What we buy
Ranges we buy on this page
Transformer Buyers NC buys used, surplus, failed, and obsolete 15,000 kVA transformers anywhere in North Carolina. This page covers nameplate review, condition records, and removal planning for plant engineers, utility asset managers, generating station personnel, and demolition contractors handling these large units.
A transformer in this class can weigh roughly 95,000 to 150,000 pounds. Rail handling and heavy-haul contractors at both ends require planning before the tank leaves its foundation.
| Phase | kVA | Voltage | Fluid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 or 3-phase | 15,000 kVA | up to 34.5 kV | Liquid or dry |
| 3-phase | 50 - 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 15,000 kVA class
A 15,000 kVA nameplate identifies a 15 MVA rating, but the cooling designation determines how that rating applies. Record every listed rating alongside ONAN, ONAF, or other cooling codes.
A fan-assisted rating is not interchangeable with the natural-cooled rating when reviewing a retired North Carolina substation unit.
The rating alone does not establish whether the transformer served a transmission substation or generating station auxiliary system. Photograph the complete nameplate, including frequency, impedance, winding connections, serial number, and temperature rise.
Those details distinguish a usable retired unit from a tank whose identification records are incomplete.
Local reality
Typical North Carolina applications
In North Carolina, a 15,000 kVA power transformer may serve a transmission substation, with its secondary feeding a distribution bus. Review the station one-line rather than assigning service from tank size.
The same MVA class can have different winding arrangements, insulation levels, and protective equipment requirements.
A generating station auxiliary transformer supports plant electrical systems rather than exporting the generator's full output. For a retired unit near a North Carolina generation site, the auxiliary bus diagram helps identify its former duty.
Keep relay event reports and outage records with the nameplate photographs during review.
Around the site
Shipping weight and footprint
Shipping weight for this class is roughly 95,000 to 150,000 pounds, depending on construction and the shipment configuration. Confirm whether the recorded weight includes oil, radiators, bushings, and conservator.
A nameplate total weight cannot automatically be used as the weight of a partially dismantled tank on rail.
Measure the tank length, width, and height separately from removable accessories before planning a North Carolina departure. Radiator banks and tall bushings can control clearance even when the base fits the transport arrangement.
Include the foundation elevation, access gate width, and overhead conductors on the load-out site drawing.
Where it sits
Rigging and load-out
Plan rail handling with a heavy-haul contractor at both ends of the movement. The departure crew and receiving crew need the same shipping drawing, center-of-gravity information, and accessory list.
Confirm rail loading access before dismantling radiators; a nearby track does not establish that a usable loading point exists.
Use only documented lifting and jacking points on the 15,000 kVA tank. Engineered rigging may require a spreader bar, cribbing, or a jack-and-slide arrangement where crane access is restricted.
North Carolina site planning must address crane setup, underground structures, grounding removal, and the route between the foundation and rail transfer.
On the ground
Primary and secondary voltages
Read primary and secondary voltages directly from the nameplate; 15,000 kVA does not specify the voltage ratio. A 115 kV primary and 13.8 kV secondary are examples, not assumptions for every unit.
Record each winding's BIL, connection, and neutral arrangement before describing a North Carolina transformer for review.
Tap information needs its own photographs, especially where a load tap changer remains attached to the tank. Capture the tap range, operating mechanism, position indicator, and any separate compartment nameplate.
A 15 MVA unit with a damaged tap changer requires a different condition assessment than one with intact fixed taps.
Local reality
Inspection and oil test
Start the 15,000 kVA inspection with the tank, radiator headers, bushing seals, and pressure relief device. Record oil leaks, cracked porcelain, corrosion at the base, and evidence of overheating.
Photographs should connect each defect to its location, particularly when the transformer remains behind a North Carolina substation fence.
Provide dated dissolved gas analysis, moisture, dielectric breakdown, and PCB records if they exist for the 15 MVA unit. Sample identification must distinguish the main tank from a separate tap changer compartment.
Following a fault, relay reports and electrical test results help assess whether core or winding damage is suspected.
Around the site
Valuation for this size
Assessment of a 15,000 kVA transformer depends on documented condition, voltage configuration, cooling ratings, and the removal scope. A complete nameplate and recent test reports support a clearer review than exterior photographs alone.
Failed units need the fault history, including any internal inspection findings or evidence of tank deformation.
Transformer Buyers NC buys this class whether retired intact, surplus after a project change, or failed in service.
For a North Carolina site, evaluation also accounts for the roughly 95,000 to 150,000 pound shipment, rail access, accessory removal, and heavy-haul coordination at both ends of the planned movement.
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
Can you buy a failed 15,000 kVA transformer?
Yes. Transformer Buyers NC buys failed 15,000 kVA units as well as surplus and retired equipment. Provide the nameplate, fault report, oil records, and photographs of tank damage or leaking bushings. Identify whether the main tank and tap changer compartments remain sealed.
Service area
What weight should the rail contractor use?
Use the documented weight for the actual shipping configuration, not an assumed figure based on 15,000 kVA. This class typically ships at roughly 95,000 to 150,000 pounds.
Payment
Which records help assess a station auxiliary transformer?
Provide the 15,000 kVA nameplate, station auxiliary one-line, maintenance history, and recent electrical and oil test reports. Include tap changer records where applicable. The diagram establishes former service, while test dates and outage reports help distinguish planned retirement from removal after a fault.
Logistics
Primary and secondary voltages: what should a seller know?
Read primary and secondary voltages directly from the nameplate; 15,000 kVA does not specify the voltage ratio. A 115 kV primary and 13.8 kV secondary are examples, not assumptions for every unit.