Old residential meter enclosure

[goldstar]

This is the second time I've come across a meter enclosure like this one and in the same town. I nearly blew myself up trying to remove the SE cable from the bottom lugs not realizing that they were live with the meter removed. Take a close look at the interior and the jaws. Those two bakalite tabs get pushed in when the meter is installed, the metal strip in the center of the enclosure disconnects the line from the load side jaws and allows the current to run through the meter. When the meter is removed the tabs come out and the power is bussed through to the load side jaws. I had to call the POCO to have the meter ring lock removed. Now I know why they locked it in the first place. If you pull the meter out you get free electricity !!! Has anyone else come across a meter like this ? BTW this is residential not commercial.

 

[realolman]

I wonder why a company would have gone to all that trouble to make such a thing?

 

[iwire]

I wonder why a company would have gone to all that trouble to make such a thing?

So the meter can be pulled for any reason without interrupting service.

Some power companies still require 'Horn bypass' sockets which like this one automatically bypass with the removal of the meter.

In my area the power companies have us use 'lever bypass' sockets for commercial applications. This requires moving the lever before the meter can be removed, the lever releases the jaw pressure on the meter tabs and at the same time bypasses it.

 

[B4T]

So the meter can be pulled for any reason without interrupting service.

Some power companies still require 'Horn bypass' sockets which like this one automatically bypass with the removal of the meter.

In my area the power companies have us use 'lever bypass' sockets for commercial applications. This requires moving the lever before the meter can be removed, the lever releases the jaw pressure on the meter tabs and at the same time bypasses it.

Here we have to use a by-pass meter for everything. 100-150-200 amp. meter pan all the same one.. 200 amp. One size fits all is about the only change that SAVES us money in keeping stock

 

[cpal]

I've seen a couple on dwellings installed early 60's. They can really screw things up on a outage we tried pulling meters when an excavator broke the poco neutral and the FD discovered the houses were still energized. I noticed the jumpers when I got there and used my wiggeys.

 

[Ohmy]

Not on a 200A meter, but the 400A meters we install on residential houses have a handle bypass.

I am glad you shared this tidbit, We remove meters all the time.

 

[Ohmy]

Here we have to use a by-pass meter for everything. 100-150-200 amp. meter pan all the same one.. 200 amp. One size fits all is about the only change that SAVES us money in keeping stock

Is there a disconnect means on the outside of the house on older services? What does the FD do when they show up to a burning house. Here they pull the meter if there is no disco, but that wouldn't help them where you are.

 

[goldstar]

So the meter can be pulled for any reason without interrupting service.

Some power companies still require 'Horn bypass' sockets which like this one automatically bypass with the removal of the meter.

Understood but for residential ?

In my area the power companies have us use 'lever bypass' sockets for commercial applications. This requires moving the lever before the meter can be removed, the lever releases the jaw pressure on the meter tabs and at the same time bypasses it.

I'm familiar with these but for commercial use only. I've never seen one on a residential property.

I've been doing electrical work since I got out of the service in 1971 but have only been in my own business since 1994. I thought it might be a good idea to post these photos for those new in the trade. Most of us are accustomed to the power being off to the load side when you pull a meter. Just goes to show you that you can't make assumptions.

 

[B4T]

Is there a disconnect means on the outside of the house on older services? What does the FD do when they show up to a burning house. Here they pull the meter if there is no disco, but that wouldn't help them where you are.

I'm talking about lever by-pass.. not the automatic type OP pictured

Here the FD pulls the meter and calls the POCO if it has anti-theft ring

 

[Ohmy]

I'm talking about lever by-pass.. not the automatic type OP pictured

Here the FD pulls the meter and calls the POCO if it has anti-theft ring

Didn't think about the anti-theft ring (we have some of those..eheh). I guess the anti-theft ring is always in issue for the FD if there is not an outside disco.

Does the FD not have a meter key? Anyone know?

 

[realolman]

A meter like that seems like a terrible idea to me for several reasons, which I'm sure are obvious to all here.

For the commercial stuff, why not current transformers?

Is pulling the meter while maintaining service that important that often to make a booby trap like this desirable?

All the stuff the NEC puts a person through, and this is
OK???

I think it's ridiculous.

Thanks for posting it. I've never seen such a thing and hope to never see one.

 

[al hildenbrand]

I'm familiar with these but for commercial use only. I've never seen one on a residential property.

The PoCo in my area (covers at least 7 states) has required residential lever bypass socket bases for over a decade. Prior to that, the bypass was only on commercial. New service, service change and even if a tree limb damages a socket beyond repair, the replacement is required to have the bypass.

One rationale a PoCo rep gave, back then, was the increasing presence, in residential, of information systems that were disrupted by meter servicing and the associated liability when data loss or corruption occurred. A power failure was not a concern, as that is beyond PoCo control, but meter servicing could be "scheduled". The PoCo decided that mandating the bypass was easier than scheduling meter servicing.

 

[iwire]

Regardless of how we may all treat them we should consider that a meter socket has never been intended to be a switch or a disconnecting means.

 

[hillbilly1]

I seen one of these in Knoxville Tennessee on a very old Firestone store, They had moved into a new building, and wanted the old one brought up to code to sell it. The dispatcher had been told by the power company that the building had been disconnected. I went up there to design the new service when one of my techs started to demo the old service, I looked outside, and everything still looked connected, told him to be sure to check it before starting the dismantling, well it was still hot, the poco just removed the meter and left an open and live meter socket. The automatic bypass's still had power on the building unmetered!

 

[electricalperson]

220/221 came across a meter socket like this before i believe

 

[electricalperson]

Thanks for posting it. I've never seen such a thing and hope to never see one.

my thinking is the opposite of yours. i hope i DO see one someday. i love old dangerous electrical products. im not worried about getting hurt i test everything

i learned to test everything the hard way. a place we worked at had 208v lights but no 2 pole breakers. i didnt know they were 208v lights until i shut a breaker off, removed the wire and the wire hit my hand and i got blasted. it was being backfed from the 1 pole breaker below it. it didnt hurt just startled me a bit. had 120v on the wire. 120v doesnt really hurt me anymore:grin: that was the first shock in a year or 2

 

[Doug S.]

Does the FD not have a meter key? Anyone know?

'round here they got a some sort of universal key... it looks kinda like an axe.

Or a hot stick to drop the links at the can... I've seen them do that before.

 

[goldstar]

Regardless of how we may all treat them we should consider that a meter socket has never been intended to be a switch or a disconnecting means.

I suppose you're right to some degree but there may be situations where an electrician, fireman or even a POCO employee may make an assumption (based on their experience) that pulling the meter disconnects power from the residence not realizing that an automatic "feed-through" meter socket like this one exists. I was lucky enough to only blow up a screw driver and not myself the first time I worked on one of these.

 

[realolman]

The thing just seems like a terrible idea to me.

It doesn't have snap action.
The contacts don't wipe.
There's no arc chute.
I'll bet most electricians or firemen would never dream such a thing existed.
There's no labeling to warn of what it does. (or more importantly, what it doesn't do )

The only purpose it could possibly serve seems to me to be way too trivial to warrant it's use.

 

[iwire]

Guys, they are not uncommon.

These help prevent a flash over (not trivial) if a meter has to be pulled while under load. Particularly true if is a 3 phase 480 service. The fact some are not aware of them is not the fault of the equipment. When I turn a breaker off I do not assume it opened I do a voltage check to make sure it's open.

Now that said I do appreciate and thank goldstar for bringing this up as no doubt some people have learned something new that can save them from injury.