EGC Used as Neutral

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KWH said:
An inline fuse holder would protect the ungrounded conductor but how would you ground the pole even without the receptacle, you have a egc from the pole lights and a grounded conductor from the transformer, what would you do to prevent a shock from the pole.
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What little bill was reading (I thought) was that there was not even an EGC, nor was the pole bonded. I addressed the situation you describe in #14. The pole isn't installed per the NESC grounding rules.

To directly answer your question, you don't. Or at least hope the asphalt on the parking lot keeps someone isolated while touching a pole.
 
Little Bill said:
I didn't check for bonding at the pole where they wanted the receptacle or any other of the poles except the one that already had the receptacle. If it was bonded, I sure can't tell it now as I found no continuity between the bare EGC and the pole. I checked at screws and several places on the pole.

To Kwire: I'm asking because I explained the unsafe part to the customer and I don't think he bought it because the recep he has already has been there for a few years. I wanted some assurance that I was right and if I need to show them this thread, I can!:thumbsup:
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Either give them a demonstration somehow of what can go wrong, draw something up that explains it well or find some graphics from Mike Holt that demonstrates this, I know there is something out there that shows what can happen very well, and if it is MH drawings probably even includes information of what code section is violated.

Hv&Lv said:
What little bill was reading (I thought) was that there was not even an EGC, nor was the pole bonded. I addressed the situation you describe in #14. The pole isn't installed per the NESC grounding rules.

To directly answer your question, you don't. Or at least hope the asphalt on the parking lot keeps someone isolated while touching a pole.
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The asphalt may isolate them on a dry sunny day, but not when it is wet.
 
this attachment may be used with out permission, Mod's can delete it if nessassary. I am pretty sure that it came from this site. Picture doesn't exactly duplicate the situation but is close
 

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I know around here you can not add any loads to any utility circuits that is not metered without there ok, and receptacles are a no-no, since any load can be added by just plugging it in, there would be no control over the load usage, to do this you could be charged with utility theft, and here that carries up to a $10,000 fine and up to a year in prison, with that said, there have been some city's that have received permission to install holiday lighting receptacles up high on street lights to install on a temporary bases that the utility gave the city it blessing as long as they reported the wattage of each load and how many, so the load could be added in to the flat rate bill the city pays, but flat rate lighting has all but been stopped around here unless it is under total control of the utility, these poles might even be the property of the utility and even opening the hand hold can be considered trespass.

Besides the safety problems in doing this, I would not touch this unless I got the utility's blessing.

Run dont walk from this, unless you think the utility will be ok with it, and if so get it in writing.
 
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hurk27 said:
I know around here you can not add any loads to any utility circuits that is not metered without there ok, and receptacles are a no-no, since any load can be added by just plugging it in, there would be no control over the load usage, to do this you could be charged with utility theft, and here that carries up to a $10,000 fine and up to a year in prison, with that said, there have been some city's that have received permission to install holiday lighting receptacles up high on street lights to install on a temporary bases that the utility gave the city it blessing as long as they reported the wattage of each load and how many, so the load could be added in to the flat rate bill the city pays, but flat rate lighting has all but been stopped around here unless it is under total control of the utility, these poles might even be the property of the utility and even opening the hand hold can be considered trespass.

Besides the safety problems in doing this, I would not touch this unless I got the utility's blessing.

Run dont walk from this, unless you think the utility will be ok with it, and if so get it in writing.
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I already said a week or so ago in post #15 that I had already told them I wouldn't put the recep. in and tried to explain to them why.
 
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