All buildings whether commercial or residential require some sort of electrical power in order to provide lighting, outlets and other electrical devices. For commercial buildings, you have power needs for machinery, lighting, cooling systems, and other types of electrical needs. Typically, in a residential building, you have electrical service entering the house with cables. This is different then how electrical power is distributed in commercial and manufacturing settings.
Commercial buildings, especially those used by medium or large-scale manufacturing businesses use a larger type power distribution system that requires a much different way to run power through the manufacturing spaces of the building. Unlike residential power distribution which uses cables to carry the power throughout the home, commercial building use bus ducts or sheet metal runs with either aluminum or copper busbars.
History of the Busway Power Distribution System
The busway and bus bars were first introduced in the US back in the 1920’s at the request of the auto industry in Detroit, Michigan. The system gave them the necessary versatility that was needed for supplying power to the assembly line equipment that was being used in the manufacturing facilities at the time. Over the years since, there have been numerous innovations that have improved on the original design and installation procedures.
Commercial Power Distribution System Components
Heavy duty machinery typically found in manufacturing plants have unique power requirements which cannot be served by typical power distribution systems that are found in most residential homes and most commercial buildings. For these unique power requirements, there is a power system that is designed especially suited for this type of need. Bus Ducts and Bus Plugs are combined to deliver the necessary power to each machine
Bus Ducts – Bus Ducts also referred to as busways are sections of sheet metal with bars attached to them that are made of either aluminum or copper. The sections are connected together in order to reach each piece of machinery that is needing the power. This type of power distribution system requires trained, certified professional electricians to install them and ensure that they are in full operation at all times.
Bus Plugs – Bus Plugs are specially designed components that work in tandem with the busbars in a unique type of power distribution system that is typically installed in a large-scale manufacturing facility. Each bus plug is used to connect directly to busways that are running throughout building to deliver the power to equipment like large motor starters and other power switching equipment.
Indoors and Outdoors Power System
One of the benefits of using this type of system in a manufacturing facility is that it can be used both indoors and outdoors to deliver the necessary power to different parts of any operation. The unique design of the system helps to prevent voltage drops across each of the numerous sections of the bus ducting throughout the building.
The system can also be fitted with a trolley system that is designed to deliver power to equipment that is designed to move frequently. There are also cables that are used to deliver the power directly to the trolley itself.
Learn more about J & P Electrical Company and their vast line of new, surplus, and refurbished industrial electrical components including: circuit breakers, bus ducts, bus plugs, disconnects, fuses, panel switches, tap boxes, and transformers at www.jpelectricalcompany.com. To contact one of our product reconditioning specialists, call 877.844.5514 today.