jaylectricity
Senior Member
- Location
- Massachusetts
- Occupation
- licensed journeyman electrician
I don't know if this topic is appropriate for this forum, or for the ECE/M, so if it isn't: Moderators, you know what to do.
National Grid was supposed to turn on the power to an apartment. When this happens they require that the main breaker is in the off position. Personally I know that I could potentially hurt a guy if I short circuited the feeders after the meter and he pushed the meter into place. So I understand this rule.
Upon arrival to the apartment, the tenant noticed there wasn't any power to their apartment. Tenant calls up National Grid and is told that the power can not be turned on because either 1. The main breaker was in the on position -or- 2. They could not gain access to the meters. The earliest they could come back was Thursday. The tenant checked the doors to the meter room...unlocked. Checked the main breaker...turned off.
Tenant calls back, speaks with supervisor in an attempt to plead with them to come out sooner because maybe the field technician figured they'd rather go to lunch than stop in the building and do 3 minutes worth of work. (I'm not exaggerating, it is literally 3 minutes to walk into the electrical room, undo the ring around the meter, pull the meter off, pull the plastic tabs off the terminals, push the meter back on, put the ring back on, put a grey tag on the ring, wipe hands on pants and leave electrical room. About a 20 foot walk back out to truck.)
Supervisor calls field technician who then tells her that he couldn't do it because there was a load on the meter. She is willing to reschedule for tomorrow, but now tenant needs to turn off all the breakers in tenant's apartment. Then they will come, turn the power on and put a grey tag on the meter, signifying that it is OK to turn the main breaker back on.
Tenant then goes back down to meter room and finds that there is already a grey tag on the appropriate meter. Tenant switches on main breaker, and what do you know? The electricity is working in the apartment.
So the work had been completed in the first place, complete with grey tag. Yet two separate people, one of them a supervisor both had documented and confirmed excuses for why the power wasn't turned back on. The supervisor flat-out said that their field technicians would not even "touch" the meter if the main breaker was on or if there was a load on the meter. Yet, the meter had been touched, and in fact pulled off to remove the plastic sleeves. And if there are plastic sleeves on the two load side meter stubs, wouldn't the load be the meter itself? So how could that even be an issue?
Who was lying here? The supervisor? The field technicians?
National Grid was supposed to turn on the power to an apartment. When this happens they require that the main breaker is in the off position. Personally I know that I could potentially hurt a guy if I short circuited the feeders after the meter and he pushed the meter into place. So I understand this rule.
Upon arrival to the apartment, the tenant noticed there wasn't any power to their apartment. Tenant calls up National Grid and is told that the power can not be turned on because either 1. The main breaker was in the on position -or- 2. They could not gain access to the meters. The earliest they could come back was Thursday. The tenant checked the doors to the meter room...unlocked. Checked the main breaker...turned off.
Tenant calls back, speaks with supervisor in an attempt to plead with them to come out sooner because maybe the field technician figured they'd rather go to lunch than stop in the building and do 3 minutes worth of work. (I'm not exaggerating, it is literally 3 minutes to walk into the electrical room, undo the ring around the meter, pull the meter off, pull the plastic tabs off the terminals, push the meter back on, put the ring back on, put a grey tag on the ring, wipe hands on pants and leave electrical room. About a 20 foot walk back out to truck.)
Supervisor calls field technician who then tells her that he couldn't do it because there was a load on the meter. She is willing to reschedule for tomorrow, but now tenant needs to turn off all the breakers in tenant's apartment. Then they will come, turn the power on and put a grey tag on the meter, signifying that it is OK to turn the main breaker back on.
Tenant then goes back down to meter room and finds that there is already a grey tag on the appropriate meter. Tenant switches on main breaker, and what do you know? The electricity is working in the apartment.
So the work had been completed in the first place, complete with grey tag. Yet two separate people, one of them a supervisor both had documented and confirmed excuses for why the power wasn't turned back on. The supervisor flat-out said that their field technicians would not even "touch" the meter if the main breaker was on or if there was a load on the meter. Yet, the meter had been touched, and in fact pulled off to remove the plastic sleeves. And if there are plastic sleeves on the two load side meter stubs, wouldn't the load be the meter itself? So how could that even be an issue?
Who was lying here? The supervisor? The field technicians?
