New inspector making me mad.

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tom baker

tom baker

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jaggedben said:
A plug in meter is not 'critical' infrastructure.
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Maybe. It would take looking at the DHS rules. I worked for a water utility and trespassing at any of our sites was considered a a federal offense, and was posted as such. I think the keywords that we used on our signage was tampering. So, if the same rules as apply to the water system, critical infrastructure applies to poco, then removing the meter could be considered tampering.
 
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ggunn

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Austin, TX, USA
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Consulting Electrical Engineer - Photovoltaic Systems
electrofelon said:
I am curious, can you supply some more details? Was this utility one of those that is a governmental body? If not, who issued the fine the utility or the government?
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It was several years ago, but as best I can remember it was ONCOR. We cut a meter tag to install new service conductors for a line side connected PV system and they got very pissy about it. I think we may have avoided the fine by promising to never never never do it again, but it was the utility, not a government body that tried to fine us. They initially removed the customer's meter and told us that they would not reset it until we paid up. I don't remember how much it was.
 
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jaggedben

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kwired said:
Maybe if it supplies the 911 call center?
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Exactly. The facility it serves matters. It being Poco controlled does not. Not all poco infrastructure is 'critical'. Claiming that this law covers single family homes or small commercial properties is just ... not correct. Especially if the customer was fine with your pulling the meter to do the work they paid you to do.
 
Another C10

Another C10

Electrical Contractor 1987 - present
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maybe I'm missing something but the code your referring to seems to focus on egress clearance of 3ft in front of this type of enclosure, I'd argue the meter should not count as a foot traffic impediment.
 
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jaggedben

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Northern California
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Anyway I have worked in poco meter sockets enough times, with and without poco permission/presence, to say that 110.26 should cover them.
 
Another C10

Another C10

Electrical Contractor 1987 - present
Location
Southern Cal
Occupation
Electrician NEC 2020
as far as pulling the meter a licensed electrician has a legitimate reason to remove and replace the meter although the utility condones it because of saftey concerns moreso not so much because of a potential criminal aspect.
 
mtnelect

mtnelect

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Southern California
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This is how it works in the City of Glendale. Also, they require type XHHN sunlight resistant service entrance conductors.
 

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electrofelon

electrofelon

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Location
Cherry Valley NY, Seattle, WA
ggunn said:
It was several years ago, but as best I can remember it was ONCOR. We cut a meter tag to install new service conductors for a line side connected PV system and they got very pissy about it. I think we may have avoided the fine by promising to never never never do it again, but it was the utility, not a government body that tried to fine us. They initially removed the customer's meter and told us that they would not reset it until we paid up. I don't remember how much it was.
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I have been scolded several times, but never threatened with a fine. I doubt a private utility has any authority to fine someone. They could threaten to turn off power, but I suspect that is also an empty threat as I'm pretty sure there are specific rules they have to follow in regards to turning off power.
 
electrofelon

electrofelon

Senior Member
Location
Cherry Valley NY, Seattle, WA
jaggedben said:
It's the public ones around here that I don't mess with.
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Last year I did a temp service for a resi construction site in Seattle. I put in the application and everything, talks to the construction rep once but then he stopped returning my calls - I would always get his voicemail and they just never hooked it up. Weeks went by and it was starting to hold up the job to get the old service off the house, and still couldn't get a hold of this guy to schedule the reconnect, so I said the hell with it and went and just swung the drop over and hooked it up myself. Well a week later someone showed up at the job site from Seattle City light, not sure if it was the line crew or the rep....and someone was NOT happy. I wasn't there but the GC sent me a picture of this card from someone and they apparently wanted me to call them ASAP or they threatened to turn off power in a few hours. I called the guy, got his voicemail and just left a message not really budging and saying "what the hell you never called me back and the job reached the point of being at a standstill...". I never heard back from anybody and it all seemed to blow over.

Also in Seattle, some cringers tried to break in and damaged the lock on one of the Seattle City light transformer vaults that is in and serves my clients building. So we drilled it out and then replaced it. So now WE had the key and SCL did not. Well we've had a few power outages and we had to let the line crew into their vault. They were mildly unhappy and grumbled a little bit that we shouldn't have that key and they keep threatening to replace the lock but they haven't yet. Those are a few of my adventures in dealing with POCOs.
 
Doc13067

Doc13067

Senior Member
Location
Bucks County/Philadelphia, PA USA
I saw these things off all the time! I cut the tag and I take a hack saw blade to the locked ring without shame. The new meter sockets close over the front of the meter so this apparatus has to go. Every time the inspector comes by and passes the job with no awareness of the ring that I threw away days before when we were doing the job. Rules may be different in other places but where I am this is nothing.
 
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hillbilly1

Senior Member
Location
North Georgia mountains
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Owner/electrical contractor
I had the chief of police have me cut the seal, and remove the sleeves on a meter once, I told him it was illegal, he said he didn’t care. The girls at the city forgot to call the poco to get the ball field turned back on. Georgia Power was not amused. They put one of those big collars and locks on the meter when they resealed it. They weren’t stealing power, as the meter was still registering kWh’s.
 
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