What we buy
Ranges we buy on this page
This guide explains the electric cooperative interconnection process for North Carolina transformer owners, including plant engineers, facility directors, EPC contractors, and demolition crews.
Co-op review is generally shorter and more local than an investor-owned utility’s process, but written approval still controls work.
| Phase | kVA | Voltage | Fluid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-phase | 10 - 333 kVA | up to 25 kV | Liquid or dry |
| 3-phase | 15 - 20,000 kVA | 34.5 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
What it is
Co-op interconnection is the review and approval process for connecting a generating facility to an electric cooperative’s distribution system. Solar arrays, standby generators operating in parallel, and battery systems can trigger that review.
The transformer’s winding connection, grounding arrangement, and location relative to the revenue meter matter.
In North Carolina, the serving cooperative handles the local application and engineering contact. Examples include Wake Electric, Randolph Electric Membership Corporation, and Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation. Their requirements are not interchangeable.
A shorter, more local process still requires the correct application, one-line diagram, equipment data, and operating agreement.
Local reality
Why it matters when you sell
An interconnection transformer may stand on your property without belonging to your company. Before arranging removal, compare the interconnection agreement, service documents, and asset records.
A cooperative-owned pad-mounted unit cannot be transferred by the facility owner simply because the owner installed the concrete pad or paid for construction.
For a customer-owned transformer, removal can change the approved interconnection arrangement. The cooperative may need an updated one-line diagram, a termination notice, or a scheduled outage before cables are disconnected.
Transformer Buyers NC buys used, surplus, failed, and obsolete transformers across North Carolina, subject to confirmed ownership and safe access.
Around the site
The numbers
Start with the nameplate: kVA, primary voltage, secondary voltage, phase, impedance, and winding connection. A 12,470-volt primary and 480Y/277-volt secondary describe different connection requirements than a 24,940-volt primary.
Neither rating alone establishes acceptance by the cooperative; the actual feeder voltage and grounding requirements must match the proposed installation.
Record the interconnection application number, meter number, transformer serial number, and approved export limit in kW. These identify different things and should not be substituted for one another.
For removal planning, capture total weight and oil volume from the nameplate or manufacturer’s drawing rather than estimating from tank dimensions.
Where it sits
Common mistakes
A frequent error is treating an approved solar interconnection as blanket permission to replace or remove its transformer. Approval applies to a documented configuration.
Changing a delta winding to grounded wye, altering impedance, or moving the point of interconnection can require another engineering review before the installation operates.
Another mistake is assuming an open disconnect makes every transformer terminal safe. Solar inverters, batteries, generators, and the cooperative feeder create possible sources on different sides.
Qualified personnel must identify sources, isolate equipment, and verify absence of voltage under the site’s procedures before anyone handles elbows, bushings, or cables.
On the ground
How it affects value
Interconnection records help establish whether a transformer has a practical next use. A legible nameplate, approved one-line diagram, test reports, and documented winding connection reduce uncertainty about its configuration.
A unit selected for a particular cooperative feeder may need further review before it fits a different North Carolina site.
Condition remains separate from interconnection approval. A signed operating agreement does not establish that winding insulation survived a fault or that a leaking radiator is sound.
Inspection records, oil analysis where appropriate, fault history, and photographs of the tank and bushings help distinguish reusable equipment from material requiring recovery.
Local reality
What to do next
Gather the interconnection agreement, latest approved one-line diagram, ownership records, and clear nameplate photographs. Ask the serving cooperative’s engineering contact what documentation is required to retire the connection or substitute equipment.
Identify who schedules the outage, removes cooperative metering, and releases the transformer for customer-side work before setting a date.
Plan the removal around the actual pad and access route. Note locked gates, overhead conductors, soft shoulders, radiator projections, and room for a crane or lowboy.
Keep the cooperative’s isolation work separate from lifting responsibilities, and retain written ownership confirmation and disconnection records with the transformer’s serial-number file afterward.
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
Is co-op interconnection always faster than utility review?
The cooperative process is generally shorter and more local than an investor-owned utility’s process, but timing depends on the project. Feeder studies, protection changes, incomplete one-line diagrams, and construction requirements can extend review.
Service area
Can I remove a cooperative-owned transformer from my pad?
Property ownership does not establish transformer ownership. Check the service agreement and cooperative asset records before touching the unit. The cooperative must authorize work on its transformer, metering, and conductors. A demolition schedule or contractor work order is not a substitute for that authorization.
Payment
Which records should accompany a retired interconnection transformer?
Keep the nameplate photograph, serial number, ownership confirmation, approved one-line diagram, and available test or maintenance records together. Include the disconnection record and any known fault history.
Logistics
How it affects value: what should a seller know?
Interconnection records help establish whether a transformer has a practical next use. A legible nameplate, approved one-line diagram, test reports, and documented winding connection reduce uncertainty about its configuration.