Pierre C Belarge
Senior Member
- Location
- Westchester County, New York
This morning, I get an early call...when the phone rings early like that, it is usually someone in trouble.
An EC had received a call the day before about a building that had been knocked out of power by a maintenance man installing lighting. He responded the day before, and could not get the main breaker to close???? He asked me to come and take a look. I was flattered he thought of me.
Of course, I told him I would be there as soon as I took care of some loose ends at work.
Without all of the details, here is what I found when I got there. I drive up to the building, and it is just a small 1 story building. As I drive up to it, I am confused because he had told me the service is 4000A. Maybe he meant 400A.
Well... the building is an old AT&T "bunker building". Built mostly underground in a concrete bunker to withstand a hit by a Russian missile. The equipment is still vintage to the original installation, as the current owner has not changed a thing in the building, except for remove all of the old computer racks and telephone equipment. All overseas government "secret" calls used to be routed through this building.
The man in charge of the building gave me a "special" tour of the building. It was acres and acres of room after room with really old electrical equipment in it. Some of the doors between the rooms were heavy gauge metal and looked like bank vault doors. They keep them open, because they are afraid if they close they may not be able to enter those rooms again if the doors lock somehow.
If I was not an inspector, I would have never seen this building and others like it that I get to see. One of the benefits of being an inspector.
These are the kind of days that make me go home with a nice smile on my face and memories of the wonder of what has gone on before us in this crazy world we live in.
An EC had received a call the day before about a building that had been knocked out of power by a maintenance man installing lighting. He responded the day before, and could not get the main breaker to close???? He asked me to come and take a look. I was flattered he thought of me.
Of course, I told him I would be there as soon as I took care of some loose ends at work.
Without all of the details, here is what I found when I got there. I drive up to the building, and it is just a small 1 story building. As I drive up to it, I am confused because he had told me the service is 4000A. Maybe he meant 400A.
Well... the building is an old AT&T "bunker building". Built mostly underground in a concrete bunker to withstand a hit by a Russian missile. The equipment is still vintage to the original installation, as the current owner has not changed a thing in the building, except for remove all of the old computer racks and telephone equipment. All overseas government "secret" calls used to be routed through this building.
The man in charge of the building gave me a "special" tour of the building. It was acres and acres of room after room with really old electrical equipment in it. Some of the doors between the rooms were heavy gauge metal and looked like bank vault doors. They keep them open, because they are afraid if they close they may not be able to enter those rooms again if the doors lock somehow.
If I was not an inspector, I would have never seen this building and others like it that I get to see. One of the benefits of being an inspector.
These are the kind of days that make me go home with a nice smile on my face and memories of the wonder of what has gone on before us in this crazy world we live in.
