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Ecmweb 18511 Red Quiz Question Mark Background 1
Ecmweb 18511 Red Quiz Question Mark Background 1

Electrical Troubleshooting Quiz — April 3, 2018

April 3, 2018
Do you know where to find the cause of repeated production line failures?

The plant has 18 productions lines. The electricians are responsible for the preventive maintenance on the controls, motors, and power distribution for each line.

The new plant engineer has asked why some of these lines have almost no failures and others need a repair ticket at least once a month. The lines are all similar, so it’s a good question. Nobody knows the answer, but the maintenance manager verified all the PMs are being completed on time, and the production superintendent verified all operators are properly qualified.

The plant engineer has tasked you with finding out why there is such a variance. Where should you start?

Are all the high and low failure rate lines on different feeders? If you have a high and low failure rate line on the same feeder, a power quality issue is not the common cause. Still, test for voltage imbalance, low power factor, and similar power quality issues.

Inspect the electrical system bonding on each line. Bonding deficiencies can mean undesired current is taking paths through equipment to get back to the source. Don’t rely on building steel or other indirect paths; the equipment grounding conductor needs to be the path.

Finally, look at who is doing the PMs on which equipment. You may find a correlation with failure rates; solve the training and procedure issues.

About the Author

Mark Lamendola

Mark is an expert in maintenance management, having racked up an impressive track record during his time working in the field. He also has extensive knowledge of, and practical expertise with, the National Electrical Code (NEC). Through his consulting business, he provides articles and training materials on electrical topics, specializing in making difficult subjects easy to understand and focusing on the practical aspects of electrical work.

Prior to starting his own business, Mark served as the Technical Editor on EC&M for six years, worked three years in nuclear maintenance, six years as a contract project engineer/project manager, three years as a systems engineer, and three years in plant maintenance management.

Mark earned an AAS degree from Rock Valley College, a BSEET from Columbia Pacific University, and an MBA from Lake Erie College. He’s also completed several related certifications over the years and even was formerly licensed as a Master Electrician. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and past Chairman of the Kansas City Chapters of both the IEEE and the IEEE Computer Society. Mark also served as the program director for, a board member of, and webmaster of, the Midwest Chapter of the 7x24 Exchange. He has also held memberships with the following organizations: NETA, NFPA, International Association of Webmasters, and Institute of Certified Professional Managers.

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