I Screwed Up an ABB Installation (5-Step Checklist to Avoid My Mistakes)

Who This Checklist Is For

If you're handling orders for ABB installation products — like the E145-38E disconnect switches, potential transformers, or smart metering systems — this is for you. Specifically, if you've ever wondered about smart meter dangers to health, or how to set up a customer monitoring system without blowing your budget, I've been there.

I'm a procurement coordinator who's been placing ABB equipment orders for about 7 years. In that time, I've personally made (and documented) over a dozen significant mistakes, totaling roughly $14,000 in wasted budget. Here's my 5-step pre-order checklist that I now use to keep my team (and my sanity) intact.

Step 1: Verify the Potential Transformer Specs (Don't Assume)

I once ordered 12 ABB potential transformers for a substation upgrade. Checked the voltage class. Checked the accuracy class. Looked perfect on paper. What I missed? The secondary winding configuration (i.e., whether it was wye or delta). The units arrived, and they didn't match the existing panel wiring. That little oversight cost us $1,200 in return shipping and a 2-week project delay.

Checklist action: Before you order, pull the exact wiring diagram from the existing installation. Match the secondary configuration (wye/delta), ratio, and burden rating. If in doubt, call the ABB support line — they'll confirm in 5 minutes.

Step 2: Confirm the Installation Product's 'Accessories' List

ABB installation products — like the E145-38E disconnect — come with a list of compatible accessories. On my second big order, I bought 30 units of the disconnect but forgot to order the auxiliary contacts and handle locks separately. They're sold as add-ons. So I had 30 switches I couldn't actually use until the parts arrived on a seperate shipment. $700 in rush shipping later, lesson learned.

Checklist action: Open the product datasheet. Scroll to the "Accessories" or "Ordering Information" section. List every item you need (like shunt trips, padlock attachments, interlock kits). Then check your cart. I've started keeping a pre-built "E145-38E kit" template in our system (note to self: finish updating the spare parts list).

Step 3: Address the 'Smart Meter Dangers to Health' Concerns Head-On

When we installed a customer monitoring system for a large commercial client, their facility manager asked me, point-blank, about smart meter dangers to health. At the time, I didn't have a solid answer, and that hesitation cost us credibility. They almost walked.

Checklist action: Prepare a one-page FAQ. Quote the WHO and IEEE standards: smart meters operate at radio frequencies well below the international safety limits (like a cellphone sitting 100 feet away). ABB's meters, for example, comply with IEEE C95.1. Include the source: "Per IEEE C95.1-2019 standards, RF exposure limits for smart meters are far below the threshold for any known health effects." Having this ready turned a tense meeting into a confident one.

Step 4: Know How Customers Actually Pay at EV Charging Stations

This might seem unrelated, but when you're building a complete energy ecosystem, how to pay EV charging station fees matters. One client couldn't figure out the billing for their ABB Terra AC Wallbox fleet — they wanted a simple system for visitors. The 'dangers' confusion above almost made them drop the whole project. We needed a clear, phased rollout.

Checklist action: For commercial EV charging, confirm the payment method integration upfront. Is it RFID cards? App-based? Credit card terminal? ABB's chargers support several options. Map it to your customer monitoring system so usage data flows into their dashboard. I'd also check if the site has reliable 4G/LTE, because connectivity drops can confuse the billing.

Step 5: Set Up the Monitoring System Before Installation, Not After

We once installed the hardware for a customer monitoring system — the ABB smart meter, the data gateway, the potential transformers — before configuring the software. The meter was live, but nobody had set up the cloud dashboard, alert thresholds, or user permissions. For two weeks, all that data went nowhere. The client had a monitor that didn't monitor anything.

Checklist action: Commission the software platform before the hardware goes in. Create the user accounts, test the data flow, set up the alarms. I now schedule the IT team to join the commissioning call a week before the equipment arrives. 'Measure twice, cut once' applies to data too.

Avoid My Common Mistakes

• Saved $300 by skipping the pre-install site visit. Ended up ordering the wrong potential transformer. Net loss: $1,200 + 1 week delay. Don't skip the walkthrough.
• The 'budget' disconnect switch surprised me. The E145-38E has different handle styles. I ordered the wrong one because I didn't read the 'handle' line in the spec. $450 to fix.
• Dodged a bullet when I asked the client about their 'smart meter dangers' concerns before quoting. Almost didn't, which would have lost the sale.

Bottom line: Use this checklist before every ABB order. The specs change, the accessories are seperate, and the client's questions are real. Prices as of January 2025 — verify current rates with distributors. But the fundamentals? Those don't change.