Acceptable Voltage Drop Across Main Breaker

[Little Bill]

UPDATE

UPDATE

Well, I got another call late today saying the customer had lost power to a well pump along with the previous items. I asked if the POCO had been called back. She said yes but they wanted me there first or at the same time in case they needed to cut the power while I checked in the meter.

When I got there (no POCO yet) I checked the voltage at the panel and had nothing on the "A" leg, and that was ahead/before the main breaker. Which proved, a 2nd time, that it wasn't the main breaker.
I waited for the POCO and when they got there the lineman headed straight for the meter to pull it. Before he could even get the seal cut he saw the digital read out went to "0".
So he knew something was wrong on their end.
He went up to the transformer and found one leg had almost burnt in two. Said it looked like a squirrel or some "critter" had gotten in it.

I hated to charge the customer for another trip since I told her yesterday that the POCO should have checked everything when they were there. But it was a 50 mile round trip and after hours to boot.

I just don't understand why POCO won't check everything when they are there instead of having to be called back!:rant:

 

[ATSman]

Gotta ask... What is the "BEAST" ?

For commercial and industrial applications the generator or UPS techs use roll around boxes rated
in the 100's of KW that is referred to as a "Load Bank" for testing there equipment:
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=generator+load+bank

 

[growler]

I just don't understand why POCO won't check everything when they are there instead of having to be called back!:rant:

It seems thay all operate the same way so I would assume it just "standard operateing proceedure". It may be more cost effective for them to do it that way.

Things used to be better when you could call up and talk to the local dispatcher and actually explian what was going on and why you know they have a problem. Now many of the crews are dispatched from central locations that are hundreds of miles away.

 

[growler]

I hated to charge the customer for another trip since I told her yesterday that the POCO should have checked everything when they were there. But it was a 50 mile round trip and after hours to boot.

I have always thought that the power company should have to pay for the service call if their equipment is at fault and they don't bother to find the problem. I know it's not going to happen but it would be the fair thing to do.

 

[oldsparky52]

I just don't understand why POCO won't check everything when they are there instead of having to be called back!:rant:

My guess is the training is not what it once was. Sort of like calling tech support, they just read off of a list, no thinking involved.

I'm not saying all of the service guys are like that, it's just it seems to be a problem in all parts of our lives now.

 

[marksg]

Had the same problem. It was a bad connection at the pole.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

[templdl]

My guess is the training is not what it once was. Sort of like calling tech support, they just read off of a list, no thinking involved.

I'm not saying all of the service guys are like that, it's just it seems to be a problem in all parts of our lives now.

Yes, I know what you are referring to as I was part of developing a so called "knowledge base" such that all that has to be done is to type in a question and you get an answer. It is the dumbing down of the tech support, not having to have any technical knowledge. Scary as there is the easy risk of misinterpretation which may lead to an equipment failure, property damage, personal injury, or possibly a loss of a life.