how to remove neon

[Colorburst]

I'm refacing a sign for a customer and it has a couple of pieces of neon on the outside of the cabinet that need to be removed. I have removed the neon tubes but I'm not sure how to remove the wiring or can I just put wire nuts and electrical tape over them and leave it?
Thanks,

 

[J Hill Designs]

pull the transformer and all GTO - box up the primary

DO NOT wirenut the GTO - 15Kv open circuit is a no-no

 

[Colorburst]

Thanks. that is what I thought but not working with it very much I was not sure. please define GTO (newbie, you know)

 

[J Hill Designs]

15Kv wiring...

 

[Westcoast Sign Guy]

This is fRICKEN classic, is it Friday yet????

Hopefully when you go back to tear everything out after already removing the tubes, the building is still there. You should hope the primary to that system was already off or not on a timer.

Admin, please sticky or pin this topic!

Also, don't forget to upgrade your membership Colorburst, it's time to pay life's dues, a big favor was just bestowed upon you. You just got "life changing/saving" information for free.

 

[astro8]

You should hope the primary to that system was already off or not on a timer.

Amen.

 

[Mosh]

BE SURE IT IS OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Take the leads off the transformer and nut them. If you have to ask this type of question you should not be doing this kind of work! Seriously, you can get hurt or killed, and/or burn down the place! Hire an electrician to get it turned off, you are messing with trouble if you have no experience doing this!

 

[CentralSigns]

There's enough power stored in the capacitors to kill you. They need discharged to be safe. Want a mini idea how this works, take the battery out of a disposable camera, then fiddle around inside it till ya get it.

 

[John L]

Oh My.

 

[vinylbarry]

Wow that could have been a big mistake, sure hope things go good. We always find the breaker and tag it out before any work is started.

 

[signage]

There's enough power stored in the capacitors to kill you. They need discharged to be safe.

If they are asking these type of questions, they most likely don't know how to discharge them! But they will learn about that the hard way and hopefully will be around to know the next time to not mess with things you know nothing about!

 

[Kottwitz-Graphics]

please define GTO (newbie, you know)

The Pontiac GTO was an automobile built by Pontiac Division of General Motors in the United States from 1964 to 1974...

Ok...bad joke.

Like said before, if you don't know what your doing, you will want to get someone in that does.

But to be safe, go in to the customers breaker box, and find the breaker and make sure its off. Then go and take a tester and make sure that the power (120v) going into the transformer is dead. Then remove the leads, and wire nut them and tape them up.

You never ever want to try to wire nut the homerun (load side) of a tranformer.

I once got hit by a 12,000 volt transformer when installing neon. (We put the transformer into the box, and while installing the neon on the outside of the building, the electricians came in behind us and wired it in, and proceeded to turn them on. Needless to say, I learned my lesson that day.)

 

[petrosgraphics]

dito, dito , dito on all of the answers.... POWER OFF!!!!!! BREAKER OFF!!!!
nothing left behind the wall, nothing!!!!!!!!!

 

[Colorburst]

Thanks for all the info. some good, some not so much but thanks ! The power was off. The power is still off. All of the wiring and transformer has been removed starting with the wire from the primary to the transformer. Next time I'll "call the man" first. Thanks again