Ron Widup
Marketing & Industry Awareness Committee Chair
Shermco Industries

It's an age-old problem for all of us in the service business – effectively communicating. Clear communications about complex electrical service issues with the customer, the industry and even our employees should always be grammatically correct and free from slang.

When you don't communicate well, you may inadvertently misrepresent the quality of workmanship of your shop and field services. We frequently communicate via written means like proposals, marketing materials, datasheets and failure summary reports. Each of these needs to be clear and concise.

Below are just a few examples of abbreviations, technical writing styles and commonly misused words and phrases found in electrical communications. Although there may be different opinions regarding these symbols and grammar usage, this article intends provide talking points to consider and share. 

And remember, electrons flow through a bus, not a buss.

Common Electrical Terms + Writing Style 
Contact-Resistance Testing 
The process of testing an electrical component for resistance across a contact assembly with a digital low-resistance ohmmeter is commonly known as a "Ducter" test. However, it should be reported as a "contact-resistance test." DucterTM is a trade name of Megger Group Limited (formerly AVO International and Biddle Instruments).

Insulation-Resistance Testing 
The process of testing an electrical device for insulation resistance, commonly known as a "Megger" test, should be reported as an "insulation-resistance test." This is again an instance of using a trade name.

Numbers Fewer Than Ten
When writing numbers that are not specific values of test data, spell out all numbers from one to ten, including the number ten. The number 11 and higher should appear in numerical format. An example would be, "Three dry-type transformers were tested." Another example would be, "14 dry-type transformers were tested."  It’s worth noting  the number should be written out if it is the first word of the sentence.

Always write specific test data in numerical format when used in reference to obtained results. Examples would be 1.50 Megohms or 38.6 seconds. 

Time Designations 
When entering time data onto a data sheet greater than one second, use three digits to record the time. For example:

• 125.86 seconds - Record the time as 126 seconds
• 38.220 seconds - Record the time as 38.2 seconds
• 1.4524 seconds - Record the time as 1.45 seconds

Additionally, if the time is less than one second, keep the first digit as "0.", with the resultant time after the "0." 

• 0.1490 seconds - Record the time as 0.15 seconds

Common Electrical Abbreviations & Symbols 
Use the below abbreviations and symbols. Please take note of the placement of spaces and upper and lower case usage:

ac system voltage	480 V ac
Amperage rating	250 A
capacitor [bank] rating	200 Mvar
current transformer	CT
dc system voltage	125 V dc
degrees Celsius or centigrade	25° C
farad	F
greater than	>
kilovolt designation	13.2 kV
kilowatt hour [meter]	kWh
kilowatt	kW
less than	<
megawatt	MW
megohm designation	(>1.0) 2000 MW or 2000 Megohms
microamp designation (>1.0)	34.5 μA or 34.5 microamps
motor horsepower rating	500 hp
power factor	PF
sulphur hexaflouride	SF6
system frequency	60 Hz
transformer rating in kVA	2000 kVA
transformer rating in MVA	1200 MVA
transformer	xfmr

 

Parting Shot: Buses, Shock & Electrocution  
How many times have you seen someone use the term "buss" or "buss bar" to refer to a solid electrical conductor? Well, they need to drop a letter, because "Buss" is a manufacturer brand name of specific electrical fuses. The correct spelling is "bus" or "bus bar." By the way, the plural for bus is spelled "buses."  

Here's another tidbit of information that's good to know. Have you ever seen a news article headline that reads something like this: Worker Electrocuted at Job Site, Recovering at Home 

From Merriam-Webster, the definition of "electrocute" is:

1. to execute (a criminal) by electricity 
2. to kill by electric shock 

So, unless you are dead, you have been shocked, not electrocuted. Remember: accuracy is just as important as clarity when communicating via the written word. 

Best of luck with your future communications. 

Let's eat grandma.
Let's eat, grandma.

(By the way, commas do matter, but that's another article!)

Categories: Miscellaneous

Tags: Communications

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