Help me understand this transformer

D

DSinOR

Member
Location
Oregon
Occupation
MDM
Hello, new guy, amateur.

An acquaintance asked me to come remove this transformer from a property that is being remodeled.
My "incentive" to do the job is: I keep the transformer and rack, and perhaps sell one or both.

It weighs almost 400 lbs.
I have the tools, experience, knowledge, and gear to remove it.
A licensed electrician already disconnected it, but I will double check everything first.

image

image2

So I'm trying to decide whether I want to do the job.
More specifically, is it worth my time?
In other words, is the transformer worth anything on the resale market? Ballpark how much?

Background: about fifteen years ago, a lady opened a tanning salon in this space. Within a month, the salon damaged or tripped the utility company's supply equipment for the whole building. So the utility told the lady that she had to install this transformer in her tanning salon to remedy the problem.

Last year she closed the salon. Now the transformer is mine if I want to go get it.
It's 30 miles away.
I did some research.
As near as I can tell, the building is on single-phase. Mixed commercial residential space. Old wiring and service, slowly being upgraded over decades.
Tanning beds run on 240.
The main supply for the building is 240.
Nothing in the salon required 400v.
Therefore, I think the transformer was for isolation.

From my rudimentary understanding, the transformer has two possible functions:
1 - isolate a heavy 240v load from the small-town building service.
2 - transform anything between 228 and 252 to 400 ( or to isolated 240?).

In general terms, what is the significance of the 2.2kva spec for the secondary 240? Like, is that "above average" capacity? Is it why the transformer is so large?

What would be the most likely buyer? Another tanning salon that needs to isolate?
Any other possible buyers? Like, what industries commonly need isolated 240, or, 400?

Thanks for your help.
Obviously, I'm here looking for info about this transformer, and as usual, just looking to learn things. Thanks in advance for any info you'd like to share.

Dave
 
They probably used it to buck the voltage down to make the lamps last longer. They do that with pottery kilns too, but usually smaller buck/boost transformers are used, make the heating elements last longer. There is the scrap metal aspect of it. It would probably be easier to scrap, than find somebody that needs a specialty transformer.
 
Sell it without doing anything it's probably a shade under $100 at transformer scrap prices

Are you sure of the winding material? It very well could be aluminum windings.

If it's copper or aluminum remember the weight is the steel core, not the copper or aluminum.
Let's say a transformer is 400 lbs.
probably 20-30% of that weight is copper, 10-20% if it's aluminum.
If it's copper and you bust it out it's probably about $220-$280 worth of copper.
Much less for aluminum.

Depends on how much your time is worth..
personally, I wouldn't screw with it.
 
Thanks for the info.
Not interested in breaking it down for scrap.

Am I right that it is either a 240-240 isolation unit, or a 240-400 transformer?
Who uses 400V?
Is there any market for a working used 240-400v 45kVA transformer?

Thanks.
 
For fun, I called the manufacturer. They were nice and helpful.

Circa year 2000.
Unusual because it is single phase and because it has the additional 240v secondary tap.
Rated for simultaneous 42.8 kva 400v and 2.2 kva service.
The serial number indicates that all windings are copper.
Made for the tanning salon industry, back when many American and most European beds required 400v supply.
The 240 tap was for bed cooling apparatus.

Thanks.
 
My guess is they had some equipment designed for use in other countries that ran on 400 volts. Though I think that 400 volts would be more common for three phase equipment than for single phase. European systems are usually 400/230 (415/240 or 380/220 are also variations that will still basically be within that nominal range) Wye systems or just straight 2 wire 240 volt for single phase systems which they can easily supply single phase supply with just one phase conductor and the neutral of the wye system.

It kind of only worth something to anyone needing to power equipment that operates at 380/400/415 volts. But like I said most European single phase equipment is usually 240 volts and three phase is 400 which make it even more rarely needed.

Looking at the image you had, it is a 45kVA unit, but the 240 volt portion of the secondary says it is only 2.2kVA which is a small portion of the total capacity of the unit as a whole.
 
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