romex jockey
Senior Member
- Location
- Vermont
- Occupation
- electrician
I'm not a big fan of it all Gold One, it just seems to affect everything.....~S~Let's hope not !!!
I'm not a big fan of it all Gold One, it just seems to affect everything.....~S~Let's hope not !!!
Yes, I've found the same thing. It took me 3 weeks to order a breaker panel and ALL the breakers I needed (from various different suppliers on the Internet) just for a service upgrade. Of course, if you want to pay top $$ for CH or Sq D QO at the supply house I don't think you'll have much of a problem All in all you'll probably pay about $100 more for the same material. I guess not so bad if you can build it into the price of the job. The trouble is you have to know that up front before you make the quote.It doesn't make sense around here. One place is out of breakers, a different place is out of pvc pipe. Another place is out of panels, a different place is out of certain cable.
It's weird because there isn't any city-wide shortages, just specific stuff at specific places. Just gotta drive around shopping to get everything
I believe Covid related shutdowns at those plants is one issue, then on top of that there is delays that are somewhat normal because of importing procedures. Ran into this a few years ago when supply house was bought out by another company (out of state). Come spring when we see a lot of pump panels sold in this area, there were none on the shelf because corporate told the local house they didn't need that many pump panels on the shelf when they attempted to order them in December or January. Come May and June when those needed to be in operation they were supposedly manufactured and shipped but we were still waiting for many of them to cross the Mexico border.After major disaster events (like all the hurricanes and flooding this year), it isn't that the factories are shut down, it's that priority is given to shipments going to areas that need to be rebuilt. Certainteed has two big PVC conduit production plants here in Northern CA, both are running full tilt boogie trying to keep up with demand (we do work at both plants). At one plant, a maintenance supervisor told me that for the past few months, 80% of their production is getting loaded onto rail cars going to the Southeast.
The COVID shortages of some things had to do with shutdowns though. All of the breaker mfrs use factories in Mexico, mostly around Mexico City and they were hit hard by COVID earlier this year.
I agree that COVID has been a big part of shortage. Factories pretty much everywhere we’re shut down. The one I was at stopped production on Feb 20th, and even when they started bringing people back, it was in small groups.I believe Covid related shutdowns at those plants is one issue, then on top of that there is delays that are somewhat normal because of importing procedures. Ran into this a few years ago when supply house was bought out by another company (out of state). Come spring when we see a lot of pump panels sold in this area, there were none on the shelf because corporate told the local house they didn't need that many pump panels on the shelf when they attempted to order them in December or January. Come May and June when those needed to be in operation they were supposedly manufactured and shipped but we were still waiting for many of them to cross the Mexico border.
My bigger summer project(s) took a while to fulfill the Square D items. Some 2 pole GFCI breakers took about the longest, but still am short three 60 amp non fused disconnects that were ordered in August.
Very well true. Look how many little pieces are in a single pole circuit breaker. I went through a Square D plant when they made QO breakers up this way about 30 years ago. They have machines that assemble them and can spit out hundreds of assembeled breakers in minutes, but there needs to be parts in them or they produce nothing.I agree that COVID has been a big part of shortage. Factories pretty much everywhere we’re shut down. The one I was at stopped production on Feb 20th, and even when they started bringing people back, it was in small groups.
Also a lot of companies have moved towards “Lean Manufacturing “, ours was considered JIT, “ just in time”. They didn’t produce much parts ahead of time, so that cuts out a lot of overhead, like depending on what they produce, maybe a whole extra warehouse just for storage. So they will have both less materials for creating, and less produced products available.
I imagine a lot of companies are waiting on each other to get the parts and pieces, and raw materials to make the products. A lot of companies out source the small parts they need to assemble their products.
I have 20 cases of single pole 15 amp Homeline breakers if anyone is interested. I used to have a deal with damaged freight with Southeastern Freight Line trucking company & bought hundreds of breakers still in boxes. When something was damaged, the customer would refuse the whole shipment and majority of materials were in perfect shape. The amount of transformers damaged was incredible! Idiots would try picking them up with forks from the top. so, I bought 56 at one time and had Piedmont Metal make me new tops. Some had major damage to sheet metal and some very minor. It sucked when the plastic sticker showing the KVA and “specs” was messed up because Cutter Hammer wouldn’t sell you new stickers. Anyway, $7 for the brand new Homeline breakers still in the cardboard cases and they’re yours. I have 64 brand new QO single pole 20’s and 220 15’s. I want $10 for the 15’s and $12 for the 20’s.
Actually, I find your comment very credible. The real world is unforgiving.... The [number] of transformers damaged was incredible! ...
I had Square D items that took months to get that are not typical residential items at all . 600 volt disconnects, three pole breakers, 60 amp GFCI breakers. NF panels..We are not seeing much in the way of disruptions, but we don't use a lot of common things like residential panel boards.
Don't use many of those either. No problem getting ab mccbs.I had Square D items that took months to get that are not typical residential items at all . 600 volt disconnects, three pole breakers, 60 amp GFCI breakers. NF panels..
I'd bet Rockwell doesn't have as much if any items manufactured outside the US as Schneider, Eaton, Siemens or ABB (who has acquired GE low voltage distribution and controls)Don't use many of those either. No problem getting ab mccbs.
I think ab manufactures almost nothing. It is all just private labeled stuff.I'd bet Rockwell doesn't have as much if any items manufactured outside the US as Schneider, Eaton, Siemens or ABB (who has acquired GE low voltage distribution and controls)
More shortages !!! One of my supply houses has not had meter enclosures for 2 months now. There are 3 different POCO's in my area and each one requires a different meter enclosure (1 with 5th jaw, 1 without, 1 with a larger cabinet than the other two). To make matters worse, these meter enclosures used to cost…