Restoring power to an active retail property.
An underground electrical failure left most of the Jewel-Osco parking lot at Scharrington Square without lighting. Property management needed a prompt solution to restore illumination for customers and employees.
LH Block Electric completed the emergency refeed in 2024 at the shopping center near Schaumburg and Barrington Roads. The work combined electrical troubleshooting, underground conduit locating, temporary generator power, and installation of a new dedicated feed.
An overnight response
Initial troubleshooting identified a faulty underground feeder from the electrical distribution panel at the rear of the building. Its original route passed beneath the existing commercial structure, making replacement along the same path impractical.
Our team mobilized at approximately 6:00 PM on Friday and worked through the night into early Saturday morning. During the repair, a temporary generator powered the affected parking-lot lights, maintaining illumination while Jewel-Osco remained operational.
LH Block owns a mini excavator and skid steer, giving our team access to excavation equipment without relying on rental availability. For this overnight repair, having our own equipment allowed us to begin the necessary excavation without waiting for a rental company to open.
Finding a workable underground route
Using specialized underground locating equipment, our electricians traced existing conduit pathways and identified locations where the infrastructure could be intercepted.
The team located serviceable PVC conduit beneath the roadway and intercepted it at a nearby parking-lot island, adjacent to the first lighting pole in front of Jewel-Osco. That pole served as a distribution point for the affected lighting circuits.
Incorporating the existing roadway crossing into a new dedicated electrical feed created an alternative path from the rear distribution panel to the parking-lot lighting system, bypassing the failed feeder.
Reuse that reduced disruption
Reusing the sound PVC conduit eliminated the need for directional boring beneath the roadway and minimized disruption to the shopping center’s pavement. Excavation and connections at the accessible interception points allowed the team to complete the new route.
- Diagnose: Identify the failed feeder and trace the existing underground pathways.
- Maintain lighting: Supply temporary generator power during the overnight repair.
- Refeed: Install a new dedicated feed incorporating the serviceable roadway conduit.
- Restore: Return the affected parking-lot lighting to permanent electrical power.
Permanent power restored
The completed refeed restored permanent power to the affected lighting with minimal disruption to the active retail property.
This project demonstrates LH Block Electric’s experience resolving complex underground electrical failures through coordinated troubleshooting, locating, and emergency repair work.