Re: Avalon, and Lockout for Safety

[Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>]

Hi Chris,

At 06:53 PM 8/17/00 +0000, you wrote:
>ahhhhh, another afternoon exploring and dreaming while the bean counters 
>cry.....
>
>A couple HV safety questions....
>
>1. We found a >250kVA 14.4KV - 2.4KV pad mount transformer and attached 
>switchgear shed. There is a lockout tag on the door handle, with 2 VERY 
>faded tags and a padlock. The tags have been there for years, and the 
>padlock is too far gone for a key to open it. It's obviously from work being 
>done long before the shutdown, but I have second thoughs about removing it. 
>It's soo deeply ingrained into my education that you NEVER UNDER ANY 
>CIRCUMSTANCE REMOVE ANOTHER MANS PADLOCK FROM A LOCKOUT, to do so is 
>literally attempted manslaughter and just cause for a serious beating if 
>you're lucky and no-one gets hurt. What should I do?

Is the tag on the shed "door"?  If so, the utility company probably
"condemned" something and legally shut the service down.  They should have
a record of the circumstances...  There would have been some big fine if
one tried to re-energize the circuits or whatever.  I imagine no one cares
anymore...  "I" would have electricity to the shed removed (or to the whole
place shut down at this time).  That way, when you walk in and find
yourself standing in a foot of "odd liquids", you don't have to worry about
being electrocuted...  I assume nothing electrical is essential, so it is
best just to remove all power to the facility.  Thus avoiding having to
call "the boys" out all the time to shut this and that down...

Of course, if the tags are on a lever to re-energize the transformer.
Cutting the lock and pulling the handle will probably result in instant death!!

>
>2. We found several 2400VAC 250+KVA pigs in a courtyard in the center of 4 
>buildings. They are old Allis Chalmers units and about 5' tall in a bank 3, 
>with another 3 smaller ones off to the side. Are these of any use for a 
>large coil?

Probably not.  Voltage too low...

>
>Consumers (the power company) came out with 3 guys who spent a lot of time 
>telling me "That's not our responsibility" and "I have no idea"....I fail to 
>be impressed. They couldn't find out why anything was working the way it 
>was, and claimed no rsponsibility for ANYTHING. They also were a little 
>upset when, while walking OUT of the gas pit (the fenced in area where the 
>main gas valves are) I was the last one out and spotted 2 seperate leaks 
>(small ones, but this is a 200psi 6" line) in the fittings. They left 
>without doing anything about it saying "We'll call it in" I thought the city 
>building inspector was going to have kittens. :)

Have the gas service shut off...  If this place is as unkept as it sounds,
just have all these electrical and gas hazards removed for the time being.
Get a generator and lights...

>
>They DID like the idea of a LARGE coil out there though, in the future, when 
>I meltdown their toy substation playing Thor I'll have to remember to tell 
>them...

Oh good!!!  They will be your best friends when it comes time to reconnect
things and make it work.  Don't worry, the power in your Avalon is small
potatoes to them ;-)  These people work with 375Kv 1000 amp continuous AC
24-7 (even when there is a blizzard).  Their substation will easily protect
itself from you, lightning, and natural disasters...  Maybe you can have
them show you some of there stuff.  Visit a power station and some of the
"big" substations if they will let you (they will).  You can learn a lot of
useful stuff from seeing what they play with too!!  

>
>"Sorry, but that, being upstream of my meter, is not my responsibility" lol

They are right.  It's "your" problem Chris!! ;-)

>
>hmmmmm...perhaps I'll start breeding lab rats. Then I'll put them in 
>rat-wheels, with belts and pullies spinning a long shaft to a 
>generator....we'll be off the grid :) I wonder how many rats = 1KVA?

A big 1MVA generator is a real option here!!

BTW - Be sure to get a good picture of yourself in front of the Avalon
"now".  That way, we will know what you "used" to look like! :-))  Sort of
like what president look like before taking office.  Dark hair, no
ulcers,... :-)))

I do have on big suggestion.  Run ads in the local papers and try to find
former workers from this place.  If you can find any former maintenance
people, engineers, etc.  They would be a gold mine of information about the
electrical and other issues you are facing.  These places tended to run on
some "good ol boy's" knowledge back then...  Find the people who used to
"make this place run" and try and get them to help you make it run again!

Good luck!!

Cheers,

	Terry

>
>There's one for the math gurus....lol
>
>
>
>Christopher A. Boden Geek#1
>President / Founder
>The Geek Group
>www.geekgroup-dot-org
>Because the Geek shall inherit the Earth!
>
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