We buy surplus bus duct and busway
Bus duct is not cable, but it arrives in the same surplus lots. It is reviewed on amperage, on whether the fittings came with it, and on what each section carries.
Send the lot
Six details are enough to start: what the cable is, how much there is, where it is and what condition it is in. Photos can follow by text or email.
Prefer to talk 954-740-1983A busway run leaves a building the same way a cable reel does: as surplus that nobody wants to store. It travels in straight sections with elbows, tees, end closers and hangers that were bought for one riser or one lineup and rarely fit another without modification.
That makes completeness the first question. A run with all its fittings is a different item from the same footage of straight sections with the elbows lost. We review the amperage rating, the components and the condition of the housing before we look at what metal is inside.
Amperage first, then what the section carries
Ratings on feeder and plug-in busway run from around four hundred amps to five thousand and beyond, and the rating decides which jobs a section could serve. The rating is stamped on the housing, usually near an end, and it should be photographed rather than remembered.
Inside the housing, the copper or aluminum bars carry the current. A higher-rated section holds more metal for the same length, which is why the copper content of a section matters when a run is reviewed. It is also why a mixed pile of sections in different ratings cannot be reviewed as one weight.
Sections, elbows, tees and end closers
Completeness drives the review. A run that comes out with its elbows, tees, flanges and end closers can be reinstalled somewhere else. A pile of straight sections with the fittings left in the ceiling is closer to recovery material, and nobody usually realizes it until the pile is already on the truck.
So count as you take it down. Sections by length and rating, then elbows, tees, offsets, end closers, hangers and plug-in units. Bag the hardware with the fittings it belongs to. A box of bolts that matches the joints is worth more than a box of bolts that does not.
Floor-plate cuts versus a run from a cancelled project
Busway removed during a tenant change is usually cut. The crew cuts where the floor plate needs it, and the cut ends are rough. Busway from a cancelled project is often untouched, still banded, sometimes still in its packing. The two are reviewed on completely different terms.
Say which you have and how it was stored. Water inside a section is the main killer: the housing fills, the bars sit wet, and the insulation between them suffers. Sections stored on end with the ends open and the yard flooding after a storm are the usual story.
What this page covers
The rows a buyer would fill in when reviewing this kind of lot. If your cable matches most of them, the submission is ready.
| Assemblies reviewed | Feeder busway, plug-in busway, cable bus |
|---|---|
| Typical ratings | 400 A to 5,000 A |
| Components | Straight sections, fittings, plugs, hangers |
| Condition flags | Missing fittings, bent sections, water ingress |
| Site type | Data centers, fabs, high-rise risers |
Risers downtown and busway in the fab corridors
High-rise risers in the central business district use plug-in and feeder busway from the service level up, and a floor-by-floor renovation releases sections in the sequence the floors come down. Downtown loading is the constraint, not the quantity, and a dock slot is usually needed.
Out along SH-130 and the SH-71 corridor, plants and data halls use the same assemblies at higher ratings, and a cancelled package there can leave whole runs unused. Those lots are usually clean, banded and easy to count, which makes the review quick.
Sellers ask
Is bus duct bought by weight or by the section?
Both, and in that spirit: the rating and the completeness set the frame, then the metal inside is accounted for. A weigh ticket alone cannot tell a five thousand amp section from a four hundred amp one, so the rating is established first.
What happens to sections with missing fittings?
They are still reviewed, at a lower standing. Straight sections without elbows or end closers cannot make a complete run, so they tend to be looked at as material. Keep whatever fittings you have, even the damaged ones, and list them with the sections.
Can water-damaged busway be reviewed?
It can be inspected, and the answer depends on how long it was wet. A section that took rain once and was drained may be fine. One that stood in water with the ends open is usually recovery material. Say how it was stored rather than letting it be found at pickup.
Do you take cable bus as well as busway?
Yes. Cable bus is reviewed with the same questions about amperage and completeness, though the conductors inside it are handled as cable. Note the frame rating and whether the conductors and supports came out with it.
Send the reel list
Six details are enough to start: what the cable is, how much there is, where it is and what condition it is in. Photos can follow by text or email.
Prefer to talk 954-740-1983