Millbank meter enclosures

[goldstar]

Is anyone having problems torquing down on the lugs of recently manufactured 200 amp Millbank meter enclosures ? I've already snapped 3 of the red fiberglass standoffs in these things. These new standoffs are very weak and are no longer being made solid. They're actually hollow and can't stand up to the amount of torque it takes to ratchet down the lug.

I snapped one off today at my own house (Sunday - no supply houses open:happysad. I managed to Krazy Glue the piece back in with an AC cable tie holding it together as a back-up. I was surprised it held strong.

If you're having these same issues I would suggest that the next time you do a service upgrade, purchase 2 meter enclosures. That way, if you snap off a standoff you'll have a back-up on the job. If you don't have a problem you can always take the spare one back to the supply house.

 

[satcom]

Sounds like the answer is simple, keep a few of the meter sockets in stock, we keep one in each truck and a few in the shop, the mark up on the sockets more then covers the cost of keeping it an inventory item

 

[infinity]

It happened to us with a Milbank meter enclosure and that was 20 years ago. The important thing is to use a properly calibrated torque wrench. Haven't broken one since then.

 

[George Stolz]

They are decidedly weak. I have broken several, always frustrating.

 

[Chamuit]

I've held on to sides of the lugs with large channel locks before to make sure they don't crack. Easier if there are two of you.

 

[goldstar]

I've held on to sides of the lugs with large channel locks before to make sure they don't crack. Easier if there are two of you.

It seem a shame that it should take two people to work on a meter enclosure doesn't it ? What has the world come to :?

 

[Chamuit]

Signs of the times.

 

[stew]

I always treat these with kindness when I torque them. I fake them in to thinking I am not a gorilla electrician after I broke my first one 30 miles from any supply house. I now have one that I salvaged for the purpose If I turn back into the gorilla!

 

[satcom]

Signs of the times.

The prices go up' up' up' and the quality goes down' down' down'

 

[John120/240]

Has any one experienced problems with other meter sockets; Durham is one

mfg. Would an e-mail to Milbank stating your frustration be prudent ?

 

[goldstar]

Has any one experienced problems with other meter sockets; Durham is one

mfg. Would an e-mail to Milbank stating your frustration be prudent ?

I did that recently but I didn't want to bore everyone in the forum with the details. Basically they asked me whether I used a torque wrench when I tightened the lugs (250 inch pounds to be exact). I've been doing this since 1971 and I've never used a torque wrench. I'm not going to start now. IMHO - make a better product or I'll use someone elses product.

 

[cadpoint]

I did that recently but I didn't want to bore everyone in the forum with the details. Basically they asked me whether I used a torque wrench when I tightened the lugs (250 inch pounds to be exact). I've been doing this since 1971 and I've never used a torque wrench. I'm not going to start now. IMHO - make a better product or I'll use someone elses product.

Ok, Pop-I Arms... :happyyes:

 

[goldstar]

I thought you'd all like to know that I got a positive response back from Milbank Manufacturing on this issue. By now I'm sure that many of you know that I'm often quite outspoken on subjects like these and I often voice opinions that don't necessarily come out in the most diplomatic manner. I also don't like to bash a company's product unless, of course, it's pure garbage. In this case I took the position that the red stand-offs that Milbank used were of a lesser quality than those of earlier manufacture. According to the response I received it appears I was not so correct as I thought I was. So I'd like to state, for the record and in case there was any mis-interpretation of my comments, that Milbank is a stand-up company that makes quality products. My comment was only to address a single part of a complete assembly that I believed was inferior. Here is their response :

For our 200 amp residential meter sockets which have lay-in wire connectors, the torque is generally stated as 250 lb-in of torque. This is about 21 foot pounds of torque. Or, in a practical sense, the amount of pressure of two fingers on a six inch ratchet or allen wrench. Always, support the conductor while torqueing a connector.

The newer red blocks (first started using in 2001, so not that new) are substantially stronger than the older design. The older design tended to fail at about 280 to 300 lb-in of torque (24 foot pounds), while the newer design tends to fail at around 360-380 lb-in of torque (30 foot pounds). The difference is that the older design would partially fail without giving a good indication that they were in failure mode. The newer design is designed to be stronger and give a very good indication of failure.

Any wire connector should be torqued to the stated value. All wire connectors that are used in UL Listed meter sockets are required to pass extensive tests at UL before they can be used.

When torqued to the correct setting, there should not be any failures as long as the conductor is supported during installation. Over torqueing the connector/conductor will also cause over heating in some cases.

I asked the original Engineer that has torqued and uninstalled thousands of these connectors while testing these blocks and the older design and when torqued properly, he has not had any problems.

Saying all that, we do have replacement kits for block assemblies when they get damaged in the field. Some when over torqued, some when frost heaving breaks the block, some when wind takes out an overhead wire.

If you would like, please send me either the catalog number of the unit you have or digital pictures and I will send you some of the block assemblies. All I would need is your address.

Interesting Forum on Mike Holt?s website though.

Thank you Mike Biggar, Sales Engineer for Milbank Manufacturing.

 

[George Stolz]

I'm still on the fence. I suppose the logical thing to do it torque an AL conductor in, put it through it's paces and see what happens. Most things of this nature do not call for a torque wrench, but perhaps it's time to re-tune my forearms torque settings.

 

[Cow]

It seem a shame that it should take two people to work on a meter enclosure doesn't it ? What has the world come to :?

I was thinking it was a shame you needed to keep a spare in case you break the first one. I'd probably bitch to the supply house and then switch brands instead of using the same old crap....

 

[goldstar]

I'm still on the fence. I suppose the logical thing to do it torque an AL conductor in, put it through it's paces and see what happens. Most things of this nature do not call for a torque wrench, but perhaps it's time to re-tune my forearms torque settings.

I'm not so sure I'll be buying that torque wrench either. I've seen several cases where the aluminum wire was arcing at the lug due to expansion and contraction. However, according to Milbank these stand-offs are supposed to be stronger than the older ones but I'm still having trouble accepting that. When I removed and broke the lug in my meter enclosure it didn't just "snap" off. It pulled apart like taffy. I'm thinking that I have to make up some type of wooden gig out of a 2 x 4 and slide it into the meter socket before I tighten down on the lugs. When I make one I'll post the photo here. Maybe I'll file for a patent.

 

[Fishspark]

Sounds like it isnt just me.. however, I really like Millbank and the couple times we did brake the stand offs our supplier replaced them no charge. I felt sort of guilty since I broke it in the 1st place though. stuff happens.

 

[Strife]

I don't use a torque either (most times), but at this point I can feel when the screw is still turning or the whole lug start to turn. I don't know, it's a different kinda resistance when the lug starts turning than when the screw still turns. When the lug starts turning too much, the resistance seems elastic somehow. Recently I was doing a bunch of resi panels and I wanted to tighten it more, but I knew if I tight them anymore I'll break the lug out of its seat.

I did that recently but I didn't want to bore everyone in the forum with the details. Basically they asked me whether I used a torque wrench when I tightened the lugs (250 inch pounds to be exact). I've been doing this since 1971 and I've never used a torque wrench. I'm not going to start now. IMHO - make a better product or I'll use someone elses product.

 

[Mike Lang]

This past spring I had to replace the SEU cable for a customer and I actually broke the Millbank enclosure arm by loosening the nut. I didn't install the meter pan in the first place so I dont know if it was over torqued just before the point of damage or minimal damage not visible to the eye? Needless to say a real PITA.

 

[goldstar]

This past spring I had to replace the SEU cable for a customer and I actually broke the Millbank enclosure arm by loosening the nut. I didn't install the meter pan in the first place so I dont know if it was over torqued just before the point of damage or minimal damage not visible to the eye? Needless to say a real PITA.

That's exactly the way I snapped mine off.:rant: