What we buy
Ranges we buy on this page
Transformer Buyers NC buys used, surplus, failed and obsolete 2,000 kVA transformers throughout North Carolina. This page covers nameplate details, operating condition, shipping weight and removal planning for plant engineers, utility asset managers, facility directors and demolition crews.
| Phase | kVA | Voltage | Fluid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 or 3-phase | 2,000 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
What 2,000 kVA means on a nameplate
The 2,000 kVA rating describes apparent power capacity, not the transformer's weight or its usable kilowatt output under every load. On a three-phase unit with a 480-volt secondary, rated secondary current is approximately 2,406 amperes.
That current helps explain the large bushings, bus connections and secondary compartment.
Read the complete nameplate before treating 2,000 kVA as a single operating limit. An ONAN/ONAF unit may show separate ratings for natural cooling and fan-assisted cooling.
Record both ratings, temperature rise, impedance and serial number so the buyer can distinguish the base capacity from the fan-cooled capacity.
Local reality
Where 2,000 kVA units are used in North Carolina
A 2,000 kVA transformer commonly serves as a substation unit for a large plant or a utility distribution station.
In North Carolina, removal planning may involve a manufacturing campus in the Piedmont, a municipal utility yard or a process building with a dedicated medium-voltage service entrance.
At a large plant in Charlotte or Winston-Salem, the transformer may sit beside switchgear, with its secondary throat bolted directly to a bus enclosure. Utility station equipment can have exposed bushings instead.
Those arrangements change the disconnect work, protective covers and clearance needed before a crane approaches.
Around the site
Weight and dimensions in practice
Shipping weight for a 2,000 kVA unit is roughly 13,000 to 21,000 pounds, but the actual nameplate and manufacturer's drawings govern removal planning. Oil volume, tank construction, radiators and terminal compartments affect the total.
Do not substitute an estimated dry weight for the complete shipping weight.
Measure overall length, width and height, including radiators, bushings and attached cabinets. A 2,000 kVA tank that clears a plant gate may still exceed transport height once placed on a trailer.
Photographs should show the pad, overhead obstructions and the narrowest turn between the substation and roadway.
Where it sits
Handling a 2,000 kVA unit
Plan removal around a 60-ton crane, with the final lift checked against the crane's load chart at the required radius. The 13,000-to-21,000-pound shipping band does not establish lift capacity by itself.
Boom length, rigging weight, outrigger placement and ground bearing conditions all affect the permissible load.
Transport planning includes a route survey with bridge checks, not just a trailer reservation. Confirm loaded height, axle loading, gate clearance and turning space before dispatch.
At a North Carolina plant, a lowboy may need a different exit from the one used by ordinary maintenance trucks.
On the ground
Voltage and phase combinations
A three-phase 2,000 kVA plant unit may have a 12,470-volt or 13,800-volt primary and a 480Y/277-volt secondary. Those are examples, not an identification shortcut.
Photograph the voltage plate, tap schedule and connection diagram; a similar tank can contain windings intended for a different service voltage.
Utility distribution station units may use other primary and secondary combinations, so both winding ratings must accompany the 2,000 kVA figure. Identify delta or wye connections, neutral terminals and the tap changer type.
Record bushing BIL from documentation rather than guessing insulation capability from the porcelain's size.
Local reality
Condition and testing
For a failed 2,000 kVA transformer, describe the event plainly: differential trip, overheated winding, cracked bushing, tank leak or suspected internal fault. Include the last operating date and any relay report.
A unit disconnected after a cable failure should not automatically be described as having failed windings.
Useful records include turns-ratio results, winding resistance, insulation resistance and oil test reports with sampling dates. For an oil-filled 2,000 kVA unit, provide PCB documentation when available and identify missing radiators or drained fluid.
Testing and inspection belong to qualified personnel after isolation, verification and appropriate grounding.
Around the site
What a 2,000 kVA unit is worth to a buyer
A buyer's assessment of a 2,000 kVA transformer depends on winding material, voltage configuration, condition, completeness and the work required to remove it.
An intact plant substation unit with readable identification presents a different recovery path from a burned tank with missing bushings and uncertain oil history.
Ownership records and site access also shape the assessment in North Carolina. Provide the nameplate, photographs, test records and a description of the 2,000 kVA unit's pad access.
For demolition or bankruptcy work, identify who can authorize release and whether adjacent switchgear remains energized during removal.
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 2,000 kVA transformer?
Yes. Transformer Buyers NC buys failed 2,000 kVA units in North Carolina. Describe the failure, oil condition and missing components, and provide nameplate photographs. Relay reports or test results help distinguish an internal winding fault from damage confined to a bushing or cable termination.
Service area
Does every 2,000 kVA unit need the same crane?
No. A 60-ton crane is the planning reference, but the lift requires verification against the actual load chart. A 21,000-pound unit at a long radius can impose different requirements from a 13,000-pound unit beside the crane. Ground conditions and rigging also matter.
Payment
What paperwork helps plan a North Carolina pickup?
Provide ownership authorization, the 2,000 kVA nameplate, dimensional drawings, shipping weight and available oil documentation. Include site access restrictions and disconnect status. The transport team also needs route information for bridge checks and any clearance constraints between the transformer pad and the public road.
Logistics
Voltage and phase combinations: what should a seller know?
A three-phase 2,000 kVA plant unit may have a 12,470-volt or 13,800-volt primary and a 480Y/277-volt secondary. Those are examples, not an identification shortcut.