Battling the Heat: How Fast Action Restored a Utility’s Switchgear

Be prepared — and recovery quickly — from electrical equipment failures caused by heat and humidity. Circuit Breaker Sales can help.

Summer brings relentless heat and oppressive humidity, pushing infrastructure to its limits. But beyond the discomfort, the extreme conditions have led to a surge in electrical equipment failures — particularly in switchgear systems under heavy load.

At Circuit Breaker Sales, we’ve seen a number of emergency restoration projects. Recently, a catastrophic fault on a Siemens-Allis 15-FSV-500-1200-37 feeder position left a local utility customer scrambling. Their 1200 A feeder had failed during a peak demand period, putting their operations — and customer service — at serious risk.

Our rapid-response team jumped into action. Our field service technicians immediately disassembled and thoroughly cleaned the affected cubicle. Meanwhile, our shop team reconditioned and even fabricated replacement components — all in parallel.

Within just a few days, the system was fully restored, tested, and turned back over to the customer. To minimize downtime, we even provided a reconditioned replacement breaker from our extensive stock, delivered on an expedited schedule.

The result? The utility had its switchgear back online just in time for the next wave of high temperatures.

In situations such as this, removing and replacing circuit breakers can be difficult. This is where an RRS-2 extractor remote racking system from CBS ArcSafe can come in handy, making it easier — and safer — to insert and remove low- and medium-voltage non-rotary circuit breakers.

More vigorous testing and inspection routines can also help to prevent situations such as this one happening in the first place. Group CBS companies are here to help with your testing and inspection needs.

In the world of power distribution, response time and expertise matter — especially when lives, operations, and grid reliability are on the line. Whether you’re facing an emergency outage or planning long-term upgrades, Circuit Breaker Sales is your trusted partner in keeping the power flowing.