domelectric
Member
- Location
- Sarasota, Florida
I had asked many questions and received great answers and now I want to post this thread that may save a life someday. Recently I added a main disconnect near the meter for an electrical panel on one side of a duplex apartment. The main breaker electrical panel was located upstairs in the unit. I killed the panel's main and the utility company pulled the meter. I went back upstairs and by habit checked the feeders to the main with my DMM. The feeders were de-energized. While attempting to separate the neutrals from the grounds in the panel, my hand touched between the ground bar and the bus bar and I received a hell of a jolt. Since my fingers were wrapped around a group of bare grounding conductors I found it hard to let go. I eventually did and I am fine, but further investigation showed that somewhere some wanna be electrician wired one branch circuit from the other unit to one branch circuit conductor from the panel I was working on and was being back fed through on OCPD to the bus bar that I touched.
Lesson: Even though the main is off, the meter is pulled, when working in a multi residential building (or any other building fed by more than one service) always check every branch circuit coming into the panel and/or the bus bar. Hope this helps somebody.
Lesson: Even though the main is off, the meter is pulled, when working in a multi residential building (or any other building fed by more than one service) always check every branch circuit coming into the panel and/or the bus bar. Hope this helps somebody.