CC20 modules or extension cords or...?

Stuart R

Member
Hello all -

It's the end of the school year and I'm trying to spend the little money remaining in my budget wisely. About half of the 60 or so lighting in our rep plot are conventionals, while the other half (including two moving lights) are LEDs. They are all powered by a typical ETC sensor 96 x 2.4k dimmer rack. I'm well aware that it is verboten to power LEDs through normal dimmers, but that's been the approach to this point (the dimmers in question are parked at 100% through our ETC Element board). I know that zillions of people do the same thing, and we seem to have gotten away with it up to this point, but I'm not comfortable with it, and am looking at our options.

I know that one can replace the normal dimmer modules with relays or with continuous power modules, and given that the latter are about half the cost of the former, the CC20s make more sense for us. I'm finding it a bit confusing, however, to figure out how many we'd need. Unlike conventionals and dimmers, where the board is instructing the dimmers to power up and down to control the intensity, with LEDs, all of the intensity adjustment happens in the instrument. When one patches several conventionals to a single dimmer, they're functionally all ganged together. With LEDs and continuous power modules, couldn't I patch a bunch of them to the same module? I might only need a few to power all 30 of our LEDs, unless I'm misunderstanding things. How would I do that math?

The other option would be to daisy-chain extension cords from LED to LED and then plug them into regular power. I've seen discussion on here about what gauge to use, and so forth. Most of our connectors are 12/3 heavy-duty, but they are quite expensive, and I suspect that running 12/3 cords around would end up costing more than the CC20 modules. [I'm also not clear what connectors to get for the daisy chaining - maybe buy each cord with a three way outlet on the end?]

So I'm leaning toward buying some CC20s but would appreciate your advice on whether that's a good approach, and how many to get.

Thank you.
 
First question is how convenient is the rack so as to power up/down the CC20’s from the breakers, each and every time you use the LED’s ?. The convenience of relays is that you can control power from the console, so maybe worth the extra cost.

Second question is do the LED’s have Power-Con pass thru connections that allow daisy chain from fixture to fixture ?. That’s by far the easiest way to get a bunch of fixtures powered up. If no Power-Con, next option is a Lex E-String extension cable assembly that has multiple outlets to power multiple fixtures from one circuit.

All my LED’s and ML’s use 5-15 Edison connectors so as to differentiate from dimmed circuits using pin connectors.

Math is easy as the fixture data sheet sheets list power draw.
 
You can put a number if LEDs on same constant power - relay controlled or not. My rule of thumb is 10 on a 20 amp circuit. You'd have to allow for inrush.

You really need to depower the units between rehearsals/productions. The actual emitters may seemingly last for ever but the drivers may not.

There are some distance limitations to a daisy chain. Along one position is unlikely an issue, but throughout an auditorium and stage it could be.

I recommend you hold out for the relays.
 
I started to look at other options for relay control but for cost - $525 for a dual module and saw a few on E-Bay for $400 - hard beat. Get two and run portable from those receptacles. Hopefully get a third or fourth eventually. Of course the best answer is throupower modules but in the $700 range.

Don't forget to kill main power to rack when swapping modules.
 
I started to look at other options for relay control but for cost - $525 for a dual module and saw a few on E-Bay for $400 - hard beat. Get two and run portable from those receptacles. Hopefully get a third or fourth eventually. Of course the best answer is throupower modules but in the $700 range.

Don't forget to kill main power to rack when swapping modules.
Given that the arc-flash gear required to safely energize/deenergize the entire rack meets/exceeds the required arc flash gear to energize/swap a module, I think the better recommendation is "don't forget to wear appropriate arc flash gear while swapping modules"
 
We use the CC20 modules to power our LED's and currently run about 5 per circuit. You might look into your manufacturer's recommendations for the number of fixtures they recommend daisy-chaining power, I know these ones recommend 8 per strand.

Our rack isn't in a terrible out of the way location so it's been no problem using the breaker to de-energize the LED's after use. It came up on here in another thread (and I'm pretty sure @BillConnerFASTC deserves the credit for thinking of it), but the ETC modules are switch-rated breakers and therefore are OK for regular use in this fashion.

One thing to keep in mind however is that the CC module will take two circuits off your dimmers. In our case it's not a huge deal, but if you're using a majority of your rack then you might want to plan carefully where you place these modules.

Given that the arc-flash gear required to safely energize/deenergize the entire rack meets/exceeds the required arc flash gear to energize/swap a module, I think the better recommendation is "don't forget to wear appropriate arc flash gear while swapping modules"

What gear is required to throw a rack disconnect inside a closed panel? I've never heard of that before.
 
What gear is required to throw a rack disconnect inside a closed panel? I've never heard of that before.

Thinking same thing. This means you'd have to wear PPE to turn a company switch on or off. I don't think that happens very often.

And when modular dimmers first came out in the 1980s, hot swapping was a much ballyhooed feature!

PS Strad: I was surveying a college facility the other day and practically every light in the place was switched at a cb panel and had been for 50 years. I suspect taking the L downtown Chicago is relatively much greater risk than a lot of things we say don't do here. Like when I go canoeing, I'm sure I'm at more risk driving up and back 10 hours each way than I am in a canoe even in bad weather. (I do put a PFD on when it starts getting rough.)

PSS: I like the warning in Fine Homebuilding. "Homebuilding is inherently dangerous. Fromaccients with power tools to falls from ladders,scaffolds, and roofs, builders risk serious injury and even death. We try to promote safe work habits through our articles. But what is safe for one builder under certain circumstances may not be safe for you under different circumstances. So don't try anything here (or elsewhere) unless you're certain that it is safe for you. Please be careful.:
 
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I was surveying a college facility the other day and practically every light in the place was switched at a cb panel and had been for 50 years.
I've seen a couple meeting halls dating from the 1940's and 50's that operated that way. Growing up in a small town I guess the light switch was a luxury commodity back then.

PSS: I like the warning in Fine Homebuilding. "Homebuilding is inherently dangerous. Fromaccients with power tools to falls from ladders,scaffolds, and roofs, builders risk serious injury and even death. We try to promote safe work habits through our articles. But what is safe for one builder under certain circumstances may not be safe for you under different circumstances. So don't try anything here (or elsewhere) unless you're certain that it is safe for you. Please be careful.

I might have to borrow this, because that is awesome. Safety culture is obviously important, but I've met a few people who seem to get a contact high off of pointing out everything that can go wrong. I tell my students that they are ultimately responsible for their own safety. Jill might be fine scaling a 12' a-frame, but John might not. It's their job to know their limits.

Back to the thread- I spent the past few days troubleshooting a rack and flipping a 400 amp disconnect on and off. Now I am genuinely curious if I was doing something unnecessarily dangerous. Arc flash is no joke, but I figured that's why the box is designed to only work when closed.
 
I've seen a couple meeting halls dating from the 1940's and 50's that operated that way. Growing up in a small town I guess the light switch was a luxury commodity back then.



I might have to borrow this, because that is awesome. Safety culture is obviously important, but I've met a few people who seem to get a contact high off of pointing out everything that can go wrong. I tell my students that they are ultimately responsible for their own safety. Jill might be fine scaling a 12' a-frame, but John might not. It's their job to know their limits.

Back to the thread- I spent the past few days troubleshooting a rack and flipping a 400 amp disconnect on and off. Now I am genuinely curious if I was doing something unnecessarily dangerous. Arc flash is no joke, but I figured that's why the box is designed to only work when closed.
@StradivariusBone Based on personal experience combining 13 years in commercial broadcast maintenance, coupled with 46 years with the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) and 43 years with the IATSE (International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees) [Largely simultaneously and overlapping] SOP (Standard Operating Practice) / Best practice for all breakers and enclosed switches was ALWAYS: Stand off to one side, look the other way and actuate the breaker or switch with your non-dominant hand. We won't get into why most enclosed switches include a means of by-passing their mechanical interlocks so their covers may be fully opened while remaining electrically "closed", live and conducting. Many are then capable of being actuated and opened while in this latter state as well but PLEASE let's not go down that road.
The last time I recall opening a live 3 pole 60 Amp or 100 Amp 3 phase 347 / 600 volt switch was when I was asked to by my foreman near the completion of a hospital renovation. The switch was located within a sub-sub station in the hospital's basement with water flowing out of it. The switch powered a 3rd floor operating room where surgeons had an anesthetized unconscious patient on their table and were mid-way through a multi-hour surgery. There are always rules and there are ALWAYS times when they're broken. Up here north of Mr. Trump's wall, 347 / 600 is a common three phase voltage for us where you'd find 277 / 480. I may have your voltage incorrect but I'm certain of ours.
I suspect @Dionysus has a similar tale or two in his back pocket. 13.8 Kv and 27.6 Kv are common for us and I've several silly tales of shenanigans on hands and knees in muddy crawl-spaces beneath a couple of those with rats strolling past and wondering if you're about to become their next meal. Provincial electrical construction and installation apprenticeships are most likely conducted somewhat differently i suspect now-a-days.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
 
Stand off to one side, look the other way and actuate the breaker or switch with your non-dominant hand.
So basically the same way you're supposed to de-energize a CRT. Don't make it easier for the electricity to find a path through your anti-fibrillator muscle.

Many are then capable of being actuated and opened while in this latter state as well but PLEASE let's not go down that road.
I've seen that done before. Never had the urge to attempt it for myself.
 
So basically the same way you're supposed to de-energize a CRT. Don't make it easier for the electricity to find a path through your anti-fibrillator muscle.

It has nothing do with shock hazard. Envision getting the upper half of your body hit with an explosive cloud of rapidly expanding gasses at 35,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That's the energy unleashed in an arc flash.

I am not a licensed electrician. I am not a registered engineer. I have no credentials in electrical safety. YOU should always follow safety procedures as set forth by state and federal regulations.


Arc flash while closing a breaker is very rare but it does happen. Systems with high current potential deserve respect. A 200 Amp, multi-pole breaker in a building with a 1000 Amp service is simply different than the breaker for the stove in a residential panel. In the former, the current potential is astronomic, at least for a few milliseconds.

Common sense dictates here. At the least, wear eye protection, a hard hat, and long sleeves. Fully extend your arm and stand off to the side before throwing that big breaker. Turn your face away. Standing right in front of the thing, exposing your body and face to it, is unnecessary and easy to avoid. I think this a reasonable approach in most circumstances.

The question to ask yourself is the system in proper condition before applying power? Did I fail to tighten a connection? Did I leave a tool inside? Are all the covers in place? Are all workers clear? Sometimes a very simple thing can get you in big trouble, so it is wise to triple check your work before grabbing the breaker handle. If a breaker doesn't feel right or close freely, don't force it because they can fail internally.

Opening and closing a breaker on a happy circuit is low risk, but not zero risk. There is much more hazard in closing a breaker which has tripped. If a large breaker tripped, obviously there is risk in closing it again unless the cause of the trip is known and has been cleared.

I have a healthy level of paranoia about closing a large breaker which has tripped for an unknown cause. In that case, it is time for extreme caution, the protective equipment, and proper procedures. Or, it's time to walk away and bring in someone with more expertise to investigate.

I also think it is safer to open and close a large breaker on as little a load as possible. For example, if I am closing a main breaker to a panel, I will open the branch circuits first, then close the main, followed by the branch circuits.

I know someone who caused an arc flash in a 480 V motor center. He does not remember what he did. The speculation is that he manually closed a contactor on a 100 HP motor that was spinning and producing back EMF. So much current flowed in the plasma that it tripped the substation breaker for the neighborhood feeder! The burns to his face and arms were serious, and took months to recover from. He has a beard to cover the worst scars to his face.
 
Envision getting the upper half of your body hit with an explosive cloud of rapidly expanding gasses at 35,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That's the energy unleashed in an arc flash.

lol, yeah at that point 0.01+ amps over your ticker is going to be the least of your worries. I watched a video on arc flash, probably shared by someone here, and that was good enough for me. Ben Heck just took apart an old CRT on YouTube so I guess that was in my brain, but yeah avoiding putting the face near the mini solar flare is a good idea.
 
@RonHebbard: you were asked to *open* a breaker, in-the-wet, which was *powering* an in-progress surgery?

Why?
Not quite correct. I was told to open the door of an enclosed 3 pole, 347 / 600 volt fused disconnect and do my level best to keep it dry until the surgeons had completed their task. I know I've written of this in greater detail some years ago but it may have been on ProSound.
Here's a little more background for you.
The main sub and this secondary sub were in the basement.
This was nearing the end of what had been approximately a two year extensive renovation project. I'd been transferred to this site only about six months prior to this point. The entire project had added two new six story wings plus basements and HVAC penthouses. Once the hospital had transferred into their two new wings, we gutted one original wing clear to the basement floor slab retaining only the roof and four exterior walls. New floor slabs were formed and poured all the way up including conduits, plumbing, drains, vents medical gasses, Lamson tubes; all the accoutrements of building a hospital. I came on board for the final phase which was extending the length of the remaining three story wing along with its basement and HVAC penthouse. This last wing was "Emergency" and radiology at ground level, obstetrics on the second floor and surgery and recovery on the third. A V12 diesel emergency back-up generator was the last major element craned into the penthouse before the roof was completed.
You're getting the picture. Basically the project had totally renovated the hospital while keeping it fully operational throughout. As soon as possible, the hospital shifted temporarily into their new wings knowing full well they'd be moving internally one last time once all aspects of their reno' was completed. Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital remains the only hospital in Burlington and it's situated immediately adjacent to the shore of Lake Ontario. Picturesque on one hand but a wickedly cold and windy place to be building in the middle of a Canadian winter. The reason water was pouring out of the live 347 / 600 volt switch.
One of the general contractor's minions had a portion of the obstetrics floor slab supposedly sealed off by sheets of clear, thin, plastic hung from the ceiling with little more than duck / duct tape and was pneumatically jack-hammering this way through a floor slab. Like a good little minion, he dutifully surrounded his hole with a circle of sand and was using a 5 gallon pail of water in a vain attempt to contain his dust. Suddenly his water vanished down his hole. As he felt his hole was neither large enougn nor deep enough, he added more water. Like a good little laborer, he kept adding more and MORE and MORE water cuz' his boss had told him to use lots of water to keep the dust down. Apparently it never crossed his mind to wonder where all his water was going or why it was all going so well until it disappeared so suddenly. Electricians were basically complete in the area thus none of our guys were around.
Nobody noticed any problem until someone from the hospital's maintenance staff was dispatched to mop up water on the floor of a basement corridor. The fellow mopped up the water and dang if there wasn't more. The maintenance lad eventually summoned his supervisor who had a key permitting him to open a door and see why water was leaking out past the rubber dust gasket across the door's bottom. Imagine their surprise when gallons of water rushed out the moment they opened the door. This little sub substation was little more than a closet approximately six by six or eight by eight feet square with a single porcelain lamp socket on its ceiling and every lick of two walls covered with distribution: 120/208 on one wall and 347/600 on the other. There was even a 347/600 to 120/208 step down transformer towards one corner and lagged to the floor. Staining on the walls indicated the water had reached approximately 4" deep before the maintenance supervisor unlocked and opened the door.
Think about it. The transformer wasn't built to be water tight. It was just your average air-cooled isolation and step-down transformer in an ASA 61 grey metal enclosure with a multitude of ventilation slots punched through its protective enclosure. Had the water risen less than another inch higher the situation would have instantly become far more serious. Meanwhile the source of the water within the room appeared to be an enclosed fused disconnect on the 347/600 wall above a six foot wide 347/600 splitter. The hospital's maintenance supervisor went up his chain of command until the hospital spoke to the general contractor and then the "problem" came back down the chain until an electrical sub-foreman opted to grab the first apprentice he could lay hands on and send him in with a large box of dry rags and tell him to open the switch WITHOUT switching it off and do his level best to keep things dry until told otherwise. I was the new guy on the job and the first apprentice the sub foreman caught sight of. Clad only in my standard issue steel toed boots, mandatory hard hat and hardened glass bi-focals at that point. armed with my tool belt I found myself gingerly defeating the mechanical interlock and opening the switch. The sub foreman never even stood by to watch. Purportedly he had more pressing issues demanding his attention. I've got to get moving. To wrap this up. The hospital has undergone at least two renovations since and a couple of years ago when my mini-stroke resulted in my going blind literally overnight, I found myself regaining consciousness one morning and hearing the sound of the V12 diesel firing up for a test run three stories over my head. In mere seconds I knew EXACTLY where I was. It's funny how life often cycles around and around and around. I worked later on at least two other projects with that same sub-foreman who went on to become a foreman. The last time we spoke he was retired and running the retirees section of our IBEW local. Once the rehab folks got me up and walking with a walker, I suddenly realized I was passing a bank of four elevators and knew exactly where I was AGAIN. Decades before, I had installed the smoke detectors in the tops of those four shafts. There are several more similar tales but it's Fathers' Day and I've a date for a shampoo and shower with a PSW (Personal Service Worker) prior to departing via my son-in-law to a family barbecue where I'll celebrate with the opposite great grand mother in law and everyone down to and including great grand daughters, two dogs and the one remaining cat. Take care @Jay Ashworth and I hope I've covered "the rest of the story."
EDIT: Mis-typed 'off' as 'of'.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
 
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Not quite correct. I was told to open the door of an enclosed 3 pole, 347 / 600 volt fused disconnect and do my level best to keep it dry until the surgeons had completed their task. I know I've written of this in greater detail some years ago but it may have been on ProSound.
Here's a little more background for you.
The main sub and this secondary sub were in the basement.
This was nearing the end of what had been approximately a two year extensive renovation project. I'd been transferred to this site only about six months prior to this point. The entire project had added two new six story wings plus basements and HVAC penthouses. Once the hospital had transferred into their two new wings, we gutted one original wing clear to the basement floor slab retaining only the roof and four exterior walls. New floor slabs were formed and poured all the way up including conduits, plumbing, drains, vents medical gasses, Lamson tubes; all the accoutrements of building a hospital. I came on board for the final phase which was extending the length of the remaining three story wing along with its basement and HVAC penthouse. This last wing was "Emergency" and radiology at ground level, obstetrics on the second floor and surgery and recovery on the third. A V12 diesel emergency back-up generator was the last major element craned into the penthouse before the roof was completed.
You're getting the picture. Basically the project had totally renovated the hospital while keeping it fully operational throughout. As soon as possible, the hospital shifted temporarily into their new wings knowing full well they'd be moving internally one last time once all aspects of their reno' was completed. Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital remains the only hospital in Burlington and it's situated immediately adjacent to the shore of Lake Ontario. Picturesque on one hand but a wickedly cold and windy place to be building in the middle of a Canadian winter. The reason water was pouring out of the live 347 / 600 volt switch.
One of the general contractor's minions had a portion of the obstetrics floor slab supposedly sealed off by sheets of clear, thin, plastic hung from the ceiling with little more than duck / duct tape and was pneumatically jack-hammering this way through a floor slab. Like a good little minion, he dutifully surrounded his hole with a circle of sand and was using a 5 gallon pail of water in a vain attempt to contain his dust. Suddenly his water vanished down his hole. As he felt his hole was neither large enougn nor deep enough, he added more water. Like a good little laborer, he kept adding more and MORE and MORE water cuz' his boss had told him to use lots of water to keep the dust down. Apparently it never crossed his mind to wonder where all his water was going or why it was all going so well until it disappeared so suddenly. Electricians were basically complete in the area thus none of our guys were around.
Nobody noticed any problem until someone from the hospital's maintenance staff was dispatched to mop up water on the floor of a basement corridor. The fellow mopped up the water and dang if there wasn't more. The maintenance lad eventually summoned his supervisor who had a key permitting him to open a door and see why water was leaking out past the rubber dust gasket across the door's bottom. Imagine their surprise when gallons of water rushed out the moment they opened the door. This little sub substation was little more than a closet approximately six by six or eight by eight feet square with a single porcelain lamp socket on its ceiling and every lick of two walls covered with distribution: 120/208 on one wall and 347/600 on the other. There was even a 347/600 to 120/208 step down transformer towards one corner and lagged to the floor. Staining on the walls indicated the water had reached approximately 4" deep before the maintenance supervisor unlocked and opened the door.
Think about it. The transformer wasn't built to be water tight. It was just your average air-cooled isolation and step-down transformer in an ASA 61 grey metal enclosure with a multitude of ventilation slots punched through its protective enclosure. Had the water risen less than another inch higher the situation would have instantly become far more serious. Meanwhile the source of the water within the room appeared to be an enclosed fused disconnect on the 347/600 wall above a six foot wide 347/600 splitter. The hospital's maintenance supervisor went up his chain of command until the hospital spoke to the general contractor and then the "problem" came back down the chain until an electrical sub-foreman opted to grab the first apprentice he could lay hands on and send him in with a large box of dry rags and tell him to open the switch WITHOUT switching it off and do his level best to keep things dry until told otherwise. I was the new guy on the job and the first apprentice the sub foreman caught sight of. Clad only in my standard issue steel toed boots, mandatory hard hat and hardened glass bi-focals at that point. armed with my tool belt I found myself gingerly defeating the mechanical interlock and opening the switch. The sub foreman never even stood by to watch. Purportedly he had more pressing issues demanding his attention. I've got to get moving. To wrap this up. The hospital has undergone at least two renovations since and a couple of years ago when my mini-stroke resulted in my going blind literally overnight, I found myself regaining consciousness one morning and hearing the sound of the V12 diesel firing up for a test run three stories over my head. In mere seconds I knew EXACTLY where I was. It's funny how life often cycles around and around and around. I worked later on at least two other projects with that same sub-foreman who went on to become a foreman. The last time we spoke he was retired and running the retirees section of our IBEW local. Once the rehab folks got me up and walking with a walker, I suddenly realized I was passing a bank of four elevators and knew exactly where I was AGAIN. Decades before, I had installed the smoke detectors in the tops of those four shafts. There are several more similar tales but it's Fathers' Day and I've a date for a shampoo and shower with a PSW (Personal Service Worker) prior to departing via my son-in-law to a family barbecue where I'll celebrate with the opposite great grand mother in law and everyone down to and including great grand daughters, two dogs and the one remaining cat. Take care @Jay Ashworth and I hope I've covered "the rest of the story."
EDIT: Mis-typed 'off' as 'of'.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard

Yeah THAT'S a story. And yes I've gotten enough of my own Ron, in my opinion far too many for my number of years in the field.

@FMEng I HAVE my Arc-Flash certification (for linemen and construction maintenance electricians) and was an electrical apprentice for many years before heading back to doing theatre/tech full time again.

As I've posted here before, the FIRST RULE of Arc-Flash safety is "Just NEVER work LIVE".
The SECOND RULE is "TEST don't GUESS"; Always test to VERIFY that it's turned off.

Of course, the second rule you ALWAYS assume that it's LIVE until you've verified that it isn't (and don't forget to test your tester). And of course that it is often impractical to cut power (like when you are testing voltage).


Okay, do you want the story of the flooded pool basement, the story of the fire standpipe and the 400A panel, or the story of how I was rendered unconscious by boardwalk lights? I think those ones are all appropriate!

For good measure, I can also share the "apprentice melts buss bar" and perhaps "tying in during hockey practice" along with "how did I get off the ladder and across the room?" all at no extra cost!!! And yes I have more...
 
Busbar. Absolutely. :)

But, to Ron's story: wasn't "keep the water from coming out into the switch" basically "find the guy drilling on the other floor, and tie him to a convenient piece of mounted unistrut until the surgery is over"? :)

I think we should perhaps make a thread for "Electrical Tales of Horror!!!!!!!", which I will do now. I'm sure we can collect a great collection of wonderfully horrific tales of woe. A great example of what NOT to do...
 
Not quite correct. I was told to open the door of an enclosed 3 pole, 347 / 600 volt fused disconnect and do my level best to keep it dry until the surgeons had completed their task. I know I've written of this in greater detail some years ago but it may have been on ProSound.
Here's a little more background for you.
The main sub and this secondary sub were in the basement.
This was nearing the end of what had been approximately a two year extensive renovation project. I'd been transferred to this site only about six months prior to this point. The entire project had added two new six story wings plus basements and HVAC penthouses. Once the hospital had transferred into their two new wings, we gutted one original wing clear to the basement floor slab retaining only the roof and four exterior walls. New floor slabs were formed and poured all the way up including conduits, plumbing, drains, vents medical gasses, Lamson tubes; all the accoutrements of building a hospital. I came on board for the final phase which was extending the length of the remaining three story wing along with its basement and HVAC penthouse. This last wing was "Emergency" and radiology at ground level, obstetrics on the second floor and surgery and recovery on the third. A V12 diesel emergency back-up generator was the last major element craned into the penthouse before the roof was completed.
You're getting the picture. Basically the project had totally renovated the hospital while keeping it fully operational throughout. As soon as possible, the hospital shifted temporarily into their new wings knowing full well they'd be moving internally one last time once all aspects of their reno' was completed. Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital remains the only hospital in Burlington and it's situated immediately adjacent to the shore of Lake Ontario. Picturesque on one hand but a wickedly cold and windy place to be building in the middle of a Canadian winter. The reason water was pouring out of the live 347 / 600 volt switch.
One of the general contractor's minions had a portion of the obstetrics floor slab supposedly sealed off by sheets of clear, thin, plastic hung from the ceiling with little more than duck / duct tape and was pneumatically jack-hammering this way through a floor slab. Like a good little minion, he dutifully surrounded his hole with a circle of sand and was using a 5 gallon pail of water in a vain attempt to contain his dust. Suddenly his water vanished down his hole. As he felt his hole was neither large enougn nor deep enough, he added more water. Like a good little laborer, he kept adding more and MORE and MORE water cuz' his boss had told him to use lots of water to keep the dust down. Apparently it never crossed his mind to wonder where all his water was going or why it was all going so well until it disappeared so suddenly. Electricians were basically complete in the area thus none of our guys were around.
Nobody noticed any problem until someone from the hospital's maintenance staff was dispatched to mop up water on the floor of a basement corridor. The fellow mopped up the water and dang if there wasn't more. The maintenance lad eventually summoned his supervisor who had a key permitting him to open a door and see why water was leaking out past the rubber dust gasket across the door's bottom. Imagine their surprise when gallons of water rushed out the moment they opened the door. This little sub substation was little more than a closet approximately six by six or eight by eight feet square with a single porcelain lamp socket on its ceiling and every lick of two walls covered with distribution: 120/208 on one wall and 347/600 on the other. There was even a 347/600 to 120/208 step down transformer towards one corner and lagged to the floor. Staining on the walls indicated the water had reached approximately 4" deep before the maintenance supervisor unlocked and opened the door.
Think about it. The transformer wasn't built to be water tight. It was just your average air-cooled isolation and step-down transformer in an ASA 61 grey metal enclosure with a multitude of ventilation slots punched through its protective enclosure. Had the water risen less than another inch higher the situation would have instantly become far more serious. Meanwhile the source of the water within the room appeared to be an enclosed fused disconnect on the 347/600 wall above a six foot wide 347/600 splitter. The hospital's maintenance supervisor went up his chain of command until the hospital spoke to the general contractor and then the "problem" came back down the chain until an electrical sub-foreman opted to grab the first apprentice he could lay hands on and send him in with a large box of dry rags and tell him to open the switch WITHOUT switching it off and do his level best to keep things dry until told otherwise. I was the new guy on the job and the first apprentice the sub foreman caught sight of. Clad only in my standard issue steel toed boots, mandatory hard hat and hardened glass bi-focals at that point. armed with my tool belt I found myself gingerly defeating the mechanical interlock and opening the switch. The sub foreman never even stood by to watch. Purportedly he had more pressing issues demanding his attention. I've got to get moving. To wrap this up. The hospital has undergone at least two renovations since and a couple of years ago when my mini-stroke resulted in my going blind literally overnight, I found myself regaining consciousness one morning and hearing the sound of the V12 diesel firing up for a test run three stories over my head. In mere seconds I knew EXACTLY where I was. It's funny how life often cycles around and around and around. I worked later on at least two other projects with that same sub-foreman who went on to become a foreman. The last time we spoke he was retired and running the retirees section of our IBEW local. Once the rehab folks got me up and walking with a walker, I suddenly realized I was passing a bank of four elevators and knew exactly where I was AGAIN. Decades before, I had installed the smoke detectors in the tops of those four shafts. There are several more similar tales but it's Fathers' Day and I've a date for a shampoo and shower with a PSW (Personal Service Worker) prior to departing via my son-in-law to a family barbecue where I'll celebrate with the opposite great grand mother in law and everyone down to and including great grand daughters, two dogs and the one remaining cat. Take care @Jay Ashworth and I hope I've covered "the rest of the story."
EDIT: Mis-typed 'off' as 'of'.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
Geez, Ron ... what an initiation. So glad you made it thru that one!
 

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