iaov
Senior Member
- Location
- Rhinelander WI
Does it realy matter wich way the POCO meter is hooked up. On overhead services here the line is the top but on underground the load goes to the the top lugs. Does anyone know how/why this is?
Meters
- Thread starter iaov
- Start date
- Status
76nemo
Senior Member
- Location
- Ogdensburg, NY
Good question, need to see a schematic of the meter itself. I have heard of someone locally getting bitten in the butt for hooking up a can on a barn in reverse. Never gave it anymore thought until now.
Yes it does matter..if the connections are transposed the older mechanical meters will run backwards. 
An old trick to reduce electric bills was to unplug the meter and turn it upside down to make it run backwards. Of course the penalties were on the severe side when the POCO caught it. I think the new electronic meters won't function or pass power if they're connected wrong.
And as for the OH/UG, even though the connections' locations are reversed, if you trace out the internal connections there are formed bus or wire to put the line on the top of the socket, always. You can use your DMM on the ohms scale on a dead service or new one out of the box to prove this.
An old trick to reduce electric bills was to unplug the meter and turn it upside down to make it run backwards. Of course the penalties were on the severe side when the POCO caught it. I think the new electronic meters won't function or pass power if they're connected wrong. And as for the OH/UG, even though the connections' locations are reversed, if you trace out the internal connections there are formed bus or wire to put the line on the top of the socket, always. You can use your DMM on the ohms scale on a dead service or new one out of the box to prove this.
charlie
Senior Member
- Location
- Indianapolis
The electronic meters will work just fine if they are installed upside down and there is nothing to stop power from passing through in either position. The mechanical meters will indeed run backward or not run at all in installed upside down. :smile:
brantmacga
Señor Member
- Location
- Georgia
- Occupation
- Former Child
i would not get connected if i installed a load on the top lugs.
many mechanical meters are still in use here.
Karl H
Senior Member
- Location
- San Diego,CA
Fulthrotl
~Autocorrect is My Worst Enema.~
- Occupation
- E
Yes it does matter..if the connections are transposed the older mechanical meters will run backwards.
the old ones were "series wound" (according to LADWP meter shop people)
and if ya reversed them, they did spin backwards.... those were phased out
in the '60's, mostly. people would run them backwards one week a month,
and cut the bill in half.... until they'd forget, and leave it for three weeks,
and the meter is now WAY behind where it was read from the month before.
oops.
the new ones don't have that feature, and the latest digital ones SCE is
rolling out are wi-fi, and call home to the mother ship. if you unplug one,
it goes off the grid, and if none of your neighbors went off the grid, they
know you unplugged it, or cut the service entrance.
it can also be turned off remotely. don't pay the bill? click. dead in the water.
LarryFine
Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
- Location
- Henrico County, VA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
Last edited:
LarryFine
Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
- Location
- Henrico County, VA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
And they still charge you a reconnect fee.
charlie
Senior Member
- Location
- Indianapolis
There is quite an up-charge for that feature. Unless we have to go back a lot to disconnect for non-pay, we do not have that feature. :smile:
There are some that have a built-in 15a breaker for those chronic non-payers. It allows them to run their furnace and a few lights, but no more. I first heard of them when a Michigan man froze to death after having one installed.
- Status