What we buy
Ranges we buy on this page
This guide covers transformer bushings: the porcelain, the bushing well, the seal against the tank, and the leakage paths that make these connections a frequent inspection point.
| 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 bushing carries a conductor through a grounded transformer tank while keeping the conductor electrically insulated from that tank. On an outdoor unit, porcelain sheds help maintain the external leakage path.
Inside, insulation and seals must withstand electrical stress, oil exposure, temperature changes, and mechanical loading.
A pad-mounted transformer may instead have separable cable connections built around bushing wells, inserts, and elbows. The well is not the elbow, and an elbow is not evidence that the underlying seal is sound.
Oil around the mounting flange can indicate a gasket problem beneath otherwise intact components.
Local reality
Why a seller should care
For a North Carolina facility retiring a transformer, bushing condition belongs in the equipment description alongside the nameplate and removal plan. A broken porcelain skirt differs from a fractured body or a leaking flange.
Clear photographs let the buyer distinguish visible damage from conditions requiring closer inspection.
Oil tracks below a bushing deserve attention before a crane arrives. Record the location, whether oil is actively dripping, and any staining on the tank or pad.
Transformer Buyers NC buys used, surplus, failed, and obsolete transformers; a damaged terminal needs disclosure, not a cosmetic cleanup that hides evidence.
Around the site
The arithmetic
Voltage labels need careful reading. On a 12,470Y/7,200-volt grounded-wye system, 12,470 volts is phase-to-phase and 7,200 volts is phase-to-neutral. Those numbers do not independently establish a replacement bushing rating.
Insulation class, impulse withstand, current rating, and the manufacturer's assembly details must also match the application.
Count connection positions, then identify each component rather than multiplying every visible part into a bushing count. Three wells with three inserts and three elbows still represent three primary connection positions.
List cracked porcelain, leaking seals, and missing inserts separately so the inspection record describes actual defects without double counting.
Where it sits
Where people go wrong
The common mistake is treating every oil stain below porcelain as a failed bushing. Oil can travel from a cover gasket, collect around a flange, and run down the tank.
Inspection should trace the highest wet point and distinguish old residue from fresh leakage before assigning a failure location.
Another mistake is using a bushing as a handhold, lifting point, or cable support during removal. Side loading can crack porcelain or disturb the flange seal.
Qualified personnel must isolate and verify the equipment before touching terminals; a parked transformer or disconnected-looking elbow does not establish an electrically safe condition.
On the ground
Value impact
Bushing damage affects the evaluation of a retired transformer because it changes the evidence of service condition and the scope of handling precautions.
A chipped outer shed may warrant a different assessment than a through-crack, burned terminal, or oil leak accompanied by a falling liquid level.
Replacement feasibility also depends on the assembly, not just the porcelain shape. Flange dimensions, conductor arrangement, gasket seating, and internal lead access can complicate repairs on obsolete equipment.
Keep maintenance reports and bushing test records with the nameplate photographs; they help distinguish an isolated terminal defect from broader insulation deterioration.
Local reality
Your next move
Start with photographs taken from a safe position: the complete transformer, nameplate, each bushing or well, and every stained flange. Include inspection dates and note whether the unit remains energized.
Do not remove an elbow, open a terminal compartment, or tighten a leaking flange merely to improve the photographs.
Before pickup, have qualified personnel document isolation, cable removal, and any temporary protection needed for exposed wells or damaged porcelain. Identify loose fragments and leakage concerns in the removal plan.
Crane rigging belongs on designated lifting points, with clearance that keeps slings and spreader bars away from bushing terminals.
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 cracked porcelain mean the transformer cannot be evaluated?
No. Record the crack location and provide photographs without approaching energized terminals. A damaged shed, fractured bushing body, and burned connection are different conditions. The evaluation also needs the nameplate, operating history, leakage observations, and any relevant inspection or test records.
Service area
Is a bushing well the same as an elbow?
No. A bushing well is part of the transformer connection assembly; a compatible insert interfaces with the separable elbow. Identify all three in photographs and records. A sound-looking elbow does not establish the condition of the well, insert, or tank seal.
Payment
Should a leaking bushing flange be tightened before pickup?
Not as an improvised preparation step. Incorrect tightening can damage porcelain, distort a gasket, or worsen leakage. Have qualified personnel assess the assembly under safe conditions and follow manufacturer instructions. Document the leak and establish appropriate containment before the transformer is moved.
Logistics
Value impact: what should a seller know?
Bushing damage affects the evaluation of a retired transformer because it changes the evidence of service condition and the scope of handling precautions.