theavidcitizen
Member
- Location
- Eastern Washington State
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
I got a call from a customer saying the utility company was on their property trimming tree branches away from her overhead service line, when something happened and they severed the service neutral somehow. The workers told the customer they had reconnected the neutral (how they did that without rerunning the service is still a mystery) and that everything should be fine.
Everything was not fine.
After getting her power restored, she called me to come and look at her place to see what was damaged. Immediately I noticed the burnt metal smell from the furnace, so I killed that circuit. None of her other electronics or appliances seem affected, and the voltages at the lugs were nominal (120-121V P-P, 121 P-G). I watched the voltages for about 15 mins, no fluctuations or spikes when she turned each appliance on.
Anyway, I'm relatively new to residential service, but in the commercial world, this is almost a blank check from the utility. The utility company said to give her a list of what needs replaced and/or repaired and they would cover it. The panel is older, but not obsolete. The house is relatively old (1960's), but all the circuits and devices are in working order.
Would you recommend a panel replacement/meter replacement/service mast replacement? I just don't think she should have to wonder about the breakers being damaged.
Everything was not fine.
After getting her power restored, she called me to come and look at her place to see what was damaged. Immediately I noticed the burnt metal smell from the furnace, so I killed that circuit. None of her other electronics or appliances seem affected, and the voltages at the lugs were nominal (120-121V P-P, 121 P-G). I watched the voltages for about 15 mins, no fluctuations or spikes when she turned each appliance on.
Anyway, I'm relatively new to residential service, but in the commercial world, this is almost a blank check from the utility. The utility company said to give her a list of what needs replaced and/or repaired and they would cover it. The panel is older, but not obsolete. The house is relatively old (1960's), but all the circuits and devices are in working order.
Would you recommend a panel replacement/meter replacement/service mast replacement? I just don't think she should have to wonder about the breakers being damaged.
