Cutting service drop conductors with the meter in?

[KVA]

I've been reading old threads about the dangers of pulling meters from old meter pans and to be honest it has me more worried now. I've always been alittle worried when i pull meters but after reading that some guys had them blow up on them it has me more concerned.

My question is could you hit the main breaker off first then just go up and cut the drop conductors then pull the meter? With the mechanical type meters their isn't a load on them after the main is cut off so there shouldn't be any dangers right? Now with the digital smart meters you could mess them up by cutting the drop conductors first i assume?

 

[satcom]

I've been reading old threads about the dangers of pulling meters from old meter pans and to be honest it has me more worried now. I've always been alittle worried when i pull meters but after reading that some guys had them blow up on them it has me more concerned.

My question is could you hit the main breaker off first then just go up and cut the drop conductors then pull the meter? With the mechanical type meters their isn't a load on them after the main is cut off so there shouldn't be any dangers right? Now with the digital smart meters you could mess them up by cutting the drop conductors first i assume?

What the guys are trying to warn against is a fault at the meter pan could allow all the available current in the network or system to flash, and may send that meter pan and you into the next county.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I have always pulled the meter but I turn the main off so there is no load on the line. If you put the meter in before you install the overhead wires then you must be careful because when you hook up one phase the load side will be hot thru the meter. I guess that may be safer then installing the meter when it is energized.

 

[KVA]

I'm talking about the internals in the meter pan pulling out and shorting when you pull the meter. Or loose or broken parts from old age and corrosion, bad installation, etc...

By cutting the drop first obviously with the main off that would eliminate the hazards. After you cut the drop conductors you can then pull the meter and who cares if the insides fall apart or whatever.

Good idea or?

 

[jleise]

Be warned the meter itself actually does draw current do not get between any of the lines feeding the structure and the old service while doing so. Some times this is the only way if it is stuck in the old socket.

 

[satcom]

I'm talking about the internals in the meter pan pulling out and shorting when you pull the meter. Or loose or broken parts from old age and corrosion, bad installation, etc...

By cutting the drop first obviously with the main off that would eliminate the hazards. After you cut the drop conductors you can then pull the meter and who cares if the insides fall apart or whatever.

Good idea or?

Cutting the drop, or having the poco disconnect in the case of underground service, is always on the side of safety, but you will always find someone that knows it all, and in a hurry to try for a bed in the burn unit.

 

[infinity]

A squirrel ate half way through my service drop. The POCO came to fix it. The POCO guy pulled the meter under load and reinstalled it the same way. I asked if he wanted me to shut the main and he said not to bother they do it under load all of the time.

 

[satcom]

A squirrel ate half way through my service drop. The POCO came to fix it. The POCO guy pulled the meter under load and reinstalled it the same way. I asked if he wanted me to shut the main and he said not to bother they do it under load all of the time.

Back in the 80"s PSG&G ran demo's on meter safety in the New Brunswick Meter Department Yard and Transformer Safety at the Edison Yard, we always has a large group of the area contractors attend, the transformer safety demo was a real eye opener.
Today we see most of the accidents with meter pans, when siding guys remove a service from the house and the screws fall into the meter socket and start a fire on the building, and often the siding guys will take on a good burn.

 

[480sparky]

Raukman meter pullers.

 

[satcom]

Raukman meter pullers.

Oh yes, but some of the poco's are cheap

 

[480sparky]

Oh yes, but some of the poco's are cheap

Buy your own.

 

[Hv&Lv]

I'm talking about the internals in the meter pan pulling out and shorting when you pull the meter. Or loose or broken parts from old age and corrosion, bad installation, etc...

By cutting the drop first obviously with the main off that would eliminate the hazards. After you cut the drop conductors you can then pull the meter and who cares if the insides fall apart or whatever.

Good idea or?

Great idea. I do that with really old pans and recommend that it be done if we (POCO) can't get their before you want it disconnected.
Just remember, with the smart meters, you will have a backfeed, so don't cut one and get careless with it.

 

[satcom]

Buy your own.

I had one since it first came out, some of the power companies meter departments don't have them.

 

[Fulthrotl]

Buy your own.

when the line patrolman shows up to pull off the lock
ring, i ask him politely to pull the meter for me.
then i stand back, in case things don't go well.

 

[kwired]

A squirrel ate half way through my service drop. The POCO came to fix it. The POCO guy pulled the meter under load and reinstalled it the same way. I asked if he wanted me to shut the main and he said not to bother they do it under load all of the time.

They do this especially for disconnect orders for non payment customers. If they had to arrange disconnection for when customer was available so they could open the main - how many disconnects do you think they would perform? - unless the main was at the meter.

 

[kwired]

The potential arc blast when cutting the drop is less risk than if standing in front of meter.

Cutting the drop - normally in open air the blast has spherical dimensions in which it can travel. In a meter cabinet the energy released is still spherical dimensions but there is a back to the cabinet that is going to redirect energy toward the person pulling the meter that would have otherwise been moving away from the person if in free air.

 

[Hv&Lv]

Just how interested in arc flash are you?

http://www.arcflashforum.com/

 

[Speshulk]

Back in the 80"s PSG&G ran demo's on meter safety in the New Brunswick Meter Department Yard and Transformer Safety at the Edison Yard, we always has a large group of the area contractors attend, the transformer safety demo was a real eye opener.
Today we see most of the accidents with meter pans, when siding guys remove a service from the house and the screws fall into the meter socket and start a fire on the building, and often the siding guys will take on a good burn.

Never ceases to amaze me when guys just pry a meter pan off a wall to install new siding. We installed an underground service on a house about 10 years ago and I drove by the other day to see the meter pan hanging in free air at the top of the conduit because the contractor doing the new siding was too lazy to pick up the phone.

 

[renosteinke]

I had an emergency service change where the meter pan came apart when the PoCo tried to disconnect. I'm sure the PoCo guy had an exciting time until help arrived to cut the drop.

That said, the Square D meter pan was made in a manner which has not been done for half a century. That particular failure won't happen to a modern pan.

Now ... fast-forward to the present. I just did a service change. THIS time I actually went to great lengths to comply with all the details no one ever bothers about. For example, the PoCo specs actually say you're to anchor to the actual structure of the house, and not just the siding.

Now, I've never seen a panel with mounting holes that were spaced to match the studs on the wall .... assuming you could even find the studs. So, I used strut. I found the studs. OK, maybe not up to the latest in household decoration, but it's amazing what a coat of paint can do ....

This thread has brought to my attention: what happens when they replace the siding? Why, it's easy ... the anchoring lag bolts are readily accessible. They can remove the screws, silde out the old, in the new, and replace the bolts. No need to call the PoCo to open the meter base. There's even room to slide some vinyl siding under the pan if they want.

Given the choice, I prefer the practice of turning everything 'off' before cutting the wires. Maybe it's because I don't like the big spark when I re-connect underload. PoCo guys are just as human as the rest of us, so I'm not surprised to hear of one who cut some corners. I'm also ware that there are plenty of places where there is no means accessible to the linesman for turning off the load before he pulls the meter ..... and, in some instances, a different set of 'safety' issues mean he'll be cutting the wires at the pole.