Poll: Any Maintenance guys here?

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vhterway

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I was just curious to see if there are many plant maintenance type people on this forum. From many of the posts I have read, it sounds to me like everyone is an electrical contractor or working for one. I myself am a maintenance electrician at a non-union steel mini-mill. We work on everything from the 34.5kv switch yard and associated equipment to the 5V power supplies in electronic cabinets. Who else is here and what kind of things do you work on?
If I have posted this in the wrong area, I apologize - I didn't see anywhere it would fit better.
 
I enjoy doing plant maintenance. I have good job security and a skilled trade that can't easily be replaced. Granted, I know I can be replaced, not like I have a big head or anything, but it's better than being an unskilled operator. They get to do the same thing day after day - I get bored just watching them for half and hour. Being a maintenance guy, I get to roam the plant and do different things every day. There's also a lot of satisfaction to be had from being able to 'magically' fix stuff when operators can't figure out what the problem is. 8)
 
I started off as a maintenance electrician. I went through 3 years of vo-tech in High School. I landed my 1st. maintenance job at right after I got out of the Air Force. The last plant I worked at had a education policy that paid for my schooling and gave me a raise after I past the journeyman's test. (I also met my wife there.) Later, they closed up and moved to Mexico. I went to construction electric.

By the way, how do tell if a maintenance electrician has been shocked?


He spilled his coffee & dropped the donut!
 
I went from working for an EC to maintenence to being an EC. I liked being in Maint for a while but it got to be too much like a job. if you like the changing aspect of being in maint then you will love working for yourself and meeting many new people and building business relationships and customer relationships. I think it is so much better than showing up each day walking around the plant hoping something will break so you can do something. after three years I was tired of it and could hardly ever convince managment to upgrade things which would give me something to do. and when they did let me and I increased production due to less down time or better efficientcy who do you think took credit? So now I do contract work for them on systems I installed and programmed that no one else there understands. not to mention I passworded all the programs. I set it up so that I can dial into those systems from my office computer and troubleshoot it for them when they have problems for $100.00 an hr. SWEET! most calls take me less than 15 minutes. thats a sweet service call never to leave the house.
 
maintenance E/I

maintenance E/I

Been a maintenance electrician/instrument tech for 23 years.....never a boring moment....if not performing 480 volt/4160 volt maintenance, performing instrumentation troubleshooting on plc controls/valves, etc..
Glad to hear there are others like myself that enjoy reading/posting here!
As you will see by my profile, I have not posted in a while...I visit this site often and only read....I have been doing "side" work (residential) for about 12 years....I am licensed with the state and try to keep up with the recent code changes..(still reading the new 2005 code book)...but my problem is most of the readers of this site are in the business 100%...It is my opinion they do not welcome "side" workers cause it takes away from their business...if you care to read some of my past post/ no further explanation will be needed!...I did not let them get me down...most of my side work is repair work only...I leave the "big jobs" to the starving others...
I hope to be retiring from the papermill in the next 10 years, so the starving public will be safe until then....for I intend to go 100% residental at that time! Oh well, enjoyed the speech....wildman
 
Been a maintenance guy my whole career. Have tryed a few engineering postitions, just don't seem the same. Even though my "title" right now is Facilities Engineer, still seem to be mostly a maintenance thing. I always enjoy it, except for when some one that thinks they know everything tries to tell you how to fix something.
 
69boss302 said:
Been a maintenance guy my whole career. Have tryed a few engineering postitions, just don't seem the same. Even though my "title" right now is Facilities Engineer, still seem to be mostly a maintenance thing. I always enjoy it, except for when some one that thinks they know everything tries to tell you how to fix something.[/quote]

You just have to look at things properly. I once spent the better part of 3 days doing job the way engineers wanted. It took less than 15 min to fix problem once engineer gave up.:eek:
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dlhoule said:
You just have to look at things properly. I once spent the better part of 3 days doing job the way engineers wanted. It took less than 15 min to fix problem once engineer gave up.:eek:
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EXACTLY!!!!
 
dlhoule said:
69boss302 said:
Been a maintenance guy my whole career. Have tryed a few engineering postitions, just don't seem the same. Even though my "title" right now is Facilities Engineer, still seem to be mostly a maintenance thing. I always enjoy it, except for when some one that thinks they know everything tries to tell you how to fix something.[/quote]

You just have to look at things properly. I once spent the better part of 3 days doing job the way engineers wanted. It took less than 15 min to fix problem once engineer gave up.:eek:
Click to expand...


One thing I hate is there is always an operator wanting to "watch"......... I have had 4 or 5 gather around "watching". They are talking to each other, standing in the way, asking why I'm doing so and so, suggesting how to fix it, more than once after saying excuse me and walking around them to get to parts and tools, bumping into them, I have just stopped and said "Don't Ya'll have something to do?" :(
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Hey, is this where all the cool kids hang-out?

I've been in electrical maint. for 6 years. then went to manufacturing sector. After a "company down-sizing" I went back to maint. for 2 years. And now I'm back at the manufr. (I guess they were ready to "up-size". . .)

I like electrical maint. You work with a lot of people with different backgrounds and glean knowlege from them. I also see how different ways of doing things last (or don't last). The bad part for me was I didn't feel like I was accomplishing anything. After 20 years of "maintaining" all I could say is "I kept the plant running". I want to have more of an impact than that before I check-out. (Maybe I'd feel a little bit differently if I liked the place I worked for.) I hope to work with an EC soon so I can take the Master's test. Long term I hope to design/install home automation systems. I think if the economy would have held out, that would be the next big thing. But don't tell anybody--I don't want other electrical types to steal my idea. . . :D

I don't remeber seeing him post yet but "brother" is a maint type too.
 
I've worked as a maintenance electrician for five years and just this past year I've accepted a new position as a maintenance engineer. My background breaks down as 4 years in electrical construction, 5 years in control systems, and 1 year in engineering. The hardest part about engineering is pleasing a maintenance guy.
 
maintenance E/I woes

maintenance E/I woes

Work at a papermill....the first 20 years I got to be a real electrician....I got to do some real troubleshooting....I found the problem and fixed it....the last two years have been hectic....operations(the employees that run the equipment)...troubleshoot for me, now!....They say,"that motor is bad, change it"...I do not get to verify it is bad, just change it...I had a good one the other day....operations wanted a motor megged...told me to meg it while it was still running....had to call in the safety advisor...operations got spanked on that one...like I said ...never a dull moment! wildman
 
After 15 + yrs as a EC,running my own show. I'm starting to apply for Maintanence Electrician positions. You know what they say " The Grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" well hopefully the wallet will stay greener...and with any with luck the stress level go down. I have been considering keeping the business and a few of my better customers, and doing it nights and weekends... Not sure yet..

Just my 2 cents...
 
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The hardest part about engineering is pleasing a maintenance guy.
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Well, I'll have you know, I'm far from the best maintenance guy, but if you give me a 1/2 way decent engineer to work with, we can talk things out a little bit and everything will go very smoothly. I sometimes want to know why, especially if it doesn't look right to me. It is frequently just a matter of a bit of talk for me to understand, once in a while it is even the engineer who comes to understand.

I do think a little talk and explanation on both parts make it a lot easier.

I am a lazy SOB and hate to having to do things 3 or 4 times because an engineer doesn't want to admit a mistake. I figure I can make enough mistakes for both of us, but once in a while it is the engineer. It is bad for me when I have to do something over because of a mistake of mine, but it is even worse for me if I have to do it because of someone else's mistake.

A bit of ranting. Sorry!
 
I worked in electrical maintenance for about 3 years at a 200 acre agricultural facility. Lots of PLC's, VFD's, motors, controllers, etc for temperature and irrigation control systems. It was more than a maintenance position as I was generally responsible for the design, fabrication, installation, and maintenance of electrical systems.

I learned a lot of really great things but got tired of all the bells and whistles and went back into electrical construction.
 
Been in maintenance for 10 years

Been in maintenance for 10 years

I love it. I do some contracting on the side. I like working somewhat for myself as a contractor but like the "security" of a manufactoring enviroment(lol) like there is any real security any more. i like the diversity of the plant work i never know what will be next when I walk in.
 
maintenance computer work

maintenance computer work

Any of you guys been doing a lot of computer work lately? I do not mean physically repairing them, I mean actually typing on the computer as part of your job?...The last couple of years has really been fuzzy....let me explain....I get a work order to perform a job....operations has determined a motor is bad and needs replacing....I get on the computer and look up on our (intranet) what HP motor/frame/voltage/etc...once I have determined the correct motor...I have to order this motor from our storeroom....Items such as electrical tape/VC tape/hi-voltage tape/ is also ordered... I pick up the motor...install it....verify correct rotation (if applicable)....remove old motor to storage....then comes the good part...I go back to the computer....give a lengthy discussion of how I found the motor....everything I did to the motor during installation...did I finish the job...how long did it take to do the job...
suggestions of what to do to speed the job up....etc....I have spent one hour changing out a motor and two hours at the computer...total time of 3 hours....Hey u guys...any suggestions on how to speed up this job???
 
I have spent one hour changing out a motor and two hours at the computer...total time of 3 hours....Hey u guys...any suggestions on how to speed up this job???

Just think about how much longer it would have taken had you had to go to some hard copy and look up the info and then write all the other stuff long hand.

I like our green sheets (PM sheets). They come out once a month in most cases. About 75% of the PM work has to be done with the machine down. Well when they aren't running production, they can't afford to bring in an electrician because production has to pick up the cost of the overtime.

Several solutions or outcomes: fill out green sheet without doing the work
let green sheets pile up
once they get piled up you get to be called names cause you're a lazy SOB

In my case they 1/2 right. I am lazy, but my mother was a really sweet old lady before she passed away.
 
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