Is it just me or are you finding

[Gunfighter14e2]

more & more men can't do shit around the house like any type of repairs at all? I understand most don't what to get their hands dirty, but as time goes on it seems more and more can't do shit for their self except throw money at something broke. Yet they think being a good neighbor means you're supposed to drop everything right then, to bail their ass out then pay them for the privilege of fixing their shit.

 

[John L]

See this exact thing everyday at work, younger people can't or won't do shit for themselves around the house. I feel some of this came from the elimination of most "shop" classes in schools. Cars are much harder to work on in your driveway than they were in my youth, I'm 60 now so kids just don't get into this stuff like we did. My friends and I always had crap cars in our teens and had to learn to fix them as we did not have money to pay a shop to do it. Hell many kids would not even know how to start a lawnmower let alone mow the lawn, hey we have a lawn service for that.

 

[MadDuner]

more & more men can't do shit around the house like any type of repairs at all? I understand most don't what to get their hands dirty, but as time goes on it seems more and more can't do shit for their self except throw money at something broke. Yet they think being a good neighbor means you're supposed to drop everything right then, to bail their ass out then pay them for the privilege of fixing their shit.

One more generation and the highest paid person anybody knows will be the handyman who can fix shit - because nobody else will know how.

 

[240nmc]

All is not lost yet... I had a kid working for me on some construction projects while he was going to NASCAR's Tech Institute and all his buddies wanted to work for teams etc... He was thinking about staying in construction and when he told me he had an offer from Porsche/Audio to go through their training program, I told him screwed his buddies and go to the training program. Told him to take on the hardest challenges and get noticed plus he's fluent in spanish and english with no cross accents (first class ticket in today's world)... A couple of years later, he's knocking down 100K a year, no debt, and some of his buddies still can't get jobs with the racing teams... He's got nice cars, nice girlfriend, and debt free life. He's got a friend who went to college and has a BA degree and 100k in student loan debt...(former member of the entitled class who now found the real world...)

Self driven people with technical degrees and go far today and will lap most 4 year degree average college grads.

 

[240nmc]

I used to hire construction program grads and would go to universities to interview. The schools always wanted us to meet the top students. I'd ask to see them and then ask to see students with average grades, work part-time, and have no student loans. The admins would look at me and ask why... I'd shake my head and because they had no concept of a person working themselves through college taking longer to do it and balancing real life in their early 20s. Some of the best hires I ever had were these students.

 

[vinniedelpino]

We also live in a world chock full of cheap Chinese shit.

Frankly, most "stuff" just isn't worth fixing anymore and things that are worth fixing are far more complicated than they used to be. I used to repair basic electronics, appliances, etc. Not anymore. It's just not worth the time and aggravation. I still do basic home repair and auto maintenance, but that's about it.

My first tractor was a 1947 Ford 8n... about as simple as can be and built like a tank. My 14 year old could probably take the whole thing apart and put it back together if he had to.

My current tractor, not so much.... the world is changing and it's changing FAST.

 

[240nmc]

My cousin buys 70s and 80s era JD row crop tractors and refurbishes them and resells and gets as much as they cost when they were new. Farmers are all over the mechanically injected tractors. Just look at the "right to repair" legislation and how all manufacturers are trying to keep the end users and independents from working on them. A combine shuts down in the middle of the night and won't move.... How much to move it to the dealer so they can use their proprietary diagnostics to repair... thousands.

We also live in a world chock full of cheap Chinese shit.

Frankly, most "stuff" just isn't worth fixing anymore and things that are worth fixing are far more complicated than they used to be. I used to repair basic electronics, appliances, etc. Not anymore. It's just not worth the time and aggravation. I still do basic home repair and auto maintenance, but that's about it.

My first tractor was a 1947 Ford 8n... about as simple as can be and built like a tank. My 14 year old could probably take the whole thing apart and put it back together if he had to.

My current tractor, not so much.... the world is changing and it's changing FAST.

 

[vinniedelpino]

My cousin buys 70s and 80s era JD row crop tractors and refurbishes them and resells and gets as much as they cost when they were new. Farmers are all over the mechanically injected tractors. Just look at the "right to repair" legislation and how all manufacturers are trying to keep the end users and independents from working on them. A combine shuts down in the middle of the night and won't move.... How much to move it to the dealer so they can use their proprietary diagnostics to repair... thousands.

No kidding!

I wanted a pre emissions tractor, but around my parts they were pretty banged up insanely expensive so I bailed on the idea.

Then I tried to figure out how to make a <25hp tractor work so I could at least skip the tier 3 emissions nonsense. They're all just a bit too light and underpowered to do what I need it to do.

They've got us by the balls.

Tractor "kits" that skirt the emissions nonsense would be an interesting idea.... Kind of like kit cars and experimental aircraft. I'm not even sure if that's possible but I'd consider it if it was an option the next time around.

 

[DFOOSKING]

Frankly, most "stuff" just isn't worth fixing anymore

They have made a term for this....

"Planned obsolescence...."

They design shit to break every 2-6 years. So that you look at the cost in time/effort and just say, "F it" and go buy a new "better" one.

 

[Mudburner]

This is NO SHIT.
If (some) people today had to kill a chicken to live, they wouldnt know how to do it. If they ever saw where an egg comes from... they'd never eat another one...

On the other hand, I am an A&P licensed aircraft mechanic. I absutely REFUSE to work on my own automotive stuff, unless its easy. I believe in "Hire the Experts", people who do it all day, every day, have the tools, experience, knowledge, and the place to do it. Sometimes it pays to hire the job out. I cant get a tire off/ on a rim to save my life... 10 minutes & $10 later, the local tire shop does it with ease.

I butcher my own deer.

 

[theLBC]

and if they don't know how to fix something, they are oblivious to the many resources to find out.

i am not sure who is to blame.
i was lucky maybe that i grew up with a dad and a garage full of tools.
when my car broke, my dad gave me a shop manual and the parts to fix it.

so many kids these days grew up in an apartment or without a dad to teach them shit.

 

[Maxduty]

there ain't a thing I can't fix around here. My ex wifes coworkers are jealous.

 

[Glowie]

Sorry not enough time in the day to work, fix shit AND prepare for end of times

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

there ain't a thing I can't fix around here. My ex wifes coworkers are jealous.

One day that will haunt you, trust me. Before my wife passed away she would "lone me" (as she called it) out to fix other peoples junk. Either because the hubby was dumb as a rock or no hubby at all. Once she passed away, calls from those w/o a hubby started increasing. As more in the hood found out over the years, the call volume increased.

 

[Nik H]

We got about 8" of very wet and heavy snow today as we live right on the coast. I was out getting the driveway cleared with the snow machine and my neighbor across the street was doing the same. We both have the same machine. His stopped moving and he was pretty pissed off as he had a way to go on a large driveway.

I walked over and said what's the hubbub about? He said it stopped moving forward or in reverse. "This machine sucks. I just had it serviced." I looked and noticed that the drive cable had a lot of slack in it. Went and got a small wrench and adjusted it. Problem solved. I walked away with great satisfaction.

 

[Ronws]

I used to fix a lot of stuff myself. It was easy to do, especially when I was not in charge of people and materials in my job.

However, at almost 60, and being op mgr for a company, I have to have rest and not be skinned and banged up in order to do my job at work, which is to be the brains. So, before fall set in, for the first time, I paid someone else to mow my lawn. I did not have the time and he did a good job.

 

[jpjulian]

They have made a term for this....

"Planned obsolescence...."

They design shit to break every 2-6 years. So that you look at the cost in time/effort and just say, "F it" and go buy a new "better" one.

Which is why I will need to pay $2200 to replace a 6 year old AC unit on the RV we live in in the winter. Just isn't fixable the way it ought to be. But Florida weather requires it.

 

[ZiaHunter]

One more generation and the highest paid person anybody knows will be the handyman who can fix shit - because nobody else will know how.

This^^^^

Was thinking the same thing the other day when a commercial for Angie's list came on. Frankly, I wouldn't let anyone of them near my house. Been fixing and working on things since I was a kid and still enjoy doing so. Worked my way through college as a welder and mechanic on a large ranch and in the oil field. Work as a PM on large construction projects and its tough to find kids who are mechanically inclined and want to work.

 

[canman]

All is not lost yet... I had a kid working for me on some construction projects while he was going to NASCAR's Tech Institute and all his buddies wanted to work for teams etc... He was thinking about staying in construction and when he told me he had an offer from Porsche/Audio to go through their training program, I told him screwed his buddies and go to the training program. Told him to take on the hardest challenges and get noticed plus he's fluent in spanish and english with no cross accents (first class ticket in today's world)... A couple of years later, he's knocking down 100K a year, no debt, and some of his buddies still can't get jobs with the racing teams... He's got nice cars, nice girlfriend, and debt free life. He's got a friend who went to college and has a BA degree and 100k in student loan debt...(former member of the entitled class who now found the real world...)

Self driven people with technical degrees and go far today and will lap most 4 year degree average college grads.

I taught at NTI for a few years before I went full time Fire Service. I had a few students go the Porsche/Audi program. They are all doing well. Even got through the 2008 crash without a scratch.

 

[thejeep]

We got about 8" of very wet and heavy snow today as we live right on the coast. I was out getting the driveway cleared with the snow machine and my neighbor across the street was doing the same. We both have the same machine. His stopped moving and he was pretty pissed off as he had a way to go on a large driveway.

I walked over and said what's the hubbub about? He said it stopped moving forward or in reverse. "This machine sucks. I just had it serviced." I looked and noticed that the drive cable had a lot of slack in it. Went and got a small wrench and adjusted it. Problem solved. I walked away with great satisfaction.

I heard a saw running in the neighborhood, but sadly it was not in tune and just sounded really sick. I grabbed mine and searched out the location and asked if I could help. 6 min later I finished what had taken them an hour and a half. The wife brought me some cookies the next day. For a little extra I would have addressed carb tuning.

 

[lastshot12]

These days, robots are the ones putting together electronic gadgets. The parts are so tricky to remove and swap out that it's a real challenge for us regular folks and even if you manage to track them down, they're not easy to handle. When my gear conks out, my go-to move is usually to hunt down another one just like it that's still ticking. Then I break down the busted one for spare parts, hoping they'll keep the good one going strong.

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

In the world I retired from (EPG) the MFG's are trying to fuck over the end user just as hard as the service side. In Some Automatic Transfer switches the coil clearing contacts are not available for sale, those MFG's will tell you its to dangerous to replace them but they will sell you a complete mechanism at 35-38% off. Most will go that route as the word dangerous, and 35-38% off chews on them. Replacement contacts,... CAN,... be had under a different part number from the parts OEM. The replacement set has a 600Vac 25 amp rating vs the installed of 370 & 15 amp.

The complete mech my cost on a 3 pole 400 amp was $2,300.00 and went up depending amp rating & pole count. The replacement contacts I used were $25.00 for a set of 10 (lowest ct the oem would sell) on site labor was less than 20 minutes. Which to replace the mech took about 1 hr, not counting the unhook, lug up, unlug, and rehook up the mech, as most could not have the power of for more than 2-3 minutes, depending venue. In a Hospital or such the charge to change a complete mech could get rich real quick, vs just R&R'ing the contacts.

The closer most of us got to retirement the more & more, we started seeing this type of B/S pop up. It had been happening for years with Primemover (engine) crap, Most of us were of the mind the MFG's want to do away with service in general, and if your xyz broke just buy a new one. Course they want they old one for "Scrap",....Scrap yea right, install 2 bucks worth of parts & sell in on the secondary market.

 

[Ronws]

In the world I retired from (EPG) the MFG's are trying to fuck over the end user just as hard as the service side. In Some Automatic Transfer switches the coil clearing contacts are not available for sale, those MFG's will tell you its to dangerous to replace them but they will sell you a complete mechanism at 35-38% off. Most will go that route as the word dangerous, and 35-38% off chews on them. Replacement contacts,... CAN,... be had under a different part number from the parts OEM. The replacement set has a 600Vac 25 amp rating vs the installed of 370 & 15 amp.

The complete mech my cost on a 3 pole 400 amp was $2,300.00 and went up depending amp rating & pole count. The replacement contacts I used were $25.00 for a set of 10 (lowest ct the oem would sell) on site labor was less than 20 minutes. Which to replace the mech took about 1 hr, not counting the unhook, lug up, unlug, and rehook up the mech, as most could not have the power of for more than 2-3 minutes, depending venue. In a Hospital or such the charge to change a complete mech could get rich real quick, vs just R&R'ing the contacts.

The closer most of us got to retirement the more & more, we started seeing this type of B/S pop up. It had been happening for years with Primemover (engine) crap, Most of us were of the mind the MFG's want to do away with service in general, and if your xyz broke just buy a new one. Course they want they old one for "Scrap",....Scrap yea right, install 2 bucks worth of parts & sell in on the secondary market.

Yeah, when I was studying for a EE degree (I did not finish,) we took digital troubleshooting classes where you have a sequence generator and find the spot in the circuit where it is failing to go through. By the time you get to a real company where you could use that skill, they don't. In fact, one local company I worked for in a short duration did pagers, two-radios (mobile and base station and DTMF radios to use like telephones.) They had a guy who would heat up a board from a defective unit and clean off the old parts and test the circuit paths. Even that became too expensive in labor. Just turn them in for credit and get new ones.

Right now, I have been trying to find dimensions on some connector kits for a PRL4 (Eaton) switch gear. We bought the connector kit but the old blank that someone else cut looks like crap. Well, it turns out that Eaton does not stamp cut for gear switches in a bunch of heights. You have to put on the stamped piece you have and then add spacers. I am trying to find the height dimension. I may just have to buy a kit of them at $100. A 1X and a 3X.

We added a 200 amp panel to a house that has a 240 volt single phase with high leg (so we have to use a 3 pole breaker though only using two of the lady fingers.)

In addition, the connector kit comes with the breaker stand that the back of the breaker stands on. the holes are unthreaded for the bolts they sent with it.

Great googly moogly. So, the crew had to stop and get a tap (which we never need here) on the way to pull in some #3/0 and finish power to a panel that will feed a big pool with 3 pumps and a heat pump / chiller and also a powder room that needs 100 amps of 120/240.

Why does every damn step have to be a fight?

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

We added a 200 amp panel to a house that has a 240 volt single phase with high leg (so we have to use a 3 pole breaker though only using two of the lady fingers.)

What is the voltage on that high leg? If its 208 to neutral you're on a 3 phase transformer & someone hooked up your single phase legs wrong.
Or do you have a buck boost in line, because your so far from the primary?

 

[Ronws]

What is the voltage on that high leg? If its 208 to neutral you're on a 3 phase transformer & someone hooked up your single phase legs wrong.
Or do you have a buck boost in line, because your so far from the primary?

This particular gear was installed quite some time ago and passed inspection then. Usually in the Metro area, a high leg is going to be 208 volt. Even though you can call it 3 phase, I have personally called it 240/120 single phase with a high leg.

Other electricians added a switch some time ago and cut the blank plate, probably because they could not get one stamped for the height needed. Width is no problem. Connector we did receive leaves about a 4 inch gap that needs blank fillers, as it were. I don't know how tall the fillers are so that I could know how many to order,

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

You're hooked to 3 Phase, High leg delta. The phase tape is saying the same thing. The delta winding can not be ctr tapped, which is why any phase to phase is 240Vac, two of the 3 legs to neutral is 120Vac, but the third is 208Vac. You can get a high leg on single phase but you'll need a buck/boost trans to do it.

 

[Ronws]

You're hooked to 3 Phase, High leg delta. The phase tape is saying the same thing. The delta winding can not be ctr tapped, which is why any phase to phase is 240Vac, two of the 3 legs to neutral is 120Vac, but the third is 208Vac. You can get a high leg on single phase but you'll need a buck/boost trans to do it.

Correct, it is 3 phase delta.

Which is the only way it would work.

In times past, I dealt with 3 phase in commercial installations. So, there, on a school, of which I did 11 years, you get a 480 volt wye. Your separate legs are 277 and between any two is 480. And use a transformer to get to 120/208.

A long time ago, I wanted to puzzle out why it is in 3 phase power calculations, you find current by taking volt amps divided by the result of your voltage times 1.72. So, I had some skull sweat and figured it out through spherical trigonometry. I was a bit of a math geek at times. Not a genius, just dabbling.

Then I worked with a guy from the Ukraine who built power plants there and he had the simpler solution just using that mean old greek guy's idea. In a right triangle, a^2 + b^2 = c^2. c=2, a=1. (2^2 - 1^2)^.5 = 1.72.

So, when I encounter 240 volt 3 phase (delta,) I may call it wrong but we are still only getting 2 legs of 120 that together make 240 and the other is the high leg of 208. Which is just about useless, these days. a = 120 volts, c=240V. So, b= (c6@ - a^2)^.5. (240^2 - 120^2)^.5 = 207.846, rougly 208.

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

Correct, it is 3 phase delta.

Which is the only way it would work.

Not really, unless you are using the 208 leg for control or direct. You can wire the/a generator or use a 120/208 transformer and either raise the genset to 127/220 or retap the trans to the same and it will supply most any device w/o issue, wired 120/208 or 120/240 w/o dicking with the high leg.

So, there, on a school, of which I did 11 years, you get a 480 volt wye. Your separate legs are 277 and between any two is 480. And use a transformer to get to 120/208.

You can ctr tap the 480 to get 240 as well. Many ways to skin electrical devices You can also run a 240Vac motor via a transformer by inputting 277 on one leg and the other leg gets a buck of 35-40Vac out of phase. Its call voltage potential for a reason.

EPG was my bag of tricks for many many years.

 

[45-90]

Schools are graduating kids who can not read, write, or do math at grade level...many schools its 100% bad, even at $50,000 per student, none were reading at grade level.
So they won't work, they don't have to.
Play video games, and hang out, & get high, are top priorities.
AI & robotics will save them, from having to knowing anything worthwhile, or having to do anything for themselves.

 

[Ronws]

Not really, unless you are using the 208 leg for control or direct. You can wire the/a generator or use a 120/208 transformer and either raise the genset to 127/220 or retap the trans to the same and it will supply most any device w/o issue, wired 120/208 or 120/240 w/o dicking with the high leg.

You can ctr tap the 480 to get 240 as well. Many ways to skin electrical devices You can also run a 240Vac motor via a transformer by inputting 277 on one leg and the other leg gets a buck of 35-40Vac out of phase. Its call voltage potential for a reason.

EPG was my bag of tricks for many many years.

Also true. We don't often encounter a 3 phase delta. And I have not worked in the power distribution industry.

Started out as a ditch bitch and some romex jockey and then a lot of bending pipe and pulling wire. Building main electrical rooms. Last big high school I worked on in 2007-08 was a 64 acre campus. I put together Sq D QO switch gear for main building, a 3 section on one houskeeping pedestal and a 2 section on the other. I had to complete and sign meg test logs, complete and sign torque logs. Then built the gear for the separate athletic building.

Ran a few commercial jobs, as well.

Got a big fat license which only means that I answered enough questions on a test correctly and had enough verifiable years. Over the years, I have learned that the license doesn't mean much.

There are so many branches of specialty. I have learned that all of the other experience I had did not mean much when getting into swimming pool electrical. That is a world unto itself with its own section in the NEC book. And I don't have the math skills to count high is the number of times we have had to correct the wiring of a simple GFCI outlet (required for pool lighting) that was installed by some other soi-disant "electrician."

I have always respected the lineman. My FIL was a lineman for the LCRA (Lower Colorado River Authority) in south Texas. He climbed poles with spikes and a harness. Back in the late 40's, when he came back from WWII (PFC in the (9th USAF, 410 LIght Bomber Group, 646th Squadron,) they pulled poles into holes with mule teams in some of the rural areas where you could not get a truck.

Even today, these are the guys that go out in nasty weather and get your power back on. And ride in those bucket trucks so that most people would have ass cheeks clenched so tight that you could not drive in a sewing needle with a 15 lb hammer.

Tallest bucket I have been on is a 60 foot, changing lamps in the parking lot lights at a shopping mall.

 

[Maxduty]

One day that will haunt you, trust me. Before my wife passed away she would "lone me" (as she called it) out to fix other peoples junk. Either because the hubby was dumb as a rock or no hubby at all. Once she passed away, calls from those w/o a hubby started increasing. As more in the hood found out over the years, the call volume increased.

Hell, I recently replaced the high pressure AC line in her car due to a hole. Saved her a ton of money on labor (wait, I bought the part too) but had her take it to a shop to have it pulled down and recharged. They even commented the line looked factory, not replaced and they couldn't find any leaks. Think I had to take about half the front end of to do it too and still had it done in an afternoon.

TLDR, she's out of here and I'm still fixing her shit.

 

[Big Bo]

A few years back co-worker is late to work. I ask did you over sleep? He said no, I had a flat and had to call AAA. I asked why didn`t you change the tire? He said he did not know how to do it. Another time I see his car backing up in the parking lot and a brake light is out. I tell him you brake light is out. He says I will have to take it to the shop and have them fix it. I asked don`t you know how to change a brake bulb? No he said. I had some and told him to open the hatch. Told him to watch what I was doing. Changed out the bulb, checked the the brake illuminated. He asked, where did you learn to do that kind of stuff? I said when you are broke you learn to fix it or pay to have it fixed. Some of the other guys shook their heads and laughed.

 

[Ronws]

A few years back co-worker is late to work. I ask did you over sleep? He said no, I had a flat and had to call AAA. I asked why didn`t you change the tire? He said he did not know how to do it. Another time I see his car backing up in the parking lot and a brake light is out. I tell him you brake light is out. He says I will have to take it to the shop and have them fix it. I asked don`t you know how to change a brake bulb? No he said. I had some and told him to open the hatch. Told him to watch what I was doing. Changed out the bulb, checked the the brake illuminated. He asked, where did you learn to do that kind of stuff? I said when you are broke you learn to fix it or pay to have it fixed. Some of the other guys shook their heads and laughed.

And then he told you to go be poor somewhere else. And that, your Honor, is when the melee started...

 

[308pirate]

A few years back co-worker is late to work. I ask did you over sleep? He said no, I had a flat and had to call AAA. I asked why didn`t you change the tire? He said he did not know how to do it. Another time I see his car backing up in the parking lot and a brake light is out. I tell him you brake light is out. He says I will have to take it to the shop and have them fix it. I asked don`t you know how to change a brake bulb? No he said. I had some and told him to open the hatch. Told him to watch what I was doing. Changed out the bulb, checked the the brake illuminated. He asked, where did you learn to do that kind of stuff? I said when you are broke you learn to fix it or pay to have it fixed. Some of the other guys shook their heads and laughed.

Lol that's about as pussy as a guy can get

 

[roostercogburn98]

A few years back co-worker is late to work. I ask did you over sleep? He said no, I had a flat and had to call AAA. I asked why didn`t you change the tire? He said he did not know how to do it. Another time I see his car backing up in the parking lot and a brake light is out. I tell him you brake light is out. He says I will have to take it to the shop and have them fix it. I asked don`t you know how to change a brake bulb? No he said. I had some and told him to open the hatch. Told him to watch what I was doing. Changed out the bulb, checked the the brake illuminated. He asked, where did you learn to do that kind of stuff? I said when you are broke you learn to fix it or pay to have it fixed. Some of the other guys shook their heads and laughed.

Can you teach me to change a tire?

 

[Rocketvapor]

I haven't paid to have anyone fix anything for me, EVER.
HVAC, Plumbing, Engine/Transmission.
We bought a second hand 2003 Tundra with over 150,000 miles.
7 years later, a few small repairs and now has 222,000 miles.
Saw no evidence of a timing belt change so the wife and I did it in the front yard.
Belt, idler pulleys, hoses and water pump. Made a jumper box to bleed the ABS.
Serviced transmission and upgraded a couple servos.
Started one morning and had the truck running that evening. Finished up the next day.
Took twice as long as a shop. The young wife is a plus

Taking it to Texas to see a new Great Grand Child.

 

[MadDuner]

Not really, unless you are using the 208 leg for control or direct. You can wire the/a generator or use a 120/208 transformer and either raise the genset to 127/220 or retap the trans to the same and it will supply most any device w/o issue, wired 120/208 or 120/240 w/o dicking with the high leg.

You can ctr tap the 480 to get 240 as well. Many ways to skin electrical devices You can also run a 240Vac motor via a transformer by inputting 277 on one leg and the other leg gets a buck of 35-40Vac out of phase. Its call voltage potential for a reason.

EPG was my bag of tricks for many many years.

Center tap works for most things, but 139v to neutral freaks people out. I sell lots of transformers. We run double-delta for single phase folks.

My newly leased building has a 3-phase receptacle that’s wired 120/120/277/ground - and only single phase load centers in the building... ???

 

[Green461]

Year after I graduated was the last year my HS taught auto mechanics and tech ed..so 1995 it was all canceled. So all the people basically 46 years and younger lost out.. I see it everywhere. So many people dont know basic stuff. We been in this electrical age for how long? and how many people dont know the difference between an amp and a volt? EVERYTHING depends on it from home, auto, computers, And how to take care of the most vital things in your life... house, car, and so many people today cant even boil water let alone cook. Too much reliance on others, entitlement, mommy and daddy issues... all these people need everyone else to take care of them..
What I dont get is its all free on the internet to learn. 25+ years ago trying to research something was a pain in the azz... yet somehow people are dumber today. Blows my mind.

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

Center tap works for most things, but 139v to neutral freaks people out. I sell lots of transformers. We run double-delta for single phase folks.

My newly leased building has a 3-phase receptacle that’s wired 120/120/277/ground - and only single phase load centers in the building... ???

Same as when you send guys to Canada.
Hey man they want 347/600 but this genset is wired 277/480 how do I rewire it?
You have a pocket screwdriver?
Yes.
Then turn the voltage pot on the reg to get 600 P/P and reset the roll off to 588 at 57.5 hertz and call it a day.

Double delta is common but if you have a slight imbalance on single phase, wire it dog leg. The gen set could care less most of the time, but if someone sized it wrong the dog leg will cover the load better and will lower alt heat a little. You won't run into that very often except in older installs where they just keep adding load as time goes on. The D/G will also give you a slight cushion, until you talk them into a larger set, or more Alt if the prime has enough left to cover the larger alt.

Changing to a bigger alt then upping the primes HP by hanging turbos, changing timing & fuel rate is a cheap alternative to a complete new set depending. Years ago made tons of money doing that, The older small stuff (1Mw & down) like Detroit's, Cummins, Cats, could be bumped up 30-50% KW/e by doing that.

 

[MadDuner]

Same as when you send guys to Canada.
Hey man they want 347/600 but this genset is wired 277/480 how do I rewire it?
You have a pocket screwdriver?
Yes.
Then turn the voltage pot on the reg to get 600 P/P and reset the roll off to 588 at 57.5 hertz and call it a day.

Double delta is common but if you have a slight imbalance on single phase, wire it dog leg. The gen set could care less most of the time, but if someone sized it wrong the dog leg will cover the load better and will lower alt heat a little. You won't run into that very often except in older installs where they just keep adding load as time goes on. The D/G will also give you a slight cushion, until you talk them into a larger set, or more Alt if the prime has enough left to cover the larger alt.

Changing to a bigger alt then upping the primes HP by hanging turbos, changing timing & fuel rate is a cheap alternative to a complete new set depending. Years ago made tons of money doing that, The older small stuff (1Mw & down) like Detroit's, Cummins, Cats, could be bumped up 30-50% KW/e by doing that.

We only build the little stuff.
400KWe and down.... but all new, and mainly prime/mobile applications.

T4F sucks!

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

My newly leased building has a 3-phase receptacle that’s wired 120/120/277/ground - and only single phase load centers in the building... ???

Missed that sorry
Someone may have wired in a Buck Boost trans somewhere? What is the potential between the 277 & 120 legs, as well as the 277 to Ground not neutral? Also what is the potential between each leg to ground? Then the neutral to ground potential as well? Also see if you get a Hertz diff, making sure you are using a true RMS zero crossover meter.

 

[MadDuner]

Missed that sorry
Someone may have wired in a Buck Boost trans somewhere? What is the potential between the 277 & 120 legs, as well as the 277 to Ground not neutral? Also what is the potential between each leg to ground? Then the neutral to ground potential as well? Also see if you get a Hertz diff, making sure you are using a true RMS zero crossover meter.

I hadn’t even looked into it.

I just taped over the receptacle to keep my guys from blowing up the load bank again. LOL

 

[Gunfighter14e2]

Seen some funny shit with load banks over the years. They are always great to be around during winter. At Disney World (Fla) they wanted to bank their 2Mw UPS doing a 24hr no break. We had a 1500 (unity or reactive) on site but was only using a 1Mw in unity as Cat (Rozer tampa) brought their meg. Everything was good until about the 21st hr when the cables on Cats bank started getting past warm, we had told them while hooking up they needed another cable per, but what did we know about anything? Told cat we'd just add the rest of ours and they could wind theirs awhile. Skeg'ed the sequence in 100 & 50KW steps but Cat fucked up and dropped 500 when they were supposed to only drop 50. Recorder alarms went off so the clock reset and 24 hrs later we started wind'ing the banks to go home. What a Chinese fire drill.

Banking is the most boring job there is in the EPG world to me, well unless you're at IBM in Tampa with an Indian (Dot not feather) incharge and tied up to their 501KB allison. Even the guys from US turbine were laughing, before that job was over.