All Wire Electric

Owner:

VA

Architect:

.

General Contractor:

.

Scope Of Work

The biggest commercial electrical project All Wire has undertaken to date is the upgrade project at a Veterans Hospital in Tacoma. Officially called the “Seismic Upgrade Remodel Project,” this $2 million undertaking has already totaled over 8,500 man-hours. Our role is to provide upgraded electrical service as the hospital improves their facility to better serve Veterans.

Major Challenges Require Large-Scale Solutions

Any project of this magnitude comes with its share of challenges. For starters, there is the sheer amount of heavy wire that was pulled through the numerous runs of conduit. Then there is the conduit itself. There are eight 4-inch conduits running from the transformer into the building delivering 3000amps of service to the hospital.

This project also presented a unique challenge, though one that was easily addressed with a change in plans. An active steam tunnel made it impossible to dig deep enough to place a main vault where the electrical service was needed. The solution was to construct a concrete pad on the spot where the vault would have been placed. The conduit was then run up through the concrete and into the transformer. The issue of the steam tunnel also meant that the conduit running into the hospital and carrying the 3000 amps could not be buried to the required depth. For safety reasons this was addressed by pouring red colored concrete to encase the conduit anywhere it was not at a satisfactory depth. This will provide the necessary warning to anyone who may be digging in the area at any point in the future. While this is an ongoing project we are very pleased with the work and results so far. It’s been hard, heavy work but the results will be worth it – a hospital with extended services and capabilities to provide ongoing care to area Veterans.