Ten modules from the code book to the fault — built by field electricians for treatment plants, pump stations and collection systems.
Electrical Training for Water & Wastewater Plants is an online, self-paced course from TRYeTECH Academy covering hazardous-location wiring, power distribution, motor control, drives, instrumentation loops, SCADA, standby power and NFPA 70E electrical safety. It has 10 modules and 70 lessons — about 150 hours of study — and every lesson combines narrated slides with Key details, pre-task checklists, troubleshooting scenarios, hands-on practice labs, worked examples, quizzes and flashcards.
For apprentices, new plant electricians and operators cross-training into electrical maintenance. Every term is explained in plain language, each lesson opens with a pre-task checklist and the scenarios build safe troubleshooting habits from day one.
Experienced & licensed
For journeyman and master electricians, electrical supervisors and plant engineers. You get code and standard references, numbers you can use in the field, pro-level scenarios and tracked active hours for CEU/continuing-education records.
What’s included
Narrated lesson slides
4,388 slides with speaker notes, 119 labeled technical figures and 623 worked examples.
Key details
Expandable “Key details” on 2,226 slides: the beginner explanation, the professional depth and a field tip.
Pre-task checklists
70 field checklists — plan, hazards & PPE, isolate & verify, tools, do the work, restore & document.
Troubleshooting scenarios
350 interactive scenarios: pick your tests, read the results, choose the root cause and see the fix.
Practice labs
9 hands-on simulators with guided presets tied to specific lessons (listed below).
Calculators & tools
Engineering calculator, Unit converter, Volume & area.
Technical whiteboard
Sketch circuits, P&IDs and calculations next to the lesson.
Flashcards
10,000 flashcards with spaced review across every module.
Lesson quizzes
473 quiz questions with explanations inside the lessons.
Progress & certificates
Active-time tracking, module certificates with contact hours and public verification codes.
Practice labs in this course
Ventilation & airflow lab — Headworks, wet well, chlorine room, MCC/VFD room and lab fume hood with belt-driven fans, louvers, dampers, airflow proof, gas detectors & interlocks. Pitot traverses…
Shaft alignment & soft-foot lab — Align a horizontal pump and motor: LOTO, rough align, runout, pipe strain and soft-foot checks, then rim-and-face, reverse-dial or laser readings with sag correction…
Motor control circuit troubleshooter — Animated ladder and power diagram of a submersible-pump starter bucket (CPT with fuses, 3-wire start/stop with seal-in, HOA, overload, seal/thermal relay, float…
Multimeter & clamp-meter trainer — Realistic true-RMS DMM (rotary dial, auto-range, fused A/mA jacks, CAT ratings, LoZ) and clamp meters on a 480 V MCC bucket, a 120 V control circuit, a field junction…
4–20 mA loop & calibration lab — Two-wire transmitter loop with 24 VDC supply, IS barrier/isolator, cable resistance, JB, 250 Ω PLC input and HMI; documenting loop calibrator, hand pump with reference…
MCC bucket & motor testing lab — Lock out an FVNR bucket, then megger, winding-resistance, running-current/voltage-unbalance and thermography tests on a pump motor with randomized faults.
PID control & tuning sandbox — Real-time water/wastewater process simulation with a live trend and an ISA-style faceplate: bump tests, lambda tuning, integrating level loops, compound-loop…
Pump test bench & pump station — Centrifugal pump on a VFD with suction/discharge gauges, valves, flow meter, live pump & system curves (affinity laws, BEP, POR, NPSH3), cavitation, field faults, plus a…
Valve & Actuator Lab — Commission and troubleshoot electric MOVs (limits, torque, 4-20 mA deadband), calibrate a spring-return pneumatic valve with a smart positioner, exercise buried gate…
Course sequence: Electrical & Controls
3 numbered courses, 150 hours in total. Take them in order — each one prepares you for the next. Download the two-page sheet for any course.
ELEC 101Electrical Codes, Power Distribution & Safety
Foundation · 45 hours · 3 modules · 21 lessons · 9 3D simulators
The code book, the single-line diagram and the safe-work rules every plant electrician needs before touching equipment.
Explain how the NEC (2020 edition under Virginia’s 2021 USBC), NFPA 70E, NFPA 820 and OSHA fit together, and who the AHJ is.
Classify wet wells, digesters and chemical rooms by class, division or zone and group, and choose wiring methods, seals and enclosures to match.
Read single-line diagrams and trace utility service through medium-voltage switchgear, transformers and low-voltage distribution.
How the 2020 NEC (the edition Virginia enforces), NFPA 820-2024, NFPA 70E-2024 and OSHA 1910 Subpart S work together at water and wastewater plants: the AHJ and Virginia's adoption of the 2020 NEC, listing and Article 110 working space, corrosive and wet-location wiring, hazardous location classification (classes, divisions, zones, groups, T-codes), NFPA 820 ventilation-based classification, Class I wiring and…
You will be able to:
Explain the roles of the NEC (NFPA 70-2020), NFPA 70E-2024, NFPA 820-2024, IEEE 1584-2018, ISA/IEC 60079 and OSHA 29 CFR 1910 Subpart S at a water or wastewater plant.
Identify the AHJ under NEC 90.4 and state which NEC edition Virginia enforces (2020 NEC under the 2021 USBC).
Define listed, labeled, identified and approved, and explain the role of an OSHA-recognized NRTL and 110.3(B).
Determine working-space width, headroom and depth using 110.26 and Table 110.26(A)(1), including egress rules for large equipment.
Lessons
Code framework & the AHJ Free sample
Wet, corrosive & chemical environments
Hazardous location classification
NFPA 820 for wastewater & collection systems
Class I wiring methods & sealing
Hazardous-location equipment & intrinsic safety
Field inspection, maintenance & management of change
2Module 2: Power Distribution & Medium/Low Voltage Infrastructure
Module 2 · 7 lessons · ≈15 h
How power gets from the utility to the pumps, blowers and process loads of a water or wastewater plant under the 2020 NEC (the edition Virginia enforces): utility services and single-line diagrams, medium-voltage switchgear and cable, transformers, low-voltage switchboards, panelboards and feeders, grounding and bonding, overcurrent protection and coordination, and fault-current, SCCR and power studies. Every topic…
You will be able to:
Distinguish primary-metered from secondary-metered services and describe typical 12.47 kV, 4160 V and 480 V plant distribution, including dual feeds and main-tie-main schemes.
Read a single-line diagram from source to load and identify transformers, breakers, CTs, PTs, normal-open ties and ANSI/IEEE C37.2 device numbers such as 27, 50/51, 59, 86 and 87.
Apply 2020 NEC Art. 230 service essentials, 110.24 available fault current marking and 110.16(B) labeling of service equipment rated 1200 A or more.
Compare metal-clad and metal-enclosed MV switchgear, vacuum breakers, load-interrupter and fused switches, and explain the role of protective relays, CTs and PTs.
Lessons
Utility service & reading single-line diagrams Free with account
Medium-voltage switchgear & cable
Transformers
Low-voltage switchboards, panelboards & feeders
Grounding & bonding
Overcurrent protection & coordination
Fault current, SCCR & power studies
3Module 3: Motor Control Centers & Heavy Pumping Dynamics
Module 3 · 7 lessons · ≈15 h
How motor control centers are built, labeled and safely worked on, and how the motors, starters and Article 430 protection inside them run the pumps that move water and wastewater. The module connects motor nameplates, starting methods and 2020 NEC branch-circuit and feeder sizing to pump curves, affinity laws, water hammer, control circuits and lift-station and high-service controls, always starting from an…
You will be able to:
Describe MCC construction (horizontal and vertical bus, bracing, ground bus, plug-on stabs, bucket types) and compare NEMA and IEC equipment.
Interpret NEMA ICS 18 wiring classes and types, door and handle interlocks, MCC labeling and SCCR marking under 430.98, 110.10 and 110.16.
Apply 110.26 working-space rules to a 480 V MCC lineup and plan safe bucket removal under NFPA 70E-2024, including remote racking and IR windows.
Calculate synchronous speed, slip, torque, input kW and motor loading, and decode every field on a motor nameplate.
Lessons
MCC construction & buckets Free with account
Motor fundamentals & nameplates
Starters
Motor branch-circuit protection (Art. 430)
Pump curves & affinity laws (electrician's view)
Control circuits & interlocks
Lift-station & high-service pump controls
4Module 4: Variable Frequency Drives & Harmonic Mitigation
Module 4 · 7 lessons · ≈15 h
How variable frequency drives work, how to size, install and protect them under 2020 NEC Art. 430 Part X, and how they affect motors, cables and the power system at water and wastewater plants. Covers reflected wave and bearing currents, harmonics and IEEE 519-2022 at the PCC, mitigation choices for utility and standby-generator power, and safe programming, commissioning and troubleshooting of pump and blower drives.
You will be able to:
Describe the rectifier, DC bus, IGBT inverter and PWM output of a voltage-source VFD and explain V/Hz, sensorless vector and closed-loop control.
Explain carrier frequency, regeneration, dynamic braking and drive bypass configurations, including interlocking and bypass overload protection.
Read a drive nameplate and select normal-duty or heavy-duty ratings for variable-torque and constant-torque water and wastewater loads.
Size a drive on motor current and apply derating for altitude, ambient temperature, carrier frequency and single-phase input.
Lessons
VFD topology & how drives work Free with account
Sizing & application
Installation & cabling
Motor issues on VFDs
Harmonics & THD
Harmonic mitigation
Programming, commissioning & troubleshooting
5Module 5: Industrial Instrumentation & Process Measurement Loops
Module 5 · 7 lessons · ≈15 h
How water and wastewater plants measure what they control: the 4–20 mA loop, HART, NAMUR NE 43 and ISA-5.1 tags; flow, level and pressure instruments from mag meters and Parshall flumes to submersible transducers and radar; and the analyzers (chlorine, pH, turbidity, DO, ammonia) behind compliance reporting. The module then covers loop wiring, shielding, grounding and surge protection under 2020 NEC Articles 725 and…
You will be able to:
Explain why 4–20 mA with a live zero is the plant standard, and distinguish 2-wire, 3-wire and 4-wire (active) transmitters.
Scale any 4–20 mA signal to engineering units and back, including PLC raw counts and 1–5 V across a 250 Ω resistor.
Calculate a loop power budget and determine whether a loop can drive 22 mA with added devices.
Apply NAMUR NE 43 failure levels and HART basics (FSK, loop resistance, primary/secondary masters) to configuration and alarming.
Lessons
Signals & the 4–20 mA loop Free with account
Flow measurement
Level & pressure
Analyzers
Loop wiring, grounding & shielding
Calibration & HART
Loop troubleshooting
6Module 6: SCADA, Telemetry & Industrial Control Networks
Module 6 · 7 lessons · ≈15 h
How water and wastewater SCADA systems gather data, control remote wells, tanks and lift stations, and keep operators informed: architecture and the Purdue model, PLC hardware and I/O, ladder logic and control narratives, radio and cellular telemetry, industrial networks and protocols, OT cybersecurity under AWIA 2018, AWWA G430 and ISA/IEC 62443, and ISA-18.2 alarm management with high-performance HMI. Installation…
You will be able to:
Describe the parts of a water/wastewater SCADA system (field devices, PLCs/RTUs, communications, servers, HMI, historian, callout) and place each on the Purdue model levels.
Compare master polling with report-by-exception and explain why local PLC/RTU control must keep a lift station or well running when communications fail.
Identify PLC hardware and wire discrete (sinking/sourcing) and analog 4–20 mA I/O correctly, including 2-wire vs 4-wire transmitters and loop-resistance limits.
Apply UL 508A and NEC Art. 409 SCCR marking, heat-load, condensation and Class 2 separation (725.136) requirements to a control panel, and size a PLC UPS.
Lessons
SCADA architecture Free with account
PLCs & I/O
Ladder logic & control narratives
Radio & cellular telemetry
Industrial networks
OT cybersecurity
Alarm management & HMI
7Module 7: Emergency Power, Standby Generation & UPS Systems
Module 7 · 7 lessons · ≈15 h
How water and wastewater facilities keep pumping, treating and alarming when the utility fails: reliability requirements and the 2020 NEC Articles 700, 701, 702 and 708, NFPA 110 Level/Type/Class, generator sizing for pump motors and VFDs, transfer switches and neutral switching, paralleling and load shedding, UPS and battery systems under Article 480, fuel and NFPA 110 testing, and safe portable generator…
You will be able to:
Explain why water and wastewater facilities need backup power, citing Ten States Standards concepts, EPA Reliability Classes I/II/III and Virginia regulations.
Distinguish 2020 NEC Articles 700, 701, 702 and 708 by purpose, transfer time, wiring separation and selective coordination.
Interpret NFPA 110 Level, Type and Class designations for an emergency power supply system.
Calculate generator kVA, rated current and 445.13 output conductor ampacity for 480 V sets.
How NFPA 70E-2024, OSHA 29 CFR 1910 Subpart S and Virginia VOSH protect people who work on and near electrical equipment at water and wastewater plants: the electrical safety program, qualification and training, shock and arc-flash risk assessment, approach boundaries, labels and PPE. The core habit is establishing an electrically safe work condition with lockout/tagout and test-before-touch; energized work is…
You will be able to:
Explain how OSHA 1910 Subpart S, VOSH in Virginia and NFPA 70E-2024 relate, and the duties of employers and employees.
List the elements of an electrical safety program and the audit intervals for the program, field work and LOTO procedures.
Distinguish qualified from unqualified persons and state training, retraining (≤3 years) and annual emergency-response training requirements.
Apply the hierarchy of risk controls, putting elimination (the electrically safe work condition) first and PPE last.
How to build and run an NFPA 70B-2023 electrical maintenance program for water and wastewater plants, pump stations and lift stations, with intervals set by condition and criticality and every task starting from an electrically safe work condition. The module covers infrared thermography, insulation resistance and PI, motor and vibration diagnostics, breaker, relay and transformer testing, and power quality. It…
You will be able to:
Explain why maintenance is a safety requirement under NFPA 70E-2024 (205.3, 130.5) and what changed when NFPA 70B-2023 became a standard.
Build the elements of an electrical maintenance program (EMP): inventory, criticality, tasks, intervals, records, follow-up and audit.
Assign NFPA 70B equipment condition ratings (1 good, 2 fair, 3 poor) and adjust maintenance intervals by condition and criticality.
Rank water and wastewater assets by consequence and likelihood of failure and load them into a CMMS with useful records.
How to find and fix electrical and control faults at water and wastewater plants, pump stations and wells with a structured, safety-first method: test-instrument discipline, control circuit and PLC I/O faults, and motor and pump failures. It then covers root-cause analysis, storm and flood restoration of critical loads with portable generators and mutual aid, and after-action documentation, KPIs and spare-parts…
You will be able to:
Apply a structured troubleshooting method (define, gather, analyze, half-split, hypothesize, test, fix, verify, document) to plant electrical and control faults.
Use single-lines, schematics, wiring diagrams, loop sheets, SCADA history and operator interviews to narrow a fault before opening equipment.
Establish and verify an electrically safe work condition (NFPA 70E-2024 120.5) and justify, assess and protect any energized diagnostic measurement (130.2, 130.4, 130.5).
Select and inspect test instruments by function and IEC 61010 measurement category, and apply live-dead-live testing every time.
Prepared with AI assistance. Training only — verify against the code editions your AHJ enforces, your facility’s electrical safety program and manufacturer instructions.
Purchases are completed securely in the Academy portal after you sign in; the price shown at checkout applies. Team and utility seats: support@tryetech.com.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the Electrical & Controls course for?
It is written for two groups at once: apprentices, new plant electricians and operators cross-training into electrical maintenance get plain-language explanations of every term, and journeyman and master electricians, electrical supervisors and plant engineers get code and standard references, field tips and harder scenarios. No prerequisites are required.
Can I try it for free?
Yes. Lesson 1 of Module 1 opens without an account. A free account unlocks Lesson 1 of every module. Full access unlocks every lesson, lab, flashcard deck and certificate.
How many hours is the course, and does it count for CEUs?
Plan on about 150 hours (≈15 hours per module across 10 modules and 70 lessons), roughly 15 CEUs at 10 contact hours per CEU. The Academy records your active study time and issues module certificates with contact hours; whether they count is up to your licensing board or employer.
Which code and standard editions does it follow?
The course is written to: 2020 NEC (Virginia USBC 2021) · NFPA 70E-2024 · NFPA 820-2024 · NFPA 70B-2023. Each lesson cites the edition it uses. Always verify against the editions your authority having jurisdiction or regulator enforces.
Does it work on a phone or tablet in the plant?
Yes. The course runs in any modern browser on a phone, tablet or desktop, follows your light or dark setting, is fully keyboard accessible and keeps your place between devices when you are signed in.
Do I get a certificate?
You earn a module certificate when all lessons in a module are complete and the module quizzes average 80% or better. Each certificate lists your active study hours and a verification code anyone can check on the Academy site.
How do I buy full access or seats for my team?
Create a free account, then choose full access in the Academy portal. Utilities and contractors can contact support@tryetech.com for organization seats and verified email-domain access.
Start with a free lesson
See how the course works before you create an account — Module 1, Lesson 1 opens right away.
