Dog Food And An Electrical Whodunnit - An Electrical Contractor SOS

There are times electrical contractors need an expert trained eye to help pinpoint the cause of a problem. This is the story of an unsuspecting dog food factory and an electrical contractor who needed just one more expert on the job.

An otherwise smooth dog food production facility faced a peculiar predicament.  It was being dogged (pardon the frivolity) by a power issue, causing their 150 hp motor to play dead over and over again, causing costly disruptions and venting of not-so-nice aroma of dog food in the cooker.

While we all love Rover, not everyone enjoys the scent of his food simmering in the neighbourhood.  So we dove deep and discovered that their recent modernization efforts had unwittingly unleashed chaos.  In their noble effort to shield the neighbours from the fumes, they integrated a high-frequency plasma air cleaner.  The very expensive equipment designed to help was actually muddying the waters.

A daunting repair bill plus the potential for Ministry of Environment fines were looming large, and as they tried to solve the problem the motor kept breaking down.  You could say they were barking up the wrong tree over and over again in search of the mysterious cause. So the electrical contractor gave us a call.

We brought in a power quality meter that relatively quickly determined the source of the high-level harmonics that were souring the electricity supply. By finding a solution and filtering out the harmonics we not only saved them from a hefty invoice but also put an end to the production stoppages and canine chowder emissions.  

The hero in this story is the electrical contractor who had the wisdom, experience and foresight to recognize the need for some outside expertise.  The plant quickly returned to optimal efficiency, leaving the contractor’s client and neighbours very happy.

Sometimes an electrical whodunnit leads you to the strangest of places, but this case left us pleased we were not only able to help the business and the contractor, but we also made sure Rover got his kibble on time… and on budget!