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 major 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 us with the existing busway type and part number.
Within approximately 15 minutes, one of our salespeople had located matching busway in inventory, and our team began preparing it for the repair.
The full scope was still developing, so we stayed ready to locate additional compatible equipment as other needs became clear.
We remained 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 part was simple: identify the right replacement busway, locate it, and get it ready so the contractor could get to work.
That’s why we keep so much electrical equipment on hand.
Replacement Busway When Downtime Can't Wait
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. Having compatible equipment already in inventory can give contractors another option when time matters.
EMSCO maintains a large inventory of busway and bus duct, bus plugs, tap boxes, and related power distribution equipment from current and legacy product lines.
If a repair also requires a plug or additional distribution equipment, EMSCO stocks a wide range of 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 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.