Aarrghh!!

[Wireless36]

An old employee of mine referred a customer to me, part of his beach condo does not have power. I go out there and see that circuits being fed from two different panels do not have power, this leads me to the main. I open up the main and test line and load, I thought I tested the line side with the breaker off and got full power. The breaker is a GE 125a THQD, no one has it in stock.

I got the breaker delivered and had the meter unlocked, I go out there and just to double check I test one of the line side legs and no power! I pull the meter and the cover, where the bus connects to the meter is totally burnt. There is a large hole around each of the two screws. now I have to find replacement parts for the bus. I keep kicking myself because I must have read 120v from both legs reading through from the good side. I was pretty sure I tested it with the breaker off but now I am not sure. The worst part is I can't charge for both trips, so my oversight cost me. Good thing it wasn't one of my employees!

 

[SEO]

Learn from your mistake and go on. It still makes you sick to make the error.

 

[Buck Parrish]

I know some power companies don't want you pulling the meter. But that is the only way to check power from the point of attachment.

I do it all the time. If power is off. In my book, I consider that an emergency. Probably not though, on an unoccupied beach home.

When one phase is out but you still get 120v on both lines. That's what we use to "call a ghost in the line.":wink:

We have all been their, done that.

 

[Cow]

Learn from your mistake and go on. It still makes you sick to make the error.

That about sums it up!

My biggest personal pet peeve is sometimes I think I take to long to troubleshoot. Or skip over the obvious next step. My latest was a bintipper in a plant that was down. The control fuse was blowing immediately. Showed up and started tracking wires, disconnecting and megging. Got down to the last wire in the last control box, had everything upstream disconnected and it still megged low. Started pulling apart t's and c's, limit switches, but everything looked good. Just didn't make sense, it's the only wire left? Scratching my head, looked in the control box again where the wire landed on a terminal strip. I hadn't noticed that the terminal strip had a 4 terminal jumper across it with 3 other wires going out different directions.

Turned out to be an hanging SO cord control pendant the forklift drivers had pinched against the wall shorting the wires together. Sadly, I looked at it when I first got there, saw that it was a little torn up but didn't see any bare wire so I ruled it out. Dohh.

 

[LarryFine]

I keep kicking myself because I must have read 120v from both legs reading through from the good side.

I always tell my guys to check line-to-line as well as line-to-neutral for exactly that reason.

You're already in there, why not check everything?

 

[quogueelectric]

I always tell my guys to check line-to-line as well as line-to-neutral for exactly that reason.

You're already in there, why not check everything?

Dont forget line to ground. When you didnt read 240 you should have known right away. Go ahead ask me how I know this?? Because it has happened to most of us that is why.

 

[Wireless36]

I always tell my guys to check line-to-line as well as line-to-neutral for exactly that reason.

You're already in there, why not check everything?

Assumptions is the mother.... I assumed it was the breaker due to the looks of deterioration, I then tested to prove that. The breaker may also be bad, once I saw the bus I didn't bother pulling it.

In my defense the burnt area was under the locked meter and I supposedly have no way of opening it.

 

[jrannis]

#1 its almost useless to check line to ground at the main first, Always go "line to line" then line to ground or neutral.
Its quite possible that it was good when you tested it the first time and then burned clear when you went back.
Do everyone a favor and change the whole meter can!

 

[r_merc]

Dag gone

Dag gone

Dag Gone Water Heater led you astray. Happened to me before....caught myself before I left.

Rick