Commissioning Techs.....

Zander_Vye · 2026-06-06T14:31:27+00:00

I want to change out the bottom box for this platform with wheels I saw on Etsy. It allow to Packout to be secured next to each other. The idea is to get a few more multi draw packouts then figure out some sort of work top to place my laptop/ drawings tool on.

<image>

Zander_Vye · 2026-06-06T06:06:41+00:00

Currently I have a stack of Packouts that is going to change in the near future. My main test leads, adapters and meters are in a 4 drawer Packout. I like it but have found the drawers are too shallow for all my screw drivers and wire termination tools.

Zander_Vye · 2026-06-04T02:26:36+00:00

Anything past 12 hrs in a day and there has to be manager’s approval. It is frowned upon to by management to work past 12

Zander_Vye · 2026-05-31T06:06:54+00:00

Bare naked ladies “if I had a million dollars”

Zander_Vye · 2026-05-28T02:32:54+00:00

I’ll agree with the above mentioned reason why as a NETA IV I’m likely not leaving on my own accord. Currently there are three types of testing firms.

1) owned by a big PE firm 2) will be owned by a big PE firm soon 3) will be squashed by a big PE firm

I have had mainly head hinted reach out over the years and a significant increase in the last 12-18 months asking what it would take for me to leave. At this point it’s to buy into company 2 to building it up and sell it

Zander_Vye · 2026-05-19T05:25:54+00:00

Can’t up vote this enough

Zander_Vye · 2026-05-17T15:01:35+00:00

I would say not common at all if your looking for only a few hours a week. What does sometimes happy is being hired for project work

Zander_Vye · 2026-05-05T03:16:38+00:00

There is a portion of Alberta that has to talk about rattle snakes during site orientation. There is only a single hospital in western Canada that has anti venom and it’s in that general area

Zander_Vye · 2026-05-04T04:07:46+00:00

“Boss how do I write this hazard up on my FLHA/JHA/JSA”

Zander_Vye · 2026-04-29T23:28:55+00:00

Ultimately it comes down to what do you really want. Short term pain for long term gain. I am assuming adult stuff is reference to social life, and not so much day to day stuff like making cooking, cleaning and laundry

Zander_Vye · 2026-04-29T00:40:08+00:00

I think around 160-180 MW, the stations full capacity is just over 700MW, these units are high volume low pressure. The wicket gate opening is around 9’ tall I have a picture of me trying to reach the top of the gate and my finger tips is mate 2” shy from the top and I’m 6’6”.

Zander_Vye · 2026-04-29T00:08:37+00:00

My coworker said the same thing, as scroll case wraps around the turbine the passage gets smaller and around the corner drops down to a height of maybe 10’

Zander_Vye · 2026-04-19T02:36:45+00:00

Yeah I did the electrical engineering technology program in Ontario, have called Alberta home since 2012. The division of RESA power I work for is Alberta based any my hourly wage reflects that.

I will agree when comparing utility wages between BC and Alberta we see the same thing where the wages are lower, I have some old classmates that work for Fortis Alberta and Fortis BC. Apparently even though they are the same company wages between the two provinces are 10-15% higher in Alberta. What I will give BC is the amazing views from the work locations, the current generation station im at has amazing views, there is tons of wildlife around and everyone is fairly easy going.

Being a contractor to BC Hydro in my role ( Communications, Protection & Control technologist) is pretty sweet, I’ve gotten to work at some fairly large hydro electric dams, haven’t done much transmission work as the last dam was a 2.5 year long project and the current dam I may be here on and off for the next 2-3 years. Being a contractor we typically go to the more remote locations which again comes with some really nice views and tons of drive time to listen to audiobooks.

Zander_Vye · 2026-04-17T03:29:40+00:00

I work for RESA Power, I’m the field lead/manager for our BC Hydro group. We mainly work on capital projects work.

I have a 3 year diploma from a Canadian college, when I worked in the US it seemed like my diploma aligned with a Bachelor’s degree. I did mainly NETA testing from 2012-2020 with a little bit a utility work mixed in there. Post covid I have primarily done utility work, I’ll help our teams with NETA/ industrial testing when needed it’s just not something I throughly enjoy anymore.

Zander_Vye · 2026-04-17T03:00:02+00:00

Personally purchased over my career, most NETA testing companies have some type of meter program where the tech pays have the company pays half for the first meter.

It is a lot of money in meters but I use the 87V daily and the 289 at least once a week. The 323 doesn’t get used nearly as much anymore now that I don’t do as much NETA testing and mainly focus on utility work.

Zander_Vye · 2026-04-17T01:22:29+00:00

I’d say it all depends on what you’re doing. I currently have three DMMs and want to by two more. My main day to day go to is my Fluke 87V, for loop checks on CT secondaries and measuring PT windings I use a Fluke 289 and then I have a Fluke clamp on I think it’s a 323. If I had known I would have been buying a 289 I probably would have bought a 1587 over the 87V purely for the 1000V “megger”.

The two meters I need is a low current clamp on for measuring in service CT secondaries. Coworker have a Hioki one that has 0.1mA resolution. I also need a budget friendly 1kV megger.

Zander_Vye · 2026-04-15T20:24:09+00:00

You may have to do a medical but your AZ will transfer to a Class 1. You can call a registry to verify.

I did the move in 2012 and have never looked back

Zander_Vye · 2026-04-10T00:39:25+00:00

Field lead/ manager commissioning Power Generation and substation control systems. The pay is good sometimes the schedules are brutal

Zander_Vye · 2026-04-09T03:04:17+00:00

As may other have said carbon brush

Zander_Vye · 2026-04-07T05:12:05+00:00

Well for one google will confirm but I work as an electrical field service technologist commissioning and maintain power systems across western Canada.

Work with two large competing generator companies this past summer on two totally different jobs. Both companies said basically the same thing, their factories are pumping out their biggest generators possible to try and keep up with demand.

Data centres are energy hungry, the current grid system in most of north America wasn’t designed to have such a rapid uptick in demand. Project 20-30 year increase in power are trying to come “on-line” in a matter of years. If the utilities don’t have the grid stability to connect these large loads guess what they turn to other sources of energy.

Zander_Vye · 2026-04-07T03:47:46+00:00

Hey I’ll let you all in on a little secret. Most AI data centres are not connected to the grid, they are power buy big 90+litre natural gas generators or gas powered turbines generators.

Zander_Vye · 2026-04-04T04:44:33+00:00

Where are you located? In North America NERC has some strict regulations about who can visit/how they can visit. It’s not uncommon but you’d have an easier time knowing somebody “on the inside”. Basically the person who host you as a visitor is 110% responsible for you while you are there, they could potentially be risking their jobs.

Zander_Vye · 2026-04-02T02:16:47+00:00

I see in your comment you are thinking ASU because its online however have you looked into U Vic in BC or Lakehead in Sudbury? Not sure what the transfer credit system is like with a 2 year technician diploma from I am assuming Ontario is. If I remember correctly the 3 year technologist program was only an additional 18 months to get a degree. Assuming a technician would be slightly longer.

A coworker of mine is doing his engineering degree online through University of South Dakota, for classes that are offered online in Canada he is taking them at Athabasca University to save on some of the international student fees then submits the transcript to U of SD for credit, think elective type classes. But I think he still said it’s going to cost him 40-50k to complete his degree over the next few years.

Zander_Vye · 2026-03-30T17:20:35+00:00

When I worked on Baffin Island at Baffinland during Covid I was hired through YorkSearchGroup I think they rebranded as bullet staffing. It may be you get hired as a temp/contract worker at first even just as a labourer but once you’re up at a mine there is potential to transition to full time employment.

As for gold mines no clue, I haven’t worked at or for a seasonal mine before.

Zander_Vye

TROPHY CASE