GE transformer buyer's roundup — I've seen too many facility managers buy a 75 kVA transformer based on the first-line price — and then watch the electric meter spin an extra $3,600 per year because they ignored no-load loss. [...]
Continue Reading
GE transformer buyer's roundup — You have a 75 kVA continuous load that draws 58 A at 480 V — call it 48 kW real, PF ~0.85. The budget says buy a 75 kVA transformer. [...]
Continue Reading
GE transformer buyer's roundup — Most facility managers assume that a transformer's KVA rating is the only number that matters for a panel that gets infrequent attention. That belief is wrong in a way that costs real dollars and downtime. [...]
Continue Reading
GE transformer buyer's roundup — You just signed off on a 150 kVA GE Type QL for a new office wing. The load schedule says 118 kVA, the transformer is rated 150, and the factory test sheet shows 97.8% efficiency at full load. [...]
Continue Reading
GE transformer buyer's roundup — You’ve heard it a hundred times: “A transformer is a hunk of iron and copper — it’ll outlast the building.” That’s true only if you define “outlast” as “still humming while your energy bill bleeds out and your… [...]
Continue Reading
GE transformer buyer's roundup — Every facility engineer who has ever sized a 150 kVA transformer for a half-loaded panel knows the moment of doubt: the unit is 97% efficient on the nameplate, but the enclosure is warm and the electric bill… [...]
Continue Reading
GE transformer buyer's roundup — You install a 150 kVA dry-type transformer for a lighting panel that draws 95 kVA. Two years later a production line gets added—now the same transformer sees 135 kVA, plus harmonics from VFDs. [...]
Continue Reading
GE transformer buyer's roundup — The myth: A “noisy” generator feed is a voltage problem — so any transformer with standard taps will clean it up. [...]
Continue Reading
GE transformer buyer's roundup — The scenario: You’re inside a tight-cooling shelter — a 40-foot ISO container packed with drives, PLCs, and a single 75 kVA transformer. [...]
Continue Reading
GE transformer buyer's roundup — Every maintenance supervisor I talk to has a story: the 150 kVA unit that tripped the feeder breaker at 0600 on a Monday after a weekend of light load. [...]
Continue Reading