Does your PoCo pay?

Status
Not open for further replies.
H

hardworkingstiff

Senior Member
Location
Wilmington, NC
Does the PoCo in your area pay for damages when they lose a neutral due to a corroded connection? I had a customer lose 6 light ballast and lamps plus replacement lamps (7-watt fluorescent in marina power pedestals) and the problem comes down to a lost neutral in the overhead lines on the street. PoCo rep said corrosion is an act of God and they don't pay for acts of God. Doesn't seem right, but....?
 
iMuse97

iMuse97

Senior Member
Location
Chicagoland
They don't pay. House fire resulted from their non-existent neutral connection, and they still found out how not to pay. True story. I'd have pictures, but that was before camera phones. Morning glory vines grew up into the meter can; routed rainwater in there, provided alternate paths for return current and presto, had a smoldering fire in the walls of the house. They didn't pay.
 
jaylectricity

jaylectricity

Senior Member
Location
Massachusetts
Occupation
licensed journeyman electrician
hardworkingstiff said:
Does the PoCo in your area pay for damages when they lose a neutral due to a corroded connection? I had a customer lose 6 light ballast and lamps plus replacement lamps (7-watt fluorescent in marina power pedestals) and the problem comes down to a lost neutral in the overhead lines on the street. PoCo rep said corrosion is an act of God and they don't pay for acts of God. Doesn't seem right, but....?
Click to expand...

I would take them to court and ask them to prove that God caused that neutral to corrode. Whatever your religious beliefs, it cannot be proven that God caused damage to a wire.

I had an uncle win a case against his insurance company in the same scenario using that same logic.
 
growler

growler

Senior Member
Location
Atlanta,GA
hardworkingstiff said:
PoCo rep said corrosion is an act of God and they don't pay for acts of God. Doesn't seem right, but....?
Click to expand...

I think he means that it's not enough to go to court over because I think they would be made to pay in a court case.

I'll knock on some wood because so far the power companies that I have had to deal with have been pretty good about accepting responsibility, well that is if they are dealing with someone that understands that this is their fault. Can you say power surge.

Act fo God my $$$. :D
 
growler

growler

Senior Member
Location
Atlanta,GA
iMuse97 said:
Morning glory vines grew up into the meter can; routed rainwater in there, provided alternate paths for return current and presto, had a smoldering fire in the walls of the house. They didn't pay.
Click to expand...


The meter can is not the responsibility of the power company. If they make the connection at the weather head then from there back it's theirs.

The homeowner must maintain the meter can even though it has a POCO seal. I know it even says that it belongs to the POCO but it's still the homeowner's responsibility. I didn't make any of these rules.:confused:
 
S

SEO

Senior Member
Location
Michigan
One time I remember the POCO paying for equipment was several years ago in a storm a tired lineman inadvertently switched an ungrounded conductor with the grounded conductor when making taps and ran 240V into the house between the grounded conductor and an ungrounded conductor. Lots of bright lights and smoking equipment. Bad thing is they left with out checking for correct voltage and arrangement in the meter.
 
2

220/221

Senior Member
Location
AZ
I just had one a couple weeks ago.

They do pay but they don't offer to pay and they certainly don't publicize it.


EVERY POCO will pay. They are liable. You may have to make some calls or get a lawyer but they WILL pay.
 
P

Power Tech

Senior Member
Location
Lebec, California
hardworkingstiff said:
Does the PoCo in your area pay for damages when they lose a neutral due to a corroded connection? I had a customer lose 6 light ballast and lamps plus replacement lamps (7-watt fluorescent in marina power pedestals) and the problem comes down to a lost neutral in the overhead lines on the street. PoCo rep said corrosion is an act of God and they don't pay for acts of God. Doesn't seem right, but....?
Click to expand...


I have made PG&E pay 2 times now.

What is not an act of god? That is an issue that can be streacheeeeed.
 
H

hillbilly1

Senior Member
Location
North Georgia mountains
Occupation
Owner/electrical contractor
I wired a house many years ago that when the POCO came out and hooked up permanent power, the lineman failed to tighten the neutral connection at the transformer, fried the TV, stereo and refrigerator. The homeowner said the POCO did not want to pay, even though they admitted it was their fault. Don't know if he every got his money out of them. Had another customer that went two years with a bad neutral connection at the transformer, The POCO came out several times, and said it wasn't their problem. I checked everything including pulling the meter, and determined it was not in the customers equipment, walked out to the pole, and could see from the ground the burnt connection. Called the POCO back out, and showed the problem to them, and they repaired it then. The customer said if he knew it was something that simple, he would have had me out there two years ago!
 
zappy

zappy

Senior Member
Location
CA.
I had a GC tell me about a home that burnt to the ground, because of a voltage spike. I think he said there in court trying to sue POCO.
 
iMuse97

iMuse97

Senior Member
Location
Chicagoland
growler said:
The meter can is not the responsibility of the power company. If they make the connection at the weather head then from there back it's theirs.

The homeowner must maintain the meter can even though it has a POCO seal. I know it even says that it belongs to the POCO but it's still the homeowner's responsibility. I didn't make any of these rules.:confused:
Click to expand...

That wasn't the total problem; the reason the electricity was seeking an alternate path to the transformer was that the POCO neutral was no longer providing any path to xfrmr. Still, insurance or POCO--somebody (insurance) paid b/c we did the job.
 
mivey

mivey

Senior Member
Forget the act of God, as that is just one exclusion. Equipment failure is another. You would have to show negligence in the care of the equipment. If they have direct knowledge of an imminent failure, and refused to correct it, or exercise reasonable control over the situation, then you might have something to argue about.

Examples of items they might pay for:
While working, they drop a service on your car.

They supply the wrong voltage and burn something up.

While working, they drop a primary on your secondary and burn something up.

A pole broke and has been leaning toward your house and they repeatedly ignored calls from you and actually said they were not going to do anything about it because it was not a problem and then the pole fell on your house.

Examples of items they might not pay for:
A service breaks lose when no one is around and falls on your car.

The transformer fails and supplies an over-voltage that burns something up.

A primary breaks lose when no one is around and falls on the secondary and burns something up.

A pole that has been included in reasonable preventative maintenance broke for some non-negligent reason and fell on your house.

From our biggest POCO:
"Neither the customer nor the Company shall be responsible for damage to the machinery, apparatus, appliances, or other property of the other caused by storm, lightning or by defects in or failure of the machinery, apparatus or appliances of the one suffering such damage from such causes"
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top