Contracted by Major Utility to remove high voltage switchgear and transformers from 2 apartment buildings underground vaults and convert to low voltage.

Our scope included

  • Design build based on customers parameters
  • Engineering and Electrical Safety Plan Approval
  • Supply and install all equipment
  • Removal, salvage and disposal of old equipment environmentally and economically

Challenges

  • Work in confined space
  • Limited access to move 4 ton transformers in tight space
  • Work taking place in high vehicle traffic
  • Limit shut down to convert 1000 KVA services from old to new

Successes

  • No accidents or injuries
  • Happy Customer
  • Down time of less than 6 hrs per building
  • No generators required which saved the customer Big $$$
  • Another fantastic job by the S&S Team making the impossible – possible

Thanks to all are partners who participated the project!

Before

Apartment Building #1

During

Apartment Building #1: New transformers had to be disabled to fit thru the tight spaces. Tested and reassembled in place. Grating had to be removed for access and could not be salvaged due to age.
Apartment Building #1: Lowering the disassembled transformer into its new home.
Safety is ALWAYS FIRST. Old grating was removed to deliver new transformers and remove old transformers. Grating could not be reused. Area secured. Fences are bolted and chained. New plywood installed as grating an extra precaution. Door in the background was bolted shut and physical guards installed inside and outside.
Apartment Building #2: Low overhead, heavy weight being lowered from busy road. Road permits taken out with City and traffic successfully diverted.
Apartment Building #1: Wiring of Main Switch with new transformer.
Removing old equipment from Apartment Building #1. Location is behind the safety fences and boarded above. Old transformer being removed.
Old oil transformers had cooling oil checked for contaminants then drained the oil and disposed by environmental company. Transformers had to be cut apart in place to allow for their removal from the vaults. Size comparison of old transformer after being cut in half.
Old transformers being loaded up and will be processed for valuable metals like copper, aluminum and steel.

After

Apartment Building #1: Transformer reassembled, everything wired, custom cabinets required to connect to existing open buss bars. Building running on new equipment.
Apartment Building #2: New installation completed and building running. Door was cut out into under ground of building after high voltage equipment was removed.
The space where the broom is to the new transformer was taken up entirely by the old transformer. Only walking space and enough space to get disassembled transformer in place so we could prewire everything ready for the change over.