New machine connections
Feeder, disconnect and final connection for a machine arriving on site — sized from the nameplate and the actual supply, not from what the last machine in that spot used.
Getting power to machinery — new installs, relocations, replacements and the equipment that arrived with a cord, a manual in another language, and no idea what it needs. Sized to the nameplate, wired to run.
From a single machine connection to powering out a reconfigured shop floor.
Feeder, disconnect and final connection for a machine arriving on site — sized from the nameplate and the actual supply, not from what the last machine in that spot used.
Disconnecting, capping off and re-feeding equipment being moved within a shop or in from another site. Includes checking rotation after the move, which matters on pumps, augers and anything directional.
Equipment bought used or brought in from overseas that does not match the supply here — different voltage, different phase, different plug, or a control voltage nothing local runs on. Sorted out before it gets energised.
Moving a layout around: new drops, relocated receptacles, removing abandoned circuits, extending distribution, and getting power where the machines are going rather than where they used to be.
Vehicle hoists and shop lifts, jib and bridge cranes, chain hoists — supply, disconnects, pendant and control wiring, and the interlocks that come with them.
Compressor supply and controls, pump circuits and float or pressure control, exhaust and make-up-air fans, dust collection and ventilation equipment.
Welding receptacles, plasma and heavy tool circuits, and the feeders behind them. Sized for what is actually plugged in rather than what was there when the shop was built.
Trailer and skid-mounted equipment, sea-can power and lighting, yard and portable equipment, and wiring that has to survive being towed and left outside all winter.
Shop-built machinery, modified equipment, purpose-built control and power for something that does not exist anywhere else. See electrical controls for the control side.
Machine wiring goes wrong in predictable ways, and almost all of them trace back to a decision made before the wire was pulled. The information that matters:
A lot of good equipment turns up second-hand, and a fair amount of it does not match what is on the wall. Common cases: a three-phase machine going into a single-phase shop, 575 V equipment going into a 208 V building, 50 Hz equipment, or control voltage that assumes a supply that does not exist here. None of that is necessarily a dead end — but it needs to be identified before installation, because the fix is usually a transformer, a drive, or a control change rather than a different plug.
Worth checking before you buy: send a photo of the nameplate. Five minutes on the phone before the machine is on a truck is a great deal cheaper than finding out after it is sitting on your floor.
Any three-phase machine that has been moved, re-fed or reconnected gets rotation confirmed before it is run in anger. Pumps, augers, fans, compressors and gearboxes can be damaged by running backwards, and on some equipment the only symptom is that it works badly rather than obviously wrong. Running current is checked on all legs once it is under load, which also catches a supply or connection problem early.
Work that requires an electrical permit gets one. Grasse Electric operates as a licensed electrical contractor in Alberta, and permitted work is inspected by the authority having jurisdiction. If you are not sure whether your job needs a permit, ask — it is a short answer.
Usually yes. Depending on the machine and the horsepower, the common routes are a variable-frequency drive used as a phase converter for a single motor, a rotary phase converter for a shop with several machines, or upgrading the service to three-phase if the utility can supply it. Each has trade-offs in cost, capacity and how well it suits the machine. Send the nameplate and it can be talked through.
Yes — it happens constantly. The nameplate, the terminal markings and the motor itself usually contain enough to work from, and anything ambiguous gets confirmed by measurement before it is energised.
Often, yes — new circuits and feeders generally do. Straight like-for-like replacement of a failed component usually does not. It is worth asking rather than assuming; permitted work is a normal part of the job, not an obstacle.
That is the better order to do it in. A short site visit before delivery catches supply, panel capacity, disconnect location and routing problems while they are still cheap to solve.
Send the nameplate photo and where it is going — you will get a straight answer on what it needs.