HPES Technical Solutions Ltd

⭐️ We love sharing good news… ⭐️ After years of close collaboration with our friends at Aggreko, we are delighted to announce that we are now part of their portfolio of expertise. ⭐️ The trade and assets of HPES Technical Solutions Ltd have been purchased by Aggreko. ⭐️ As far as our day-to-day work goes for all our customers, it's business as usual. ⭐️ All our brilliant team members have transferred and still hold the same contact details. Hugh will continue to lead the team with Charlie Crowsley of Aggreko Event Services, and Sarah will remain on top of the admin, ensuring a seamless transition. ⭐️ This strategic move by Aggreko will help to bolster their compliance processes as we bring our event compliance systems to them. While at the same time bringing our theatrical expertise to their offering. ⭐️ Aggreko will now be able to #SetTheStage, combining our team’s experience, relationships, and specialist skills with their global network of temporary power and entertainment solutions. We are excited about the possibilities and opportunities this brings. ⭐ If any of our current customers, suppliers or contacts have questions or need any further information, please get in touch. #electricalcontractor #electricaltesting #electricalinspection #electricalwork #setthestage

✏️ A few weeks ago, we put up a slightly grainy image of some SWAs under a floor, where we had used Metpro’s excellent Rollatray. This is a less grainy image of the “customer-facing side” of the job. ⭐️ We were delighted to present to our customer products by Burland Technology Solutions, which is based about 5 miles from our office. Their Gazelle Floor Boxes were perfect for this prestigious venue in Covent Garden. ⭐️ The project was awarded, and the boxes needed to be supplied and installed within a very tight time frame. ✏️ This is where being able to chat directly with a supplier really pays off. We explained the predicament, and within the hour, they had spoken to their metal fabricators (also local). ✏️ They agreed to pull a couple of late evenings. Sure enough, the units were delivered to the site at the agreed time, ready to terminate. ⭐️ I can’t think of a better arrangement for a minimal carbon footprint... ⭐️ A Suffolk-based business installs products from a Suffolk-based provider made using materials from a Suffolk-based fabricator. #electricalcontractor #electricaltesting #electricalinspection #electricalwork

✏️ There is an occasional issue that is found with these instruments. It's when they start rattling, and to be honest, it happens because we ask quite a lot of them. It's not a significant component that needs replacing, but it's one that looks after the device if something isn't done correctly, so you want it in and working. ⭐️ If you haven't ever seen inside one of these devices, here is an insight into how intricate and well designed these instruments are — a testament to our commitment to using quality equipment. They go for calibration after I've done the necessary... #electricalcontractor #electricaltesting #electricalinspection #electricalwork

✏️ As we approach the end of the summer events season, people may be thinking about repairs and improvements to equipment that has worked particularly hard. This is also the time to think about equipment that may need other improvements. ✏️ We are still seeing panels which have Type AC RCDs fitted. It is obviously better to have some form of RCD than none. However, Type AC RCDs may not operate correctly when connected to an electrical system that has DC components (often caused by switch-mode power supplies). ✏️ In a fixed wiring installation, the presence of a Type AC RCD would be marked in an inspection as a C3, meaning that it requires improvement as it used to be OK but isn’t any longer. ✏️ An event-style distribution panel is arguably part of a newly designed and installed system each time it is used. As such, there is a case for saying that it should conform to current standards and guidance. ✏️ Fitting Type A RCDs would be sensible to prevent future issues. This may also be a case for the specification of Surge Protective Devices. #electricalcontractor #electricaltesting #electricalinspection #electricalwork #rcd

❓ Here is a query that someone may be able to make suggestions about… ✏️ I visited a site recently that, over the last year or so, has been having some electrical issues. They are a data centre, and so they are sensitive to disruptions. They believe that they are suffering from a very occasional fault where they experience a very brief power dip/outage lasting a fraction of a second. ✏️ The issue manifests as multiple alarms showing on their BMS (red screen of doom!), their UPS equipment kicking in and requiring resetting, and a single ventilation extractor fan needing to be restarted as the contactor drops out. All other fans are fine, so presumably, there is a slightly “springier” contactor on that circuit… ✏️ The above is very random. There isn’t any commonality of weather conditions, time of day, day of week or month. The issue doesn’t correspond to on-site loads changing (such as chiller compressors kicking in). ✏️ Now, here is the thing. The UPS and the fan are supplied from independent LV panels, which receive their power via the customer’s own separate 11kV transformers, ultimately from supposedly independent DNO 33kV transformers outside the premises. ✏️ The above suggests that there may be a wider network fault or that the 33kV transformers are not independently supplied… ❓ Has anyone else had a similar experience? #electricalcontractor #electricaltesting #electricalinspection #electricalwork #datacentre Photo credit: Nazim Hussain - Unsplash

✏️ I was doing some earth fault loop impedance and prospective short circuit testing on a generator. ❓ Phase 1 and phase 3 are fine, but phase 2 results are very strange, so I thought I’d lock everything off and here is what I found... #electricalcontractor #electricaltesting #electricalinspection #electricalwork #generator

✏️ I was chatting the other day about the point that incidents seem to happen on the electrical side of events and entertainment. We decided that, in our experience, it’s very often at the point that complacency kicks in. ✏️ Often, we work with “plug-and-play equipment.” As a result, it is very easy not to think too much about what we are doing, especially when the gates are opening in the next half hour. ❓ So, for example, why not just extend that distribution run by 25M to go around a tent that wasn’t on the drawing? Or, when a vendor arrives who forgot to mention that they need a 63A, 3-phase supply, what’s the harm in allowing them to use the spare outlet on the DB? In these cases, the results may not have an immediate impact. ❓ Perhaps for the first one, a carefully planned PSCC isn’t achieved, which, in the event of a fault, may not allow the supply breaker to clear fast enough. For the second, perhaps the bar power (and resulting revenue) will be lost when the overall demand on the supply line is exceeded. ❓ More worryingly is where site made connections are made. This can often be a very repetitive exercise and is usually not terribly complicated. It is so easy to make a mistake. Perhaps failing to tighten something up correctly, or the one we all fear, mixing up the phase and neutral lines. ❓ The above can have significant and often very expensive repercussions. What can be done to reduce the risks? I think that it is imperative to ask someone to check what has just been done when a power system is worked on or altered. They don’t need to be particularly skilled. If you tell them what to consider, often, they just need to say what they see. ✏️ Asking for help requires us to accept that none of us are perfect; we could instead view it as a strength, the confidence to ask someone to check things over. They may find something wrong, but that’s probably better than the alternative. #electricalcontractor #electricaltesting #electricalinspection #electricalwork

✏️ We take Health and Safety seriously, so it’s always good to make sure our team’s qualifications are up to date. ✏️ Mark One Training always provides excellent courses, and Nick and Ted recently renewed their IPAF certificates. ✏️ There's always something new to learn, and a regular refresher is just as important when it comes to ensuring that we are all working safely. Mark One Hire International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) #electricalcontractor #electricaltesting #electricalinspection #IPAF #healthandsafety

🌳 A little bit different from being in the West End, the Thorington Theatre is a hidden gem of an outdoor theatre in Suffolk and a magical setting for watching “This is my theatre’s” production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.’ 🌳 The love we feel for live entertainment is carried over into our daily lives, meaning we really care about & understand the venues we work in, whether they are in cities, fields, or forests. #electricalcontractor #electricaltesting #electricalinspection #electricalwork

We all need to make a cheeky access route through the temporary fencing on a site occasionally. It’s best not to do it next to a cable run, though. ✏️ The ends of the tubes, particularly when they are new, are super sharp. ✏️ Even if it doesn't cut through, it may damage the sheath, which can ruin a length of cable. #electricalcontractor #electricaltesting #electricalinspection #electricalwork