Background
Middle Tennessee Electric, one of the largest electrical cooperatives in the U.S., was facing an issue at one of its locations: a switch with a failing connection, causing unusual noise. Such undetected faults can lead to significant service disruptions and costly repairs if not addressed proactively.
Challenge
The noise indicated a potential fault, but the exact cause and location were difficult to pinpoint. Without the right tools, diagnosing and resolving such issues could lead to prolonged outages or, worse, undetected failures.
Solution
By leveraging Safegrid’s real-time monitoring technology, the system identified the issue becoming worse over time. Using a customer owned infrared camera, they identified a hot lug at a disconnect switch, indicating a hotspot that could have resulted in an unplanned outage if not addressed proactively.
Results
By detecting the hotspot early, Middle Tennessee Electric was able to identify and correct the loose connection promptly, preventing a larger failure. The ability to predict and locate this unseen fault saved the utility both time and money, as potential service interruptions were avoided, and repair efforts were minimized. A potential outage would have taken around 1600 households offline.
“The Safegrid solution proved invaluable to us, allowing timely, proactive maintenance and safeguarding against future issues”, says Caleb Bates, Electrical Engineer at Middle Tennessee Electric.