also ran new underground wires. It was a cool process to witness. Good job guys
What in the world were all those wires?
Yeah, we ripped one out for scrap, it was cool, nobody got fried! But, the electric company, was furious!
@@luckyhiker3434 all underground power lines. We don’t have overhead power lines in our neighborhood. All are run underground.
Unless they destroy your yard in the peocess
@@luckyhiker3434 The transformer converts 7800 volts to 240 volts. The thicker wires they were using the sticks when handling are the 7800 volt feed. The other wires are three sets of 240/120V to the three homes. Each home gets three wires, two 120 volts "hots" and a neutral which is grounded. Connecting to both hots give you 240 volts for bigger loads. There were nine lower voltage wires because of the three homes served.
I love watching efficient teamwork ! Trust in one's crewmembers is a good feeling . I've been lucky enough to train and work with pros !
Efficiently they would have put the old unit down near the new one and moved the new one to it's spot. The installer could have gone to work immediately instead of waiting for the lift guy to set the old one down.
I do telecom line work and have experience in electrical and mostly low volt electrical and found this whole video very fascinating! This whole crew is very professional and has definitely done this before.
Seriously how would have thought it was that kind of a process. Great video
Look at the tremendous respect these guys have for that not-very-big-looking transformer! Observe the very careful procedures they go through to work on this stuff safely. It's no joke. The amount of power available in this little point of presence from the grid is difficult for most folks to fathom. It's so great that it's hard for ME to wrap my head around it, and I have worked with both industrial high voltage equipment and laboratory HV stuff. Look, _forget_about_ electrocution! At high power levels, the phenomenon of Arc Flash comes into play, and it's nasty. Limbs can be burned off - leaving a charred stump - by an electrical arc in seconds. Permanent blindness, or horrible disfigurement can happen, and that's if you live. The warning stickers should read: "Danger: You Will Suffer The Whole Time You Are Dying". Keep this particular genie bottle closed.
Please lecture whenever you can that _electrocution_ means *death.* This fact seems lost on most people today who hear or assume incorrect usage and adopt it themselves.
Nice job, awesome video, always wanted to see inside the green box.
OMG. Sequim, WA and the lavender fields. That's my favorite little town. People are friendly and the land is GREEN!! I can't wait to leave San Diego and move back up there! Law school on the horizon.
Congratulations on your future of attending law school. I wish you all the success in your studies.
Neat, we used these as our hangout points in the townhouse complex I grew up in, in the 80s! Also as a home base for game of "Kick the Can" on a summer night
Great Post , I always wondered how those ground transformer boxes worked! Hello from across the Strait from you in Victoria, BC!! :)
I was always wondering what was in those boxes when I was a kid. I finally get to see it on video here. Thank you :)
Not all of them are Power, some are Telecommunications.
Inside these boxes are death for kids. You're lucky you didn't open it. 10kV and above.
@@Len_M. Telcom peds look completely different.
Always wanted to see this done...now I have. Thank you very much 🙂
Years ago I was a switchgear tech with GE. One day our engineer took a call from a substation east Tennessee. Our boss asked the sight engineer what was the problem with the transformer, and he replied " it ain't there anymore "
As an active utility locator, this is satisfying to watch
A buddy and I lived in an apartment in Houston around 2003 that had a bigger version of that go out during a storm over a weekend. At first we were told it wouldn't be repaired until Monday but someone in management approved the extra fees to get it done the next morning. That one was about 3x as big but it powered 2 buildings with 18 or 21 units (3 floors) each. Before the old unit crapped out the lights flickered a lot, especially when A/C units turned on or off. After the new transformer was installed there was barely any flickering.
Wow! I’m surprised that they didn’t ignore you and forget all about it well done. 😊
Bless linemen for the extremely dangerous and often tiring and difficult job they do! These guys are unsung heroes when a storm hits and you’re living without power!
It's not dangerous when you're trained and follow the rules.
You guys are awesome. Maybe you could show LAPD how to safely dispose of some fireworks. 👌
Lots of laughs there. These blokes replaced the transformer without a fireworks show.
@@CoosaRising I agree with you 99%. And America isn't just a country it's a business. 🇺🇸🗽
They didn't sweep off all that junk from the concrete pad. My OCD is through the roof.
Ditto
Yep same
Hi everyone! I need some pictures transformers underground in this case. plz help me
That's because everyone was thinking "that ain't my job".
Me too.
I will gladly pay higher energy bills just to have these trained men working on the system. Keep up the good work.
Maybe tip them when you see then on the side of the road, that way they actually get the money... or go get them a pizza.
That ERMCO transformer is manufactured in Dyersburg,TN. I have delivered a bunch of them over the last 20 years.
My first rule of safety for electricians, if you do not have to work on it hot, DON'T, this is not a feed thru TX so it should have some gates at a pole you can disconnect, or it is getting its power from a feed thru TX somewhere down the line that can be disconnected, or even from a 12470 volt terminal box that is near by. If I had designed this I would have use one of the three way I described, to wire this neighborhood. Think safety first not cost.
We have one on our heavily wooded 10+acres. Cool feature. We don't have to worry about trees falling or heavy ice storms on the electrical lines. We also save from having fried squirrels.
Squirrels and other animals can still get in there (did you see the cable entrance area is all open?) especially if they can borrow through soil. Underground service may be safe from trees that don't land squarely on the transformer, but that doesn't mean your electricity is uninterruptible. Underground service can be flooded. Animals can damage the cables. Humans can damage the cables. Tree roots can damage the cables. Moving ground (frost, earthquakes, etc) can damage he cables. The cables may just wear out. Diagnosing problems with the cables is much more difficult since they can't be readily seen.
Man you guys work well together everyone is doing their part it’s very impressive to watch very Smooth good job guys big love from New Zealand 💯🖤🇳🇿🤙
I got to watch this in my backyard one night at 2 a.m. - they had a small skid-tracked lift - it was quite the site to watch these experts work. also it was 100 degrees. they should be included in front line workers :)
I have terminated thousands and thousands of aluminum conductors in a mechanical lug and I have NEVER used an impact to tighten my lugs. Always tighten enough to hold cable in lug firmly, and then torque to lug specifications. I’ve had many times where I’ve gone into a switchgear and unlugged a conductor just to have the strands break off. They did a great job just crazy to see that be taught and accepted among so many guys that were there…
I was a little surprised that they weren't torqueing the bus connections. I've never terminated aluminum, but I've landed plenty of copper in switch gear and all was torqued to spec regardless of using an impact or ratchet for the initial tightening. No new grease either. Hmmm.
Look at 3:30 and see where he leaves the ratchet on the bus of the old transformer. I figured that might have something to do with them using the impact to re-install. LOL
I knew if I scrolled long enough I'd find that one dipshit whing that they were doing it wrong. Gotta love youtube engineers.
It was weird to not see them clamp the cables directly in the center of the bare wire. Instead, they just clamped where ever, just as fast as possible.
Is any kind of anti-oxidant goop ever used on aluminum conductors of this size?
*3-inch Wolf Spiders:* _"The day stands out like 9/11 and Pearl Harbor. Everything we worked for was gone in an instant."_ 😭😭😭
I always wondered what was inside those ground level transformers. Thanks for the video.
We need more camera guys to follow our utilities crews around. We won’t have to worry about 10 men watching and one man working anymore
That happens in Georgia all the time with road construction. Put up cones, lower speed limit by 20 mph, do nothing for 2 years. Slow work for 6 years, bunch of guys standing around 1 guy working, then speeds up at the end.
@@Daschickenify Union trade agreements. Trades have to wait for their time to shine and are not allowed to do any work of another trade.
I like how the guy was wrapping tape barehanded and the buddy brings out the shotgun stick to park the phases 😂
One or two soundings of a train whistle behind them would energize them for more protection. It seems like they have lost all fear.
Gary Deen I would like to see the guys with his head inside the working and his beeper would be on silent mode. That buzzing would throw him 20 in the air.
Neat, I never knew how the connections were terminated in these until now. Thanks for sharing.
Those booted connectors carry 10kV or more. That's enough to fry you bad enough they'd have to use dental records to identify the corpse.
for being in the elements for 50 years, those bus bars looked fantastic! I have seen newer busbars on smaller systems corrode so much that the entire bar turned into dust. 70's shit is built different.
Tx from the 50s we’re even better. Copper windings and no leaks 70!yrs on. !!
I`m an electrician and I love this vid. Good work! Greetings from Ukraine!
Hope your safe man
@@bnbcraft6666 you're
I'm surprised only one person was wearing safety glasses. Where I used to work, if an employee was caught not wearing the proper PPE, the punishment ranged anywhere from suspension to termination if they had a prior violation.
I'd like to see a full mat under the lineman.
If the grid was live I'd say that safety here is quite poor. @@ItsMe-vg4vj
Ahh yes 3 trucks a bunch of guys standing around watching 1 guy do all the work. Gotta love unions
Love the vid, My electric company just replaced ours a few months ago. It was just 2 guys that did it and took them about 3 hours to do and we were without power for about 2 hours.
Did not know these were transformers. As kids we always called them "Green boxes" whenever we would play games. "Green box is safe" Good ol times
The memories 😭😭
It's not in any way safe to be around these boxes, even when they're closed up.
@@fitybux4664 There's nothing wrong being around them. Don't beat on them, don't try and open them, and don't fence them in.
Not all "green boxes" are transformers. Some contain only switching equipment.
It would be interesting to know how long that transformer was in service, when it was installed and the manufacturer. I worked for a major transformer manufacturer in the 70's. While in their employment, a utility retired one of the first pole type transformers the company manufactured. It was badly rusted and corroded after thirty years of service. The newer models wouldn't rust or show that much deterioration as the early transformer, just a little faded due to better paint and manufacturing methods.
was put in in 1973
I am glad we could see the connections on the transformer. I didnt realize they used those boots for the highside. Sweet video
Boots?
Real polite of you to record them the whole time they're working. Cmon now
As a professional photographer and videographer, I always ask the subjects, in this case the PUD Foreman their permission to record video for posting on my KZhead channel. Not once in more than 10 years doing this have I been denied. Most people are flattered. You just have to be careful not to get in their way.
@@randallwingett Oh I see. Well I apologize if I came off as rude
No problem. You gave me an opportunity to explain how to do this properly. Thank you for your comment and response!
Being in this profession for 22 years, I think those guys have done neat job.
What would you say about the use of their PPE?
As someone who does that for a living they violated safety rules when getting in there without gloves on. Both of those primaries have 7200 volts each that's called instant death
They been doing it for so long they're getting comfortable
@@brotharobmusic I went to school with a guy who got comfortable with electricity, you know what happened to him?? HE DIED!
That was very helpful. Thank you for sharing!
Bravo! Very professional work and presentation!
I knew a guy whose father was killed by putting his hand into the transformer box without gloves. conductive dust had coated the connections. Stuck his hands in, then as he drew them out, pulled out an arc. First guy working without gloves was not following proper work practice even if the power was switched of on the high side. Always assume the system is hot even after switching off power. Assuming that it still may be hot has saved my life several times. (Backfed inverter without anti islanding, one phase of a three phase circuit landed on another breaker, and No Blow Zinsco main breaker still passing current after shut off. I learned this lesson on my first job as an apprentice when the boss said the power was off on a circuit. Lost a good pair of klien's for that. Please work safe, you and your family deserve to have you come home whole and healthy every day.
Holy crap I've always wanted to see what's inside these
All that's visible are the connectors in front. The actual guts of the transformer, the windings, are sealed in the back half of the unit.
Good video. Always wanted to see the inside of one of those units.
I sat up a chair and watched them replace one of these - essentially in my front yard. They redid the pad and everything. It was great. Nothing to do inside anyway without power.
In my neighborhood all the drug dealers would use them as their office desk.
What a lovely neighborhood
I’m no lineman but some of the practices here are very concerning realizing energy has no conscience discrimination mercy or remorse.
As Mike Rowe would say safety is third
like what?
The power was put on dummy terminals so there were no hot wires being handled directly.
He's worried about backfeed.
Jason Jordan he’s worried about a generator or something backfeeding from the load side.
This is in my state.. I love these types of videos.. great job!
Thanks for the tutorial. Now I feel confident on working on my own outside.
Lol!
Not exactly something you should do, even if you were cooperating with the power company in order to turn off the circuit first. It would be tragic if the circuit was live and you got caught up in an arc. 😬
Just some observations for those concerned about gloves and other PPE. De-energizing the mains is not necessary. Vault is safer than pole mounts as it uses a stab connection. The person operating the stab pole was using proper HV rated gloves. While connecting the customer drops the transformer is not energized so no need for HV gloves. I would agree safety glasses should still be used. Note they tested the transformer for proper voltage then disconnected from the distribution before connecting the customers. Too many failed to see that.
If this was my company, we'd be having a stand down. There are several safety issues here, mostly with the guy in green who works in the cabinet with no eye pro, no gloves and who stands by a swinging clevis several times with no hard hat. I'm sort of surprised that the linemen in the blue FR shirts don't have to have arc flash face protection or safety glasses, but otherwise, they seem good to go.
@@kcgunesq Agree, the person in the beginning w/ the high vis vest is not being safe. He appears to be the supervisor looking at his interactions w/ the crew.
And if one of those customers had a genny backfeeding the line?
@@stargazer7644 Jail and toss the key.
Killing the primary is necessary seeing as how it’s policy for every utility across the country. This is not a “vault”. It’s not a stab pole. And another policy besides not using a feed through as a potential for anything but testing is it’s also policy to use hot gloves whenever in an energized area. This whole video is trash. It has so many views cause companies everywhere are using it to laugh at in safety meetings. Trust me.
I have one of those and I often wondered what was inside it. Thanks.
Mineral oil, copper winding and iron core.. Basically an old school wall wart on steroids.
@@Elfnetdesigns Sometimes vegetable oil with newer environmentally friendly ones. (Not sure how they prevent it from going rancid. Some magical chemical mixture I'm sure.)
Awesome video I always wondered how they change them out.
Fascinating to see that you dont have to turn off the whole street to replace transformer for a few households. Great tech I think
Didn't even sweep the pad off before placing the new one
Maybe it wasn't on the work order.
He left his wrench in the old transformer 🤦♂️
No, the bottom was open
@@Ano_ny It was left in the set screw on the right side. But theres a jump cut of it being lifted to the truck open and it being set on the truck closed, so chances are they pulled it out when they shut the lid on the old one.
That looks exactly like the DIY-project I would do on a saturday afternoon 😊
Cool! I look forward to watching your video!
I've seem one explode, I also love the humming sound they make when the network is overloaded.
They hum without any load as well.
Another thing I would never want to do. Thank you to the people who are taken for granted, when you turn on your lights.
Power company did something like this in the street where my in-laws live. Somebody goofed, and when it went live it sent 27,000V into all the homes along the street. That got expensive for the power company!
How many fires were started?
by the looks of it that is impossible in this box. the hig voltage side uses these weird rubber plugs , cant be connected to the bare wires on the right that carry to the homes. maybe the unit was faulty ?
@@joppepeelen They didn't bother to properly install caps on the weird rubber plugs. One of the bare 120VAC connector wires could touch the weird rubber plug 10kV wire and send 10kV to a house.
Id love to learn more! How does it tap into the main primary lines? How would you run a new service? How many services can one box support? How would you upgrade to a 400 amp line as a customer?
Aging and unsightly. Oh my we can't possibly have that eyesore in this prestigious neighborhood. Good heavens whatever will the Clairmonts think of us.
So funny! The best comment so far! Thanks for watching!
-Holy cow - they replaced it because you thought it was an eyesore? And people wonder why things constantly get more expensive?!?- Saw the utility post down below that the transformer had other issues that warranted replacement - good to know it wasn't just a cosmetic thing. There's enough waste in the world as it is. Also freaking aluminum wire - glad it's them screwing with it and not me. Hate that stuff but understand why they use it for service cable.
Okay but have y’all ever scratched one of those when it’s weathered and chalky? 😖😖😖
Good job, and great to see safety is a priority
That chit sends chills down the back of my neck... AIN'T no way I would even get close........
WOW !!!!! I'm just gonna do what I know how to do best and keep my mouth shut and my opinions to myself.
Update video let’s see if this crew is still alive
Foreman is definitely fired lol
Thanks guys. See you in 25 years.
We have a pad mounted fuse box two houses down the street. It's where they connected a portable generator when they had to dig up an underground power cable to make a splice. Underground cable had just a pinhole and power for the 22 homes on the street was out for about 24 hours. Those guys earn their pay.
No doubt about it, Electrical workers have a tough job. Much appreciated, and super interesting to watch! I've been getting in to watching bobsdecline lately and this came up on my youtube playlist.
1. Transformer ~ $4,000 2. Labor ~ $1,200 (12 man-hours)x($100/hour) 3. Property value increase = $0.00
"Transformer ~ $4,000 2. Labor ~ $1,200 (12 man-hours)x($100/hour)" Unnecessary cost to the utility that gets passed along to everyone else!
Lol the bigger ones at industrial buildings are only $50000 or more.
And it's only single phase. what a gyp.
And to simply put back something wholly inadequate to power three houses. (25KVA would be 34A per house. I hope they don't all turn on their drier at the same time, or ever buy an EV)
What's the property value WITHOUT functional electricity service?
This is a great example of what not to do.
Elaborate? Edit, I finished watching the video. I get it now.
Why?
@@boele0707 Not enough PPE. Poor practice for example, they left the same conductor on the wire. New connection = strip back fresh wire.
Safety Safety Safety. No proper ppe, testing, phasing, lifting procedures, shape job on cables was horrendous. Tho.. they did change it with primary hot 🔥
Man plz. They must not need ppe or cover up. I would be fired if i did that
work for LADWP so I know these guys deserve every penny they make, they earned it !! electricity is a killer if not careful
Watching that video, reminds me of the last time I did some electrical work for a friend. His house burned down.........