VFDs

[Trublshter]

May be wrong section. Curious if anyone here solely works on and service VFDs either various brands or specific manufacturer only?

[scottbalan]

I can set up VFDs of different brands. Ive done it on ABB, Siemens, Reliance and Danfoss. Servicing is purely a company service-man's job. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

[gbfromsd]

I know of a company in LA that does. For 2/3 the cost of a new drive, they'll refurbish an old one.

[Trublshter]

Thanks guys. That pretty well covers it. Just trying to get a general idea of who services them. Did'nt know if mechanical contractors or control companies also perform those duties. Really interested in them. I also assumed you would have to be an licensed electrician. I'll check around here in new england. Thanks again.

[cacontrolgirl]

We are Siemens VFD reps and controls company in California...if go to http://www.buildingtechnologies.siemens.com/bt/global/en/Pages/home.aspx it will show you anyone in your area who is VFD certified.

[osiyo]

Originally posted by Trublshter
Thanks guys. That pretty well covers it. Just trying to get a general idea of who services them. Did'nt know if mechanical contractors or control companies also perform those duties. Really interested in them. I also assumed you would have to be an licensed electrician. I'll check around here in new england. Thanks again.

Well, I've done installs, setups, and servicing of various makes of VFD's.

But, it's not my regular job. Just an occassional requirement.

Around where I live, most of those servicing VFDs are in fact in house reps and techs from the various VFD vendors.

Yah buy the VFD from the local ABB rep, for instance. Hire an electrician to install it and connect the main power cables, if yah don't have an in-house electrician of your own. Then make a call and the ABB rep outfit sends out a guy to do the checkouts, program it, certify it, etc. Likewise if one fails yah call em and they send out their guy.

Mostly those vendor rep techs ARE NOT licensed electricians. Most of em are ex-HVAC service techs, controls techs (HVAC or industrial controls) who've specialized and now do VFD work exclusively. Some are engineer/salesmen who've learned to service what they sell.

Nor, in this state, are they required to be licensed electricians since in most cases the contractor who bought the VFD hires an electrician for the install or uses an in-house electrician. The vendor rep's VFD service guy only touches what was in the box from the factory. In the parlance of the electrical world ... that's considered an "appliance". And a regular electrician's license is not required to configure, tune, adjust, troubleshoot or repair those parts that came already installed from the factory.

However, what the rules are where you live ... might well be different. Electrical codes and local laws, rules, and regulations governing these sorts of things vary from state to state.

Ourselves, the company for whom I work, we usually just buy the VFD(s), have our own electricians install em, then have a factory certified rep from the local VFD vendor come out and do his thing. Safer. Then if HE melts it down, it's their dime.

We do have a couple or three start-up factory certified guys and can do in-house startups on ABB's, Danfoss, and a couple others. But for us, it's really not enough work to keep those guys primarily concentrated on that sort of work. So it's just a sideline for them. We have em do an occassional small job from time to time, when they have the time. Or will break em off whatever other job they're on when necesary if we're in a time crunch and the VFD vendor can't get one of his guy's on site pretty ASAP before some critical deadline. Or we'll use one of em on some marginal profit job that's WAYYYY out in the sticks (we do a number of those) where VFD vendor either wants too much money to send his guy that far (plus travel expenses, hotel room, etc) or plain won't send him.

But in most cases, it's just as cost effective and safer (liability wise if one gets smoked) to have the VFD vendor's guy do the checkouts, setups, and any repairs.

Just my experiences ... YMMV