Dealing with a 600 volt nightmare

[peter d]

The same church from my baptismal pool thread also has a small 600 volt system to feed several air conditioning units from the early 1970's.

The service is 120/208 with 2 small transformers to obtain 600 volts. From a visual inspection, I can see many problems:

The units (ancient Carrier unitary water cooled types) are in horrible shape with covers missing, live parts exposed, no ground wires run, etc.

The conduit feeding the units has separated in several places, and of course the conduit has no ground wire.

One transformer has no GEC.

The other transformer is hard piped, they used EMT for the ground wire, and the pipe enters the transformer through reducing bushings.

I told the pastor that the entire system needs to be ripped out and thrown away, but they still use the AC units and they are badly needed in the summer. It will be a while before they get enough money to replace them, so they will have to stay for now.

Any suggestions on how to make this safe? Money is tight of course, and fortunately the units don't get used much.

[ September 26, 2005, 04:15 PM: Message edited by: peter d ]

 

[charlie b]

Re: Dealing with a 600 volt nightmare

Make a list, and put it in order of priority in terms of safety, then in terms of simplicity to correct. The very first thing I would suggest doing is roping off the affected area, and place some type of signs to discourage people from getting close to this mess.

The absence of ground wires seems to me to be the condition that most impacts safety, so I would deal with that next. Is it possible to pull a ground wire through the various (broken or separated) sections of conduit?

Next on the list of things you described would be the exposed live parts. Can you do anything to wire nut, tape, stuff, cover, or otherwise move the live stuff out of reach of accidental contact?

Finally, I might suggest you approach the parish council (or whatever you call the governing body) with a request for a special fund-raiser. You could give them a reasonable estimate of the costs, and they might be able to start putting pennies together before one or two more hot seasons come your way.

 

[jim dungar]

Re: Dealing with a 600 volt nightmare

Why does everything need to be ripped out and thrown away?

It seems that if the conduits were replaced and the grounding was corrected the 600V equipment could remain in place.

 

[peter d]

Re: Dealing with a 600 volt nightmare

Originally posted by jim dungar:
Why does everything need to be ripped out and thrown away?

Mainly because the AC units are so hopelessly obsolete that if they were ever to break down, finding replacement parts would be very difficult, if not impossible. They're about 33 years old.

 

[electricman2]

Re: Dealing with a 600 volt nightmare

Originally posted by peter d:

Originally posted by jim dungar:
Why does everything need to be ripped out and thrown away?

They're about 33 years old.

I wish some of the units at our church were that new.