What we buy
Ranges we buy on this page
A single-phase pad-mounted transformer usually serves one customer from a ground-level enclosure, commonly at 15 to 100 kVA. This page covers the equipment details, oil records and pickup conditions that matter when removing one from a North Carolina service pad.
Transformer Buyers NC buys used, surplus, failed and obsolete units. The information is for utility asset managers, facility directors, contractors and property representatives handling residential, church, farm or small commercial service changes.
| Phase | kVA | Voltage | Fluid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-phase | 15 - 167 kVA | 25 kV | Liquid-filled |
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 Single-Phase Pad-Mounted Transformers is
A single-phase padmount combines an oil-filled transformer tank with a locked cable compartment on a concrete or composite pad. Underground primary cables enter through elbows; secondary conductors leave toward the customer's service equipment.
Many units deliver 120/240 volts, although the nameplate, rather than the enclosure shape, establishes the actual ratings.
The usual 15 to 100 kVA range fits a single customer's load rather than a three-phase building service. A residential unit may have one primary connection or a loop-feed arrangement with two elbows.
Record the primary voltage, secondary voltage and kVA exactly as stamped before assuming two similar green cabinets are interchangeable.
Local reality
Where Single-Phase Pad-Mounted Transformers turn up in North Carolina
North Carolina subdivisions commonly place these cabinets beside driveways, along property lines or within utility easements. A service upgrade can leave an older 25 or 50 kVA unit awaiting removal.
Before discussing a transfer, establish whether the cabinet belongs to the electric utility, a cooperative or the property owner.
Churches, farm services and small commercial pads also use single-phase equipment where the connected load does not require three-phase service. A church addition, irrigation service change or demolished roadside office can leave a disconnected unit behind.
Site photographs should include the pad, cable approach and any fence restricting access to the cabinet.
Around the site
What we check before we quote
Inspection starts with the nameplate and the tank: manufacturer, serial number, kVA, voltage ratings, corrosion and evidence of oil loss. Clear photographs of the cabinet base help show damage hidden by grass or mulch.
A missing plate limits identification even when the enclosure looks like a familiar residential utility design.
Inside the cable compartment, qualified personnel check the elbows, fuse arrangement and service conductor size after proper isolation. Bayonet fuse damage, cracked bushing wells and heat-darkened secondary terminals tell different stories.
Do not open an energized cabinet for photographs; utility switching and electrical safety procedures take priority over documenting the unit.
Where it sits
Oil, PCBs and testing
Oil records matter even on a small 15 kVA padmount. Provide any PCB laboratory report, oil analysis and maintenance history tied to its serial number.
A label or manufacturing date alone does not establish the present oil condition, particularly if the tank has been refilled or repaired during its service life.
A leaking gasket, split tank seam or oil-stained pad needs documentation before lifting. Sampling belongs with qualified personnel using an appropriate laboratory and traceable sample identification.
Keep dielectric test results separate from PCB results: oil breakdown strength describes insulation performance, while PCB testing addresses a different handling and regulatory concern.
On the ground
Rigging, weight and transport
A single-phase padmount is generally light enough for a small crane or boom truck, but the actual lifting plan starts with its documented weight. Oil volume, tank construction and kVA affect the load.
Use designated lifting provisions and confirm equipment capacity at the reach required from the truck to the pad.
Subdivision access can be tighter than the cabinet suggests. Check driveway width, overhead branches, soft shoulders and the distance behind a curb before scheduling pickup. Conductors must be disconnected and cleared before lifting.
Secure the tank upright for transport, protect exposed bushings and contain any leakage rather than dragging the cabinet across concrete.
Local reality
What moves the number
The assessment changes with the unit's documented ratings and condition, not simply its green enclosure or apparent size. A legible 50 kVA nameplate, intact elbows and a sound tank provide a clearer basis than an unidentified cabinet with burned terminals.
Missing fuse components and undocumented repairs require closer review before acceptance.
Removal conditions also shape the assessment. One disconnected unit beside an accessible farm lane presents different work from several cabinets behind occupied subdivision fences. Oil documentation, lifting access, ownership records and the extent of tank damage all matter.
Photographs should show these conditions rather than only a close view of the door.
Around the site
When to call us about a single-phase pad-mounted
Contact is useful once a church service upgrade, subdivision replacement or farm demolition identifies a unit for removal. It does not need to remain operational: we buy failed and obsolete single-phase padmounts as well as used and surplus units.
Explain whether the cabinet is disconnected, still serving a customer or awaiting utility release.
Prepare the nameplate photographs, site address, ownership confirmation and any oil reports before discussing pickup. For a unit still on its pad, identify who will isolate the primary and remove the secondary conductors.
A clear handoff between the utility crew, property representative and lifting contractor prevents confusion around a locked service cabinet.
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 residential single-phase padmount?
Yes. Transformer Buyers NC buys failed single-phase pad-mounted transformers, including residential service units. Document the failure if known, such as a blown bayonet fuse, damaged secondary terminal or leaking tank. Ownership, electrical isolation and oil records still need review before removal.
Service area
Does a green cabinet belong to the property owner?
Not necessarily. A single-phase padmount in a yard or beside a church may belong to the serving utility or electric cooperative. Confirm ownership through service records or written utility authorization. The cabinet's location on private property does not establish permission to transfer it.
Payment
What photographs help assess a single-phase pad-mounted transformer?
Provide a readable nameplate, all sides of the tank, the cabinet base and the pickup approach. Cable-compartment photographs should come only from qualified personnel under safe conditions. Include elbows, fuse components and secondary terminals when accessible, plus any oil staining around the pad.
Logistics
Oil, PCBs and testing: what should a seller know?
Oil records matter even on a small 15 kVA padmount. Provide any PCB laboratory report, oil analysis and maintenance history tied to its serial number.