Guide ยท Medium voltage
Medium voltage cable safety before handling.
Cable that has been pulled is not the same as cable that is dead. Shielded medium-voltage cable can hold a charge after the source is gone, and that charge does not announce itself.
Call or text the buying desk954-740-1983
Class2 kV to 35 kV
SequenceDe-energise, discharge, test
HazardStored charge in the shield
Before handlingTest record and tag
Get a buy quote
Send the reel list. A buyer reads it.
Six details are enough to start. Tags and photos can follow by text or email once a buyer has looked at the basics.
- A buyer reviews the lot: construction, footage and condition, not only metal weight
- Copper and aluminium, 600 V building wire through 345 kV cable
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Reel list · MV Safety
Reviewed by a buyerTell us what you have and where it sits. Nothing is moved until written lot terms are agreed.
01
The steps, in order
Each step has a purpose and none can be skipped. Missing the discharge is the one that injures people, because a cable can read dead on a meter and still hold enough energy to hurt whoever bends it. Every step belongs to a qualified person working under the employer's written program, and the result has to be recorded.
- De-energise and lock out the source, including any backfeed
- Prove the circuit dead with a tester rated for the voltage
- Discharge conductor and shield to ground, then re-test
- Ground and tag the cable with the date and the name
02
Stored charge and why shielded cable is different
In shielded cable the insulation sits as a dielectric between the conductor and the shield, which is precisely what a capacitor is. A long run holds more than a short one. Neither end being connected does not mean the middle is empty. The discharge has to reach the conductor and not only the shield, and it has to be done again if the cable is moved or cut.
03
PPE and the physical handling
Removed cable is heavy, stiff and often wet, which makes it a handling problem as well as an electrical one. Cut ends should be sealed before the cable is coiled, because a cut end is where moisture enters. Gloves that suit a 4/0 feeder are not necessarily rated for the class of the cable in front of you, so read the tag before choosing what to wear.
04
What a buyer needs to see first
No cable is handled, quoted as firm or loaded until the paperwork says it is safe. That is not caution for its own sake. The next set of hands on the reel belongs to a crew that was not there when it was isolated, and they cannot verify anything by looking at it. The information is short and almost all of it already exists on the job.
- The voltage class and description from the tag
- The isolation and lockout record, with the date
- The discharge and test result, and who performed it
- The tag or label fixed to the cable end
- Whether the ends are sealed and how the cable is stored
| Class | Typical cable | Handling note |
|---|---|---|
| 2 kV to 5 kV | Shielded power, EPR or XLPE | Discharge before coiling |
| 15 kV | Shielded feeder, either metal | Shield must be grounded |
| 25 kV | Shielded feeder and switchgear | Test record before loading |
| 35 kV | Shielded, thicker insulation | Seal ends, do not bend hard |
| Above 35 kV | Solid dielectric or pipe type | Qualified crews only |
Questions
Answers before you send anything.
If your question is not here, call the desk. A buyer answers, not a call centre.
We pulled it last month and it has been dead since. Is that enough?
Not on its own. Cable that has been disconnected can still hold charge, and a month on a rack does not discharge it reliably. What is needed is a discharge and a test with a record of who did it, and that record should travel with the reel.
Can the cable be cut before it is discharged?
No. Cutting a shielded cable that holds charge is the exact operation the discharge step exists to prevent. The cut waits until the cable is proven dead, discharged and grounded by a qualified person under the site safety program.
Do you need the test paperwork to quote a lot?
To look and to quote, photographs and tags are enough. To handle, load and take delivery, the discharge and test record is what a buyer needs. The two stages are separate, and keeping them separate gets a seller an answer quickly.
What if we do not know the voltage class?
The tag and the jacket print usually say. Where neither survives, insulation thickness and shield construction give it away, but that is a job for someone qualified to look. Do not guess a class upward or downward to move a lot along.
Keep reading
Related pages
No fee · no obligation
You have the cable. We have a scale and a check.
Send the reel list, the tags or a photograph of the pallet. A buyer comes back with what the lot is worth and how pickup would work, before anything is moved.
954-740-1983 Call or text
- Reel tags, or the print on the jacket
- Reel count and footage, even roughly
- Where it sits and what can reach it
- Whether the cable is still energised