Click on question marks below to get answers to these frequently-asked questions.
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Where are bus plugs used?
Bus plugs, or bus duct switches, are used in manufacturing and industrial plants to distribute power in a convenient accessible way about the facility. Electrical bus plugs are used with busway to quickly tap feeders off the busway for power to panels, production equipment, and motors.
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Why are bus plugs used?
Bus duct with bus plugs or bus switches allow the easy addition or relocation of production equipment. The electrical feeder to a machine can simply be relocated to another bus plug in the bus duct. And it is easy to add a bus plug or bus switch to bus duct or bus way.
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What are the dangers of bus plugs and bus switches?
Bus plugs are an effective switching mechanism, but can be very dangerous to install or remove from an energized bus duct.
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Do all bus plugs have fuses in them?
No, some bus plugs have circuit breakers and some have fused switches.
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What other names might be used for bus plugs?
Bus plugs are sometimes referred to as buss plugs, bus switches, fusible type bus plugs, and circuit breaker type bus plugs.
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We just relocated a bus plug. This bus plug has a circuit breaker in it. My electrician recommended replacing this bus plug with one having fuses instead of a circuit breaker. He said fuses were quicker. I though he was joking, giving me the ‘run around’ so to speak. Anyway, he was serious and said something about less arcing if something went wrong. What’s he talking about? We don’t have just one bus plug, we have about 75. This could cost $1000’s.
Fuses in a bus plug will interrupt an electrical fault much faster than a circuit breaker. Therefore a fused bus plug will limit the amount of electrical arcing during a fault better than a circuit breaker. A bus plug with a circuit breaker may take 25 times as long to interrupt a fault than a bus plug with fuses. A bus plug with a breaker may take 1/10th of a second to interrupt a fault. A bus plug with fuses might only take 1/240th of a second. This is a tremendous difference during an arc flash. See Arc Flash Hazards or NFPA 70E. But there is one advantage using a circuit breaker. When a circuit breaker trips, it opens all three phases. A fused bus plug might “single phase,” ie blow just one or two fuses of the three fuses. Motors can be damaged by “single phasing.” So a bus plug with fuses may protect people better than a bus plug with a circuit breaker. But a bus plug with breakers may protect motors better.
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Does MIDWEST Switchgear Division offer bus plugs (buss plugs)?
Yes, you can purchase a new or reconditioned bus plug (buss plugs) from us.
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