3 things you need to know: 1: heavy as f*ck 2: expensive as f*ck 3: yellow as f*ck

Well the transformers match the builders I contract ....as thay only work intermittently 5mins work 15mins nattering! So 110v tranny spot on for use

Agreed. 3000W, intermittent use, 1000W continuously. I'm a sparky, and use mine continuously with an 850W SDS for chopping out. Never had to reset the thermal cut out, and it's 15 yrs old. And don't forget stuff like power factor. 3000W kVA with a 0.9 power factor is actually 2700W intermittent (kVAr). kVAr is the true maximum power output.

Cheers Roger, I will check mine, normally cut a load of blocks in one go 👍

Always tickled me when you see a 230v mains lead dragged all over the place and then a 110v transformer on the end of it, kind of defeats the object of having safe equipment on site, seen it so many times in the past.

You are right that they are an interesting thing... A lot of thought went into these devices, specifically with safety in mind. The secondary winding is center tapped to earth with the L & N output floating & completely isolated from the primary. This means that the maximum shock you can get is 55V to earth ie: not lethal. The reason they overheat so easily is because the transformer windings are epoxy encapsulated for wet use safety. The bin is also waterproof. This makes them safe to use in the rain or wet conditions.

Good info there Roger that I never knew, as I don't think I ever got instructions with it. My reset button has been stuck in for years now and the tranny still working, but I don't have it continously on at full load.

I didn't know that about transformas. Brilliant video.

Sickening to hear about the loss if your transformer, the sick part having to be around grunts luke thar, never mind working near them. I'd have stuck a tracking tile/gps tracker etc to any bulky equipment I was using onsite. Had you done so, all you had to do was use the app on your phone to find out what van it's in and record reg no, go back in and ask 'have you seen my xyz?" Bring your phone out, "Ah, it's okay I see it's nearby." Mention bringing in the law, go out for few mins, guaranteed it will have miraculously reappeared.

Hi Roger as a retired electrical contractor , I was always fascinated by how many contractors were carrying around heavy transformers that were way bigger than they needed . And of course the big units always have a tendency to trip RCDs because of the inrush they produce . Obviously your large concrete splitter needs a beefy transformer , but I can guarantee many only need a smaller unit so saving their backs lugging them around . Best wishes and kind as always .

I dont use mine much but didnt know this so thanks!

Hi I'm Roger Busy Bee from the Skill Builder Channel and my favourite Transformer is Soundwave because he could transform into a Cassette Player and play all my favourite Celine Dion songs.

great info never new that about them good shout SB

well i did not know that! thanks for passing on that little nugget.

The bit about hating em was spot on there a pain lugging from job to job

Thank you : )

Most important thing’s you need to know .they are heavy and when you get to 50 yrs , you think f*@k it I Im not doing it no more

I always go with continuous rating on the transformer. Which is usually half the kva rating. So total Watts on on tools add up to the continuous rating not the peak rating

Get a plug in remote control switch. You have a little remote in you pocket and you can switch it off from 10 metres away. £10 on Amazon. Just got one when my power take of vacuum packed up and Henry had to come off the bench.

My neighbour Jason works mainly in Central London and ditched the 110V Transformer & Associated Tools a couple of years ago, as he was having to go through the rigmarole of Pat Testing every Monday morning. 😨 He's on Milwaukee's 18V platform now 👍 On one job he did he even had to fill in a form quoting the Vibration Characteristics of each tool he'd be using and the length of time he'd be using theml 😨🙃

Thanks you are correct in they are for intermittent use you can always stand the transformer on a couple of bricks. The most important thing that every person does is use them incorrectly. There purpose is to protect you from electric shock which can kill you. 110 volts is safer, so why run 240 volt lethal extension leads around a site to then plug in an 110 volt transformer. Those extension leads are siting waiting to get chopped or slashed and kill you or your work mate. Plug the transformer in at a safe location then use 110 volt extension leads. The inset photo shows the danger lurking. As they say a little knowledge is dangerous. Its the just get the job done attitude that will catch you out, and you won't be going to the home you want just the funeral home.

Very good video Rodger , thanks !!

Hi, always worked my trany hard, stood in a bucket of water . by 10 am just right to make the tea . Energy saved and recycled .

Thanks roger

⚡ 😉 Stick it in a bucket of cold water to keep it cool 😎☺️

had many 3kw transformers most overheat and burn out take off lid only 4 screws to allow heat to escape or buy a 4kw had the same one for over 10 years and its on all day as well it gets hot nut it gives me no problems

Every time I turn up at a customer’s house needing to use one. First thing I ask, where’s your fuse box. 😂

mines absolutely hammered... and a while ago i turned it on and the thermal switch went bang so it hasnt got a thermal switch now. ideally id move away and go cordless but then id need a new mitre saw as my kapex is 110v.... my track saw, extractors, routers etc are all 110v so thats a canny bill to replace all of that lot

Hi Roger, we all use electrical tool appliances so how would we get to maintenance and service test and certification

Not cheap. I used a generator for most of my work, only used a tranny to fitting kitchens. Some great tips below so be nice to your unit. It's mostly battery if you've got 2 spare as a lot of sites expect you to supply your own power. General use 240v converters on site in various places helps. Cannot remember the last time I bought one mind...

Reminds me ..Over a Million Mugs of Tea ago we worked on a four story house in Chichester the Cathedral City. like all jobs at the time it was heads down and Ass Up. Pain in the butt dragging out Transformers just about every day lugging them up four floors via ladders we could not leave them out all night they would have been stolen. As per usual the Client/ Builder thought job was not going fast enough (what's new). we were working 12 hour shifts every day 7 days a week. One day client/ builder came as per usual at lunch time ...Day before tape recorded the guys working sawing hammering with one of those Getto Blaster music units. Client/ Builder turned up I turned on the tape recorder on the forth floor from day before of guys working ..Client/ Builder would not go up the ladders to risky for them when he heard the hammering sawing he was impressed how hard the guys are working...Every day a school day as they say did not know about 110V transformer limitations we used to have them running at all times.

Lol burnt one out when I started as a labourer busting concrete with a breaker was wondering where the burning smell came from 😂

Lots of people think an RCD will give you equivalent protection - I'm not sure that's the case, the point is these isolate you from the electrical installation, if you don't have that isolation then I believe you're subject to getting injured from earth faults that might develop on a building site.

I hate carrying those things around too. If I'm on-site, I try to use my cordless tools as much as I can.

Good to know, I'll still ramp it though no doubt.

If you need to use continuously employ two - then keep swapping between them.

I give this video a thumb up roger 🤣🤣

Top tip. Give it a cool down with a garden hose or a bucket of water if it starts to overheat.

Only time I've known the thermal cutout operate was when we damaged a lead driving an access tower over it. The lead was sparking 😂 and most tools are nowhere near the max load of these trannys so can run continuously. 3kva is a lot! That's why they make the little 1.5kva (I think) units for single tools. I hired a cement mixer recently. Got a 5kva tranny with it (all the hire shop had) and ran it all day, mixed up 1.2m³ continuously. Mixer was about 600w.

Does that mean they can last longer in the winter

Have to admit when I use mine which is not all the time it's going for a few hours or more ,😏 but what do you do , good video 👍🇮🇪☘️👏

Plug a drill in transformer hold trigger in then switch on power to transform it'll limit surge and stop circuit breaker tripping in most cases

With modern electrics and RCD extension leads will they eventually become a thing of the past and just have the 240v tools. I've been working in domestic land for a few years now and have switched over.... Probably going to get a bunch of flack for that but the vac runs the chop saw better and the rail saw. 110 only gives 800w from the vac. Or will it go just to heavy ass 40v Makita. Heavy though.

I'm transformed 😂😂😂 Didn't know about the intermittent use bit I'll be honest. What did annoy me in my 'days of on the tools' is the MCB nearly always kicked out on the consumer unit when you plug it in, especially in the winter when the tranny is cold. The customer thinks your plugging something dodgy in when you ask if they could pop in and reset it. 😊

Don't they have both continuous and intermittent use times? For example you can use it at 1000W all day long and 1500W for 30 minutes.

I did wonder why most of them were always knackered.

Should I buy a 110v mitre saw and buy a transformer to use for domestic or buy a 240v mitre saw and use a transformer and convert it to 110v for site use. I want to use it for site use and domestic use so what’s better? 110v or 240v

I'm using one that's double the physical size, and also weighs nearly 3 times as much, to power my chop saw. Those little 16Amp transformers just don't have the power, and the chop saw hardly scratches the metal it's cutting. But using a 32Amp transformer, I can cut through quite a bit more, and unless the light fingered out there have a wheel barrow, it's not something your going to run off with.

I think you'll find if you derate the transformer by the duty cycle then you can use it continuously. For example if the duty cycle is 30% and the transformer is rated for 1,000 VA then you should be OK with a load of 300 VA using it continuously. The cause of these issues is the transformer is made to be waterproof and to withstand the abuse of being on a building site. Put the same transformer in a metal box with louvres for ventilation and it'd probably run happily all day at rated load. The other approach would be to buy a transformer that's got a higher power rating than you need. Of course that's going to cost more and be heavier.

Good time to talk about ...... Duty Cycle!

How are we suppsed to charge MEWPs onsite if we're supposed to give em 15 minutes rest after 5 minutes use????????????????

Really interesting. 99% of people must abuse these then. I never knew they were for intermittent use but makes complete sense. All the heaters I have seen plugged into these and left running for hours……

I like to sit my transformer on blocks to get air flow underneath to keep cool.

Leaving it plugged in will not cause overheating because there is minimal current flowing. Using it is another matter.

That must be why I’m on my third transformer in five years.

Probably should of explained the purpose of a on site isolating transformer which I understand to be that you never get more than 55v between a conductor and true earth.

my wallpaper stripper is 110v cannot really use it intermittently when stripping a house. and yes the transformer gets super hot and did trip the other day. seems like it was a daft idea to make a 110v wallpaper stripper (it also has a big water tank)

Also great that the maximum voltage to earth is 55v

In a world of RCD's and RCBO's it does beg the question, why are we still bothering with 110v? No other country in Europe uses 110v and they don't seem to have any major safety issues. More and more on site 110v is being replaced with 18v. Isn't it about time this system is due for a review and the construction industry looks at protection at source being law.

Due to the weight of my 3 KVA transformer I call it great Aunt Hernia.

How is your thumb getting on?

They are for continuous use at a lower load. That one you have the is rated for 3000w short term and 1500w long term. I use them on site to power festoon lighting and there on all day every day for weeks

Personally I would never go with a unit less than 10 kVA. The whole safety goal is defeated if the transformer melts down and the secondary comes into contact with the high voltage primary. What would you rather electrocution or a little bit of grunt moving a transformer? A small hand truck and it's never been an issue in all my years. On projects with 2 people running tools simultaneously I bring 2 of these. And the inrush current thing is overblown, a very simple fix with a soft starter that momentarily puts a lamp in series with the input power and is bridged a second later with a timed switch. The initial magnetisation current is limited by the resistance of the bulb and gets the flux swinging in the core, and then the bulb is bypassed and taken out of circuit afterwards.

Awwwwwwwww was hoping for a robot in disguise 😔

Give it 15-20 years and they will be museum pieces...plenty of copper in them though, must be worth a few bob to weigh them in?

I've watched loads of Transformers films. I never knew Optimus Prime worked on 110v and could only do intermittent use. When the Autobot Transformers are battling the Decepticons, they do 5 mins on and 15 mins off duty-cycles?

Guilty as charged, leave mine on All day, 🔥 down a 40ft tool Container ( 30+year's ago) back when I Was A Padwan 😩

Interesting, but is it an autobot or decepticon

Good thing about them is once you’ve heated your kettle up, stand your cup on the tranny, keeps the coffee nice and toasty. #abuseanduse. #toptips

As a site electrician working on huge high rise building sites in Sydney, I find this transformer idea a bit of a nuisance. I'm glad we don't mandate this madness here. We use 240v rated tools and are glad to do so. We do however require all electrical tools to be inspected monthly for damage.

Hang it up - air circulation improves a lot, but close to the ground is the coldest place.

How far does the 110v rule apply though every site is different, some sites say your cordless tools must be charged on a 110v charger so you still need a transformer others will have a container with loads of 240v sockets in ? It's hit and miss.

Mines on all day everyday no probs. 14 yrs old now no issues

Didn’t know that

I always thought that if you had to use with extension leads you had to have the transformer plugged directly into the socket, and then use 110v extension leads, not plug the transformer into a 240 extension lead like in your clip of the breaker as the drop in resistance along the 240 extension lead damages the transformer.

I used to wonder why my father always sat the transformer on a concrete block when it was used inside

3300VA Intermittent Rating 5min on/15min off ,1650VA max Continuous Rating all day long

Please dont exceed its rated KWH rating, try to use one at least twice the watts of the tool being used. I have a 5KWH one for all day use and a light 1.5 one for the odd job.

That sounds like the manufacturers get out clause

👍👍

They come with instructions? 😬

I always thought transformers were robots in disguise.

Alright Richard

From Aus and thought you had 240VAC at 50Hz in UK……so why buy 110VAC stuff and not just 240V equipment like here……??

5KVA transformers are better plus all CE Rated transformers come with a thermal protection device fitted. 5KVA are no good in most domestic settings as they’ll normally trip the B Type MCB when switched on due to inrush current but, should be fine in commercial/industrial locations. There’s no legal requirement to run 110V on sites however, most larger scale sites do require it & should provide industrial/vented transformers as part of their onsite installations for contractor use if they specify it’s requirement. Cordless doesn’t yet have the longevity for disc cutters/breakers & prohibition of combustion engines indoors should rule out that option for most so, transformers will still be with us for a while at least. Not much else that a battery doesn’t run on site these days. Might be worth people following your lead & adopting cordless solutions.

Robots In Disguise.

Maybe I have just been luck my transformer is plugged in all day and gets used for way longer than 5mins and I have never had to use the thermal switch.

Same thing happened to me with a laser level. It was screwed to the wall in a customer's house. There was only me and one other builder. When I went back the following day The laser level was gone and he said exactly the same thing laser level. What laser level? I've not seen a laser level.

Why not just use 230 v tools with an 30 ma Rcd plug🤔.

Y'all need a bigger transformer!

If david moyes an gollum had a kid it would look like this fella

What is the point in 110 anyway?

Or now days use a Beaker on 240v with a rcd

Take a day off Roger 🤣🤣

It's not often you would be drawing 3kw of it for any prolonged period so you shouldnt have to keep unplugging it really under normal use. I mean really, who does that?

I never knew they didn't have 120 in the UK. Why don't they have 120?

Why don't Brits develope power tools that do not require transformers? Rented one to power a German made roto hammer with an American (110) plug while building an extension in Scotland year 2000. Very inconvenient.

The main thing you need to check and consider is that it may be…… …. A Robot in disguise

Someone plugged a substantial load into my tranny when the lights started to flicker and went out ,I investegated and found the resin a molten mess ,oops sorry didn't really cover it .

Sounds like there's a gap in the market for an improved design