For three years in a row, a particularly large three-phase motor would fail twice a year. The facility maintenance manager called in both the electrical contractor and the motor manufacturer, who pointed fingers at each other but failed to resolve anything on site.
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Ever fixed something and still not solved the problem? Sometimes multiple deficiencies can all cause the same symptoms.
Because power quality issues are difficult to pinpoint, clients often reach the wrong conclusions about their power issues. That often leads to expensive solutions that don't actually correct the underlying problem.
A large commercial building had just finished an elevator equipment upgrade - but they hadn't been able to bring the elevator back into normal operation.
This case history comes from an electrical contractor. Several of this contractor's clients operate large commercial buildings.
Motor failures can be mysterious. Often, the mechanical loads on the motors have not changed and other loads connected to the same service appear to work normally - yet, the motors just fail.
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This case history involves the investigation of a utility transformer failure that occurred in a rural area surrounded mostly by farmland and open space. The failure occurred in a location where power quality problems are rare.
One winter morning, the electrician received a call from a local school. The caller said a transformer supplying power to three portable classrooms was making a chattering noise, as if something were loose inside.
A small city gets its water from a mountain lake 30 miles away. A pumping system at the lake brings water up a short incline and into a long gravity pipeline that feeds the city's water distribution system.
The engineer carries a Fluke 43B on all trouble calls, because it provides a graphical display that allows customers to see a picture of the problem.