Electrical for Water and Wastewater Operators
Understand the plant electrical system from the utility service to the motor shaft: the hazards, what an operator can safely check, and how to find the cause when equipment will not run.
Who it is for
Water and wastewater operators and maintenance staff who work around MCCs, drives, motors and generators. It is written for operators, not electricians, and it does not qualify anyone to work on energized equipment. It pairs with the Instrumentation, SCADA and Controls class and the Reading Plans, Blueprints and P&IDs class.
Format
Online, self-paced: 12 timed modules with the manual reading, worked examples and a short check after each module, plus the student manual to download.
Length and price
4 hours, $140.
What you will learn
12 modules. Every example uses one fictional plant, the White River Resource Recovery Facility, from its 12.47 kV service to its pumps, blowers and standby generators.
- Electrical hazards and NFPA 70E basics (20 min)Shock, arc flash and arc blast, qualified persons, approach boundaries, arc flash labels and PPE, and what an operator may do.
- Lockout/tagout and proving the absence of voltage (18 min)Every energy source, the steps to an electrically safe work condition, live-dead-live testing, group lockout and release.
- Meters and testers: choosing and using them safely (18 min)Meter categories, connecting for volts, amps and ohms, clamp meters, ghost voltage, testers, megohmmeters and infrared scans.
- Voltage, current, resistance and Ohm's law (19 min)Voltage, current and resistance, Ohm's law, series and parallel circuits, control rungs, voltage drop and loose connections.
- Power, energy and power factor (18 min)kW, kWh and horsepower, the plant electric bill, the 15 minute demand peak, power factor and energy saving choices.
- Alternating current: single phase and three phase power (19 min)AC, RMS and peak, single phase service, three phase, wye and delta, plant voltages, unbalance and single phasing.
- Transformers, plant distribution and grounding (19 min)Transformers, the plant one-line from utility to panel, panel schedules, breakers and fuses, fault current, grounding and GFCIs.
- Induction motors, nameplates and motor care (20 min)How an induction motor works, the nameplate, speed and slip, starting current, heat and insulation, and megohmmeter trends.
- Motor control centers, starters and motor protection (20 min)MCC construction and safe operation, the combination starter, starter types, overload trip classes and current unbalance.
- Variable frequency drives and soft starters (19 min)How a VFD works, volts per hertz, key settings, common drive faults, effects on motors, and soft starters.
- Following the power path and troubleshooting plant electrical problems (21 min)Follow power on the one-line and control on the ladder, a five step method, hot motors and loss of power to a process area.
- Standby generators and automatic transfer switches (19 min)Generator sets, the transfer sequence, ATS types, stepped restart, backfeed, testing, loading and fuel.
What operators take away
- How shock and arc flash injure people, and how NFPA 70E approach boundaries, arc flash labels and PPE decide what an operator may do.
- The steps to an electrically safe work condition: every energy source, lockout/tagout, live-dead-live testing and release from lockout.
- How to choose and connect meters and testers safely, and use Ohm's law and power formulas on real plant circuits and electric bills.
- Single and three phase power, transformers, plant distribution, breakers, fault current, grounding and GFCIs.
- Motors, nameplates, MCCs, starters, overloads, VFDs and soft starters, and the readings that show trouble early.
- How to follow power on the one-line and control on the ladder, and a five step method for equipment that will not run.
- Standby generators and transfer switches: the transfer sequence, stepped restart, backfeed, testing and fuel.
- Timed online modules with a short check after each one, a final quiz that opens when every check is passed and the study time is logged, and a certificate of completion from Wastewater Academy™ when you pass it.
- A student manual to download (it comes with the class).
Look inside
A few sample pages from the student manual. Tap a page to open it full size.
These are sample pages only. The full student manual comes with the class.
Register
4 hours, $140.
CEU approval status varies by state. Check with your state certification office before you count class hours toward a renewal.
Questions about this course? Contact help@ActivatedSludge.com.
Our courses have not been approved by any state agency unless a state approval number is shown. Whether a course counts toward your renewal is decided by your certifying authority. Please confirm with your state before enrolling. See where you can use these classes.
Registration is open. Register online and start right away.
After you pay, you are taken to a page where you start the online course and download the student manual. Work through the 12 modules in order; each ends with a 4-question check, and you need 3 of 4 to open the next module. The study timer counts time only while a module page is open and in the foreground, and you have been active in the last 5 minutes. It pauses when the tab is in the background or idle. Module checks open after about 30 percent of that module's required study time is logged. The final quiz opens after every check is passed and 3 hours 50 minutes of study are logged. It has 15 questions; you need 80 percent, with up to 3 attempts. After you pass and fill in a short course evaluation, you get a certificate of completion from Wastewater Academy™ in the name you enroll with. Online access, including the course, manual, quiz, and certificate, lasts 90 days from purchase. To see the style of questions first, try a free practice quiz.
Before you buy, read our refund policy, terms of use and privacy notice.
Certificate Only, $112: Same online course, manual and final quiz, with 90 days of access. The certificate reads “Certificate of Completion. Not submitted for continuing education credit.” and lists no contact hours, CEUs or license numbers. See terms.
Taking more than one class? This class is part of the All-Access Pass: every online class except Indiana exam prep, for 365 days, for $220. Training a crew? See group pricing.
See the All-Access Pass