POCO Transformer fault causing damage in a home

[nicknorth]

Does anyone have any dealing with the POCO having faults from cars hitting power poles, transformers failing, or any other reasons causing damages on electrical systems in homes or business? I'm trying to find some information on this topic, but not finding much of anything.

 

[PetrosA]

I'm not sure what you're looking for exactly, but I grew up in a house that had (and still has) these problems all the time. Insurance covered a lot of the damage which over the years included VCRs, DVD players, TVs, light bulbs, touch dimmers, other dimmers, stereo equipment, refrigerators, freezers and maybe a water pump or two. The problem was that the POCO had two sets of primaries on the poles on that road and when a pole got hit, the higher voltage lines would drop onto the lower voltage lines and send huge bursts of voltage through the system. We had track lighting in the kitchen - four rows of three 150W mirrored lamps - and about 8 of the lamps exploded over the island and counter during one of the incidents. We calculated that about 1200V was coming into the house. Very spectacular

 

[mgookin]

POCO is not going to pay for damage due to weather, a crash, etc.

But I have seen them pay for damages for their failure to maintain their equipment. A client of mine owns a city block with many businesses in there, of which a few are night clubs. On Halloween night at 9pm he's getting 90 vac - can't run credit cards, can't power the band, no a/c, no ice, etc... It turns out the trannys in the alley were decades past replacement date. They paid him for damage to equipment, loss of revenue, etc. much to my surprise. Every POCO is going to be different.

 

[mbrooke]

I'm not sure what you're looking for exactly, but I grew up in a house that had (and still has) these problems all the time. Insurance covered a lot of the damage which over the years included VCRs, DVD players, TVs, light bulbs, touch dimmers, other dimmers, stereo equipment, refrigerators, freezers and maybe a water pump or two. The problem was that the POCO had two sets of primaries on the poles on that road and when a pole got hit, the higher voltage lines would drop onto the lower voltage lines and send huge bursts of voltage through the system. We had track lighting in the kitchen - four rows of three 150W mirrored lamps - and about 8 of the lamps exploded over the island and counter during one of the incidents. We calculated that about 1200V was coming into the house. Very spectacular

Common when pocos run a higher voltage over a lower one or open bare wire LVs. Surge arrestor on the lower voltage systems will flash over but it only works to a degree. The voltage still rises significantly and the auto reclosing on the higher voltage system doesn't help.


One of my most memorable was an 8kv phase to ground wire falling into a 120 volt hot during a wind storm. Lateral fuse didn't blow immediately and everything inside the home got a good dose of 8kv. Everything with an electronic board was turned to charcoal and most of the wiring was damaged as well from voltage breakdowns.


POCO tried blaming the town for not trimming the trees but it turned out the trees were in there right of way so it was there responsibility to trim them. In the end they paid up, which is rare in most cases.

 

[mivey]

As others have said, it happens all the time. POCO is not responsible for acts of God or even normal equipment failure. Normally you would have to show extreme negligence for them to take responsibility for equipment failure.

They usually take responsibility if they are working and have an accident where they drop a line or something as long as the accident was caused by the POCO employee.