What we buy
Ranges we buy on this page
Transformer Buyers NC buys used, surplus, failed and obsolete current transformers throughout North Carolina. This page covers ring and bar types removed from switchgear, substations, motor control centers and generator leads, including the records needed to assess them.
Plant engineers, utility asset managers, demolition crews and facility directors can use it to organize nameplate photographs, test certificates and matched sets before a shutdown crew disconnects secondary wiring or removes a CT from its bus.
| Phase | kVA | Voltage | Fluid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-phase | 0.1 - 5 kVA | 230 kV | Dry or liquid |
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 a Current Transformers is
A current transformer, usually called a CT, produces a scaled current for metering or protective relaying. A ring-type CT surrounds a cable or bus conductor; a bar-type CT incorporates the primary conductor.
Ratios such as 600:5 describe the relationship between primary current and the rated secondary current supplied to connected equipment.
Metering and protection CTs are not interchangeable simply because their windows fit the same bus. Accuracy class, burden and saturation behavior determine how a unit performs.
A protection CT must support relay operation during faults, while a metering CT must meet its specified accuracy over the intended measurement range and burden.
Local reality
Where Current Transformers turn up in North Carolina
North Carolina switchgear lineups contain CTs around feeder cables, breaker connections and bus sections. Motor control centers may carry smaller units for motor monitoring or protection.
During a plant shutdown, photographs taken before removal help establish which three units served the same circuit and how their polarity marks faced the source.
Substations and generator leads present different removal conditions. A bushing CT may sit inside a transformer or breaker assembly, while a generator CT may surround a large insulated lead.
Hospital facilities directors and utility asset managers should identify the parent equipment, circuit designation and access restrictions before planning removal from service.
Around the site
What we check before we quote
We inspect the ratio, accuracy class, rated burden, window size and polarity marks. Nameplate photographs should show every tap ratio and terminal designation, not just the manufacturer's name.
For window CTs, record the clear opening dimensions and overall depth so the unit can be identified without relying on a switchgear drawing alone.
Test certificates are the deciding paperwork for this equipment. For our assessment, a CT without its test certificate is scrap; a documented matched set merits a site visit. Certificates should correspond to serial numbers and include applicable ratio, polarity and excitation results.
Three similar housings do not establish a verified matched set.
Where it sits
Oil, PCBs and testing
Many switchgear CTs use molded insulation and contain no free insulating liquid. Some outdoor instrument transformers and assemblies containing bushing CTs involve oil-filled equipment. Identify the construction before assigning oil paperwork requirements.
A dry ring CT should not be described as oil-filled merely because it came from an oil-filled parent transformer.
For oil-containing equipment, provide fluid identification and any PCB laboratory report tied to that unit or its documented fluid source. Electrical testing belongs with qualified personnel using suitable procedures. Never open a CT secondary while primary current flows; dangerous secondary voltage can develop.
De-energization and approved shorting arrangements must precede disconnection.
On the ground
Rigging, weight and transport
Small window CTs often leave a switchgear cabinet by hand, but their insulation and terminals still need protection. Pack each unit so its molded body cannot strike another CT. Keep terminal covers, mounting brackets and identification tags with the unit.
Never lift a CT by its secondary studs or connected wiring.
Larger bar-type and outdoor CT assemblies may require lifting equipment and a documented weight from drawings or manufacturer records. Check lifting points before attaching slings.
Support the base during transport, protect porcelain and epoxy surfaces, and keep the test certificate associated with the serial number rather than loose in the truck cab.
Local reality
What moves the number
The assessment follows the CT's identity, condition and documentation, not its housing size alone. A readable ratio plate, verified class and burden, intact polarity marks and matching test records support evaluation.
Cracked epoxy, damaged terminals, overheated insulation or evidence of secondary arcing change how a removed unit must be handled and classified.
Matched sets need more than three identical ratios. Compare manufacturer, model, taps, accuracy class and test results across all phases. Record any replacement unit installed after a fault.
A mixed set from separate switchgear bays requires individual review, even when every nameplate says 1200:5 and the mounting holes appear to align.
Around the site
When to call us about a current
Contact is useful before a switchgear replacement, substation retirement or generator protection upgrade separates CTs from their records. EPC contractors and demolition crews should preserve circuit labels and certificates during dismantling.
Bankruptcy trustees can start with equipment schedules, cabinet photographs and serial numbers when the original plant engineering staff is no longer onsite.
For a North Carolina site review, gather the location, quantity, CT construction, ratio photographs and certificate status. Note whether units remain energized, mounted or already packed, and identify any oil-containing parent equipment.
That information establishes the scope of inspection and removal without asking a crew to disturb live secondary circuits for photographs.
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 assess CTs without test certificates?
Yes, but a CT without its test certificate is assessed as scrap. A nameplate photograph identifies ratio and class; it does not establish tested performance. Keep certificates tied to serial numbers, especially when three CTs were removed as a matched phase set.
Service area
Which dimensions matter for a window CT?
Record the clear window opening, overall depth and mounting dimensions. Include photographs showing the conductor opening and terminal arrangement. A circular opening needs its inside diameter; a rectangular window needs both clear dimensions. These details distinguish units that otherwise carry similar ratios and housings.
Payment
Should secondary wires be disconnected before inspection?
Not while primary current is flowing. An open CT secondary can develop dangerous voltage. Leave isolation, shorting and disconnection to qualified site personnel following approved procedures. Nameplate photographs and existing test certificates usually allow initial assessment without disturbing an energized secondary circuit.
Logistics
Oil, PCBs and testing: what should a seller know?
Many switchgear CTs use molded insulation and contain no free insulating liquid. Some outdoor instrument transformers and assemblies containing bushing CTs involve oil-filled equipment. Identify the construction before assigning oil paperwork requirements.