Browse Store A major busway failure can turn into a building-wide problem very quickly.
Earlier this year, an electrical contractor contacted EMSCO after a catastrophic busway failure at a 17-story student housing complex in Minnesota. The failure had knocked out power to roughly half of the building, creating an urgent situation and the possibility that residents could need to be displaced if power could not be restored.
The contractor needed compatible replacement busway — and needed it quickly.
Matching Busway Located Within 15 Minutes
The contractor provided EMSCO with the existing busway type and part number.
Within approximately 15 minutes, our team had located matching busway in inventory.
That initial search was only part of the job. As the contractor continued investigating the failure, the full scope of the repair was still developing. Additional busway or related equipment could have been needed as the work progressed.
EMSCO stayed available throughout the process, including over the holiday weekend, so the contractor could quickly check availability if the repair requirements changed.
Bus duct inventory at EMSCO in Minnesota.
Building Power Restored Within Approximately 20 Hours
With the required replacement equipment available, the contractor was able to make the temporary repair and restore building power within approximately 20 hours.
EMSCO did not perform the electrical repair. Our role was straightforward but critical: help identify the existing equipment, find compatible bus duct in stock, and get it ready quickly.
That can be especially important with older electrical distribution systems.
When existing busway fails, the original product may be obsolete, current production may have long lead times, or a direct new replacement may not be readily available. Finding compatible existing equipment can sometimes be the fastest path toward getting a facility operating again.
Replacement Busway When Downtime Can't Wait
EMSCO maintains a large inventory of used, surplus, obsolete, and professionally reconditioned busway, bus plugs, tap boxes, and related power distribution equipment.
Our inventory includes equipment from major current and legacy product lines, giving contractors and facility teams another option when the equipment already installed in a building needs to be matched.
If the repair also requires a plug or additional distribution equipment, EMSCO stocks a wide range of replacement bus plugs for current, legacy, and obsolete busway systems.
When an outage is measured in hours rather than weeks, having the right equipment already on the shelf can make a major difference.
Need Help Identifying Existing Busway?
If you're trying to replace existing busway or other hard-to-find electrical equipment, send us what you have.
A manufacturer, series, catalog number, part number, or clear photo of the equipment nameplate can often give our team a place to start.