Buist Electric’s Underground Department tied up another successful project on a brisk December day. Our team was contracted to assist with the installation of the new St. Sebastian Church bell tower. The outdoor steel structure, measuring an impressive 38 feet and 4 inches, was equipped with six (6) LED in ground lighting fixtures and eight (8) LED floodlights.

The Underground Department mounted the bell controller and lighting controls inside the closet of one of the choir practice rooms within St. Sebastian utilizing one of the bell tower columns as a raceway for the wiring. During the project, it became apparent to the Buist team that they needed to account for different VAC levels between the tower and the church, as well as dealing with potential water resistance of the bell tower’s controls. They navigated through these road bumps by adding a Buck/Booster transformer to boost the voltage levels from 208 to 240 VAC. This allowed the bell striker to hit with more power, allowing for a louder ring to sound when the bells are activated. The Underground Department also installed a 6-inch drain tile with a sock around the 6 fixtures in the bell tower with both ends tying into an existing drain, thus allowing any potential water to move water away from all fixtures.

The sun had just risen over the peaks of the St. Sebastian Catholic Church in December 2022 as Buist Electric and the general contractor lifted the bells, handcrafted in Norway, to their new home, the stately bell tower, standing proud at the entrance to the church. Buist Electric was proud to complete this project and bring music and joy to the St. Sebastian community.