What we buy
Ranges we buy on this page
A bayonet fuse can interrupt service to a padmount transformer without proving that its core or windings are damaged. This guide explains what the fuse protects, how it operates, and what an open fuse means for equipment assessment.
| Phase | kVA | Voltage | Fluid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-phase | 10 - 333 kVA | up to 25 kV | Liquid or dry |
| 3-phase | 75 - 20,000 kVA | 46 kV | Liquid or dry |
Who we buy from
Six kinds of seller
- Recyclers
- Electrical contractors
- Equipment dealers
- End users
- Demo contractors
- Distributors
Fast offers
A written offer the same business day, based on your photographs.
Dedicated logistics
Our own crew, trailer and crane, not a brokered haul.
No broker fees
One buyer from first call to cleared pad, with nothing skimmed.
How it works
Six steps from photograph to payment
- 01
Take pictures
Photograph the nameplate, the inside of the cabinet and the tank from both ends. Four frames on a phone are enough to price most units.
- 02
Send them to us
Email or text the photographs with the site address and whether the unit is still energised. We reply the same business day with questions or a number.
- 03
Review the offer
The offer names the unit, the site, the price and the pickup window. It is written, dated and good for thirty days unless the unit changes hands.
- 04
We schedule freight
A crew, a trailer and a crane if the pad needs one. You get the date and the arrival window, and the site does not have to close for it.
- 05
Testing on arrival
Winding resistance, insulation resistance and a turns ratio check, plus oil analysis where the unit is liquid-filled. Results travel with the unit.
- 06
Get paid
Payment is released against the signed bill of sale and the scale ticket, by check or ACH, with the paperwork copy left on site.
What we handle
The parts sellers dread
Rigging
Crane, skates and a route survey for anything that will not roll onto a trailer.
Oil containment
Pans, absorbent and a spill plan before a drain plug is touched.
Bill of sale
A document that clears a lien, a lease or a bankruptcy file, not a handwritten note.
PCB paperwork
Testing and manifesting for pre-1979 oil, handled before the unit moves.
On the ground
The short version
A bayonet fuse is a removable fuse assembly installed through a holder in an oil-filled padmount transformer. Its replaceable fuse link interrupts current under specified conditions.
Depending on the link design, operation responds to current alone or to a combination of current and oil temperature.
Many padmount designs pair the bayonet link with an internal current-limiting backup fuse. The two devices have different duties and must coordinate.
An open bayonet link identifies a protective operation, not its cause; the initiating problem may be sustained overload, a downstream fault, or an internal transformer fault.
Local reality
Why a seller should care
A padmount tagged 'blown fuse' needs a better description before a buyer can assess it. Record which phase opened, whether the outage followed a feeder event, and whether the tank leaked.
Those details help distinguish an interrupted circuit from equipment with damaged insulation, bushings, or windings.
For a North Carolina facility retiring equipment after an outage, the maintenance record matters as much as the visible bayonet handle. Keep the original nameplate photographs, relay or breaker event records, and any test report.
Transformer Buyers NC buys used, surplus, failed, and obsolete transformers throughout the state.
Around the site
The arithmetic
For a three-phase transformer, primary full-load current equals kVA divided by the product of 1.732 and primary line voltage in kV. A 1,000 kVA padmount on a 12.47 kV primary draws about 46 amperes at full load.
That calculation is a starting point, not a fuse-selection instruction.
The bayonet link cannot be selected from 46 amperes alone. Its time-current curve must accommodate transformer energization and coordinate with downstream protection and any backup fuse.
Use the manufacturer's selection tables for the actual voltage, kVA, connection, and fuse arrangement; matching physical dimensions does not establish electrical suitability.
Where it sits
Where people go wrong
Replacing an open link and immediately reenergizing the padmount can put a faulted transformer back on the circuit. Qualified electrical personnel must determine the cause under an approved safety procedure.
A fuse handle is not proof of isolation, and an open link does not eliminate every possible backfeed.
Another mistake is treating every bayonet assembly as interchangeable. Links differ in operating characteristics, and holders have equipment-specific requirements. Never withdraw an assembly merely to identify it.
Follow manufacturer instructions and site electrical safety procedures, including isolation, absence-of-voltage verification, and grounding where required, before inspection or replacement work.
On the ground
Value impact
An open bayonet link changes how a transformer is classified for evaluation, but it does not settle the condition of the unit. A sound tank and readable nameplate help document the equipment.
Winding resistance, insulation tests, and oil analysis may provide additional evidence when performed and interpreted appropriately.
A ruptured tank, expelled oil, burned bushings, or repeated fuse operation points to a different assessment than a documented downstream fault with satisfactory follow-up tests. Describe each observation separately.
Do not label the padmount 'good except for fuse' unless qualified personnel have established what failed and why it failed.
Local reality
Your next move
Start with photographs of the padmount nameplate, bayonet compartment markings, external tank condition, and accessible fuse identification taken under safe conditions. Include the unit's North Carolina location and the outage history.
If a link was removed by qualified personnel, preserve its identification and the associated maintenance notes.
Before removal, document electrical disconnection, oil condition, access to the pad, and lifting provisions. A bayonet fuse diagnosis does not answer whether a crane can reach the tank or whether a lowboy can enter the yard.
Keep test reports and fuse records with the equipment through pickup.
Get started
Get an offer in minutes
Five fields is all it takes. Photographs help, but a nameplate and a town are enough to start.
No fee, no obligation. We reply the same business day.
Tell us what you have
We reply the same business day.
Questions
Straight answers
Equipment types
Does a blown bayonet fuse mean winding failure?
No. An open bayonet link can result from overload, a downstream fault, or an internal fault. The fuse alone cannot distinguish them. Qualified personnel should review event records and perform appropriate inspections or tests before classifying the padmount's winding condition.
Service area
Can the same size fuse link be substituted?
Physical fit is not enough. Bayonet links have different time-current characteristics and may respond differently to oil temperature. Selection must follow the transformer manufacturer's guidance and account for the primary voltage, transformer rating, downstream protection, and any internal current-limiting backup fuse.
Payment
What fuse records should accompany a retired padmount?
Include the link identification, affected phase, date of operation, outage circumstances, and any replacement history. Attach nameplate photographs and available test reports. Note whether the backup fuse was inspected or tested; do not assume its condition from the appearance of the bayonet link.
Logistics
Value impact: what should a seller know?
An open bayonet link changes how a transformer is classified for evaluation, but it does not settle the condition of the unit. A sound tank and readable nameplate help document the equipment.