Don't you just love siding contractors ?

[goldstar]

Just thought we could all use a laugh to rid us from the winter dulldrums. I find it hard to believe neither the township or POCO has picked up on this and had the property owner make corrections

I've been stopping for coffee at this convenience store for years and just never got around to taking photos. As far as I can tell this has been this way for at least 15 years. In the first photo you'll notice that the siding guys removed all the SE straps, never put them back on and sided around the meter enclosure (typical in my area for some reason) and yes, if you can see that close there's a lock on the meter cover. Does the POCO really think someone is going to steel electricity
Meter enclosure

The next two photos show the SE cable leaving the house side of the meter and laying on the ground and then back up into the house along with the whip from the AC condenser unit. Yes, there's also a gas meter between both these points.

SE cable on ground

AC whip and entry to house

Now picture this (possible) scenario, a car is pulling into the convenience store parking lot, in the middle of the winter, with ice on the ground (like it is right now) and the driver's foot slips off the brake and inadvertently hits the gas pedal, jumps over the small concrete stop, hits the side of the house right where the gas meter is and where the SE cable is laying on the ground. Natural gas starts spewing out of the gas line, the crash cuts into the SE cable and ignites the natural gas and the rest would be history. I guess the only thing that could be worse would be if the condenser unit was also hit and freon was allowed to escape and deplete the ozone layer.

From the standpoint of workmanship my thinking is 1) Why would an electrician locate the meter so far away from the entry to the house and the breaker panel ?; 2) Why wasn't it installed in rigid gal-pipe for protection and 3) Why isn't there a protective barrier between the convenience store parking lot and this property ?

Based on how long this has been this way I guess we'll never know.

 

[tshea]

... for at least 15 years.
From the standpoint of workmanship my thinking is 1) Why would an electrician locate the meter so far away from the entry to the house and the breaker panel ?; 2) Why wasn't it installed in rigid gal-pipe for protection and 3) Why isn't there a protective barrier between the convenience store parking lot and this property ?

Based on how long this has been this way I guess we'll never know.

1. Because the POCO wanted it there?
2. Because 15 years ago or more SEU was code compliant
3. $$$$$$

 

[electricalperson]

the lock is on the meter because thats how they did it 20 - 30 years ago. they dont do that anymore. you need a special tool to remove the lock

 

[480sparky]

the lock is on the meter because thats how they did it 20 - 30 years ago. they dont do that anymore. you need a special tool to remove the lock

They still do those locks today, just in cases where they suspect theft may occur.

 

[electricalperson]

They still do those locks today, just in cases where they suspect theft may occur.

well not a ring lock i mean. usually if they lock it they just stick a brass lock that i can cut with my pliers. sometimes not even that just a little tag. usually i see those brass locks on older CT meter cabinets

 

[480sparky]

well not a ring lock i mean. usually if they lock it they just stick a brass lock that i can cut with my pliers. sometimes not even that just a little tag. usually i see those brass locks on older CT meter cabinets

I see at least one of those every day.

 

[petersonra]

I have seen similar things around here but usually they hide the cables under the siding. Sometimes they run them along the bottom of the siding with some kind of clips, or just inside the very bottom of the siding.

 

[iaov]

That is an ugly installation!

 

[stickboy1375]

That is an ugly installation!

Other than the missing straps you guys got your panties put on to tight.

 

[Jerseydaze]

the lock is on the meter because thats how they did it 20 - 30 years ago. they dont do that anymore. you need a special tool to remove the lock

Any Idea how I can get one of these special tools? My special saws all is a pita.

 

[goldstar]

1. Because the POCO wanted it there?

Granted, POCO has some say in where the meter is located but the AHJ has the final say for the exact location. Locating the meter 15' away from the point of entry to the house breaker panel is the absolute wrong decision IMHO.

2. Because 15 years ago or more SEU was code compliant

It still is code compliant. What should be a violation is that it was put up on the house unprotected from the likelihood of damage.

3. $$$$$$

I find it hard to believe that the original installation was done by any electrician worth his salt (at any price).

 

[goldstar]

Any Idea how I can get one of these special tools? My special saws all is a pita.

I think the POCO guys sign for these keys in blood or leave their wife and kids as collateral. The chances of finding one of those keys is a shot in a million. Kind of like a Pittsburgh Steeler intercepting a pass in the AZ Cardinal end zone and running it back untouched for 100 yards in a Super Bowl no less. Now, what are the chances of that ???

I'm not bitter though. I had 0-0 in the pool. 18 seconds left, score is 10-7, no time outs left and I'm thinking " Kick a field goad and I'm a shoe-in for the half time win". :roll: But Nooooooooooooooooooooo, Warner had to be a hero and try a pass from 3 yards out. So, instead of being tied at the half his team is now 10 points down What are the chances of that ?

 

[Fulthrotl]

They still do those locks today, just in cases where they suspect theft may occur.

it's disappearing around here.... some of the cities here are rolling out new
meters.... wireless communications has come to the lowly meter.

the things communicate with the mother ship, and don't need to be locked.
you pull the meter out of the socket, and edison knows it went offline in
under a minute. so, with one of those new meters, it's important to let
edison know if you are going to be pulling the meter for a service upgrade,
or maintenance. otherwise, on a slow day, you may get a line patrolman
checking why a meter went dead... i was told the smart meters can send
all sorts of data back.... voltage, power factor, watts, if you remembered
to call your mother on mothers day.....

edison also gets realtime load readings, and if you don't pay the bill, the
meter can be turned off remotely, and instantly.

so, all the meter readers are being phased out here. the other aspect
of the new meters is that it'll allow edison to model the consumption of
power, and finely tune the grid, to cut their generation costs.

now me, being the twisted little person that i am, realized immediately
that the possibility of mischief could be phenomenal. wireless control of
the power grid? homeland security will have a twinkie on that one....

i'd be more concerned with a 20 year old hacker from cambridge trying to
see if he could shut off every light in LA on his girlfriends birthday, to
impress her...


randy

 

[480sparky]

......i was told the smart meters can send
all sorts of data back.... voltage, power factor, watts, if you remembered
to call your mother on mothers day.......


randy

I know what they can do. My place has one. As well as one of those Fort Knox Locks. The lock was one when I moved in, then last summer the meters were all replaced with the ET-style ones. But I still have a lock the size of my foot on it.

 

[LarryFine]

i'd be more concerned with a 20 year old hacker from cambridge trying to see if he could shut off every light in LA on his girlfriends birthday, to impress her...

Or spell out "Will you marry me?" visible from outer space.

 

[peter d]

edison also gets realtime load readings, and if you don't pay the bill, the
meter can be turned off remotely, and instantly.

I read somewhere that some of the major US pocos are going to all wireless network meters, SDG&E and FPL to name a few. With the new meters they suddenly have vast amounts of data at their disposal particularly with regard to energy theft and load monitoring (like people with grow rooms in their homes and so forth.) So you're probably right about all that Big Brother stuff.