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Making the Case for Data Center Maintenance

By Conduit
Proper acceptance testing, preventive maintenance, and a recovery plan go a long way toward eliminating facility failures. Below are a few painful lessons learned from the field. Telecom Provider Learns More is Not Always Better This owner was performing generator testing with 100% block loading every week, causing insulation breakdown in the alternators. As a result, they experienced damage to multiple alternators leading to two generator failures and prompting testing of all their generators to...
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November 16, 2022
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Nine Key Components to Consider When Developing an Electrical Safety Program

By Conduit
The discovery and harnessing of electricity changed the world more than any other invention. Unfortunately, electricity can be a serious workplace hazard, potentially causing severe employee injuries and property damage. In the United States, one person dies every day from an electrical incident. As a result, many companies need help creating a plan to protect their employees that includes the appropriate use of engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment (PPE). This can be...
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October 25, 2022
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What P&D Has Meant to Me: From Joe Perry, PE, Former V.P. & Chief Electrical Engineer and the Oldest, Living P&D Electrical Engineer

By Conduit

In the Beginning 1973 was an extraordinary time in my life; my family and I moved to Atlanta and started our new adventure. A big part of that adventure was starting work at Patterson & Dewar Engineers, Inc., which turned out to be one of the most satisfying experiences in my life. In high school, I always wanted to be an electrical engineer. A neighbor who was an engineer and another friend who was a…

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September 21, 2022
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Grounding Gotchas: Common Testing Mistakes

By Conduit
Grounding in electrical systems is a simple concept – theoretically. When it comes to testing, grounding quickly becomes more complicated. Grounding system testing is based on mathematical formulas comparing the system under test to "remote" earth and can't account for real-world installations. Site testing is complicated by connections to other grounding systems and other grounded equipment that can influence the results, such as water and gas pipes, building steel, concrete footings, and any nearby buried...
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August 23, 2022
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Creating a Comprehensive Employee Development Program: A Case Study

By Conduit
Once Upon a Time at HP&D In 2018, Hood Patterson & Dewar (HP&D) was struggling with the same concerns many companies encounter as they expand: how do you retain the culture that made you a success while transferring knowledge to new employees? Our leaders realized we needed a comprehensive employee development program to address these concerns, but they were unsure how to start. They decided to bring in a dedicated employee who could focus on...
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July 6, 2022
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Rely on your Relays: Best Testing Practices

By Conduit

Relay Testing Background Nearly all complex relays installed today are microprocessor-based. Relays no longer use a disk and magnetic fields to determine the overload condition, instead they rely on complex circuitry, programming, and user input settings to protect the facility. Each relay manufacturer utilizes different programming interfaces and languages and offers varying levels of customization. The various functions utilize an input (current, power, voltage, frequency) with or without a directional element to trigger a user-defined pick-up….

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June 29, 2022
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OSHA Program Designed to “Beat the Heat”

By Conduit
When OSHA launched the first-ever National Emphasis Program (NEP) on heat hazards in April of this year, the Hood Patterson & Dewar Safety & Health Services Team was way ahead of the curve. In the summer of 2021, our Safety Director and Safety Manager created special training for our employees on heat-related illness and emergency responses when they hosted “Summer Safety: Beat the Heat” Lunch & Learn. Their goal was for employees to be empowered...
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May 17, 2022
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Data Center Construction: Why Standardization & Integration are Important

By Conduit

Data center owners want their new facilities to be completed on time, on budget, and operating as intended. This doesn’t seem like a particularly difficult task – except it is. Ask most people involved in data center construction, and they can give you tales of woe about projects gone wrong. All construction follows a similar path to completion: the owner identifies the need and budgets for a new facility, hires a design engineer, and awards…

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April 20, 2022
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Data Center Miscoordination: A Case Study

By Conduit

The NEC requires over current protective devices (OCPD) to protect cables from overheating and catching fire which is achieved using long-time (LT) breaker settings. The NEC also provides guidance on ground fault (GF) and ground fault delay (GFD) settings. Additional settings on OCPDs include long-time delay (LTD), short-time (SD), short-time delay (STD), and instantaneous (I), which can be adjusted and coordinated to protect personnel and equipment from dangerous fault currents. If the only goal was…

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March 10, 2022
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Fit for Life? Avoid Equipment Failures

By Conduit

Fitness centers are busy at the start of each new year as people renew their commitments to health and fitness with the help of sophisticated electronic equipment such as treadmills, exercise bikes, and stair climbers. One such facility contacted us desperate for help with repeated electrical problems, including variable frequency drive (VFD) failures, fitness equipment control screens locking up and requiring frequent reboots, and physical damage to electronic components requiring replacement. Building managers frequently blame…

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February 14, 2022
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