Fires blamed on smart meters

[gar]

130110-1552 EST

Searching on Google for smart meter output data I came across this:
http://emfsafetynetwork.org/?page_id=1280 .

There are photos and references to many smart meters that are blamed for starting fires. In many cases I suspect the smart meter is not the cause. Very poor analysis and reporting on the problems. Many of the comments are by home owners that want to blame the meter.

Close reading of some of the references indicate that part of the problem results from unqualified persons installing the meters. In one case it was clearly an arc flash on installation (plugging in) the new smart meter. Another case was loose wire or wires terminating in the meter base.

It would be useful to know if there are really instances where the meter itself actually was the fire cause.

There needs to be much better analysis and reporting on the actual causes of these fires.

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[iwire]

Anytime you replace tens (hundreds?) of thousands of meters in meter sockets in various stages of neglect there is going to be problems.

 

[GoldDigger]

Anytime you replace tens (hundreds?) of thousands of meters in meter sockets in various stages of neglect there is going to be problems.

That is the most likely explanation for the vast majority of the reported incidents. Just had my solar enabled TOD meter replaced by PG&E with a Smart Meter. The contractor hired to do the install wore leather gloves and used a face shield, but no additional PPE. He did not even do a visual inspection of the meter socket before plugging in the new meter, so I can see room for improvement there.

But there is also one major difference in the Smart Meter construction: The ones PG&E uses, at least, contain circuitry for cutting off the power by a remote signal. A device presumed to be capable of interrupting a 200 amp service safely is jammed into the meter somewhere, and if it failed it could cause a series arc fault or a high resistance. Not saying it is likely or even possible, just raising the question.

 

[gar]

130110-1451 EST

iwire:

I agree.

GoldDigger:

Our smart meters have the built-in contactor you mention. And I agree this could be a likely problem point. When some DTE servicemen were talking to my son a couple months ago, when he had major power problems after a substation failure, they mentioned looking inside some smart meters and were amazed at how small the contactor was. I think mention was made of smallness of the coil. May not have related to the contacts or contact force.

If bad installations are being done when the meters are changed this needs to be identified as the cause, and not the meter as the cause. Quite obviously competent people should be doing the meter changes, and this would imply looking for any connection problems in the meter base.

When my meter was changed is was done by a DTE person, and not a contractor. Mine is a bolt-in meter, and the installer knew what he was doing. He did check tightness of the lug screws. It took a long time to get my meter after my neighbors' were installed because virtually all others are plug-in.

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[growler]

Anytime you replace tens (hundreds?) of thousands of meters in meter sockets in various stages of neglect there is going to be problems.

In this area before the power company replaces the old meter with the new smart meter they send out their people to inspect the meter socket. If it looks questionable they send a letter to the owner to have the meter socket repaired or replaced ( they are not big on repairs ) and they are starting to require a permit even for those that are repairable.

Even the power companies admit that the new meter will not stand the abuse given the older meters. I hadn't herd anything about fires and this is usefull information.

So far every meter base that I have worked on really needed to be replaced or repaired, there are a lot of bad sockets out there.

 

[GoldDigger]

In this area before the power company replaces the old meter with the new smart meter they send out their people to inspect the meter socket. If it looks questionable they send a letter to the owner to have the meter socket repaired or replaced ( they are not big on repairs ) and they are starting to require a permit even for those that are repairable.

What do they do when they have to remove the old meter to inspect the socket? Take the old meter out and refuse to put it back in if the socket is bad? Or just hope that it can be re-installed safely and then give the owner a time deadline?

 

[Open Neutral]

130110-1451 EST
Our smart meters have the built-in contactor you mention. And I agree this could be a likely problem point.
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I'm guessing but I suspect these must be dual-coil contactors or something tricky. They will have a large pull-in current by POCO will demand a small hold-in, at least if it's on the utility side of the bill.

It would mean that any new meter plugs in unloaded; I'm sure there's a time delay before restoring power to the house, and I bet a random one. That way, the instantaneous load of a restoral is spread out over minutes, not milliseconds.

By the way, my friend's Silver Spring Networks meter (in BGE-land) stoopidly displays only KWH. Until PEPCO removed it, my ToD meter rotated through KWH total, KWH of each time period, current errr instantaneous KW, digit test and I think line voltage.

 

[GoldDigger]

By the way, my friend's Silver Spring Networks meter (in BGE-land) stoopidly displays only KWH. Until PEPCO removed it, my ToD meter rotated through KWH total, KWH of each time period, current errr instantaneous KW, digit test and I think line voltage.

Same thing in PG&E land. If you want the other numbers you now have to get them off the internet instead of just looking at the meter. I guess that makes it smarter.