Guys, I'm looking for a temporary hot box. This is a box with a screw-in fuse and an outlet. It has 3 leads approx. 18" long with alligator clips. It is used on service change-outs, where the power co.lets us clip it on the service drop for temp. power. In my last career(power co. lineman) we used one alot. It appeared to me to be a commerically made outfit. The only ones I've seen used in the last few years are homemade units. Anyone know of any commerically made ones? thanks, rob
Temporary hot box
- Thread starter rob
- Start date
- Status
pierre
Senior Member
- Location
- Westchester County, New York
Re: Temporary hot box
Hello Rob
Technically speaking, connecting to the poco's wire for temporary power requires special training that most electricians do not have. Getting beyond that most of us use 'homemade' temp boxes. I myself have not seen a commercially made one.
Good Luck, if you find one post it
Thanks
Pierre
Hello Rob
Technically speaking, connecting to the poco's wire for temporary power requires special training that most electricians do not have. Getting beyond that most of us use 'homemade' temp boxes. I myself have not seen a commercially made one.
Good Luck, if you find one post it
Thanks
Pierre
sparkmantoo
Member
- Location
- Virginia
Re: Temporary hot box
in our area it is illegal to tap from the meter base ahead of the meter. it is like stealing. they will bust your @#$!!#@ hard if you are caught. so be advised on what you do it may be against the law. even temporary.
in our area it is illegal to tap from the meter base ahead of the meter. it is like stealing. they will bust your @#$!!#@ hard if you are caught. so be advised on what you do it may be against the law. even temporary.
charlie
Senior Member
- Location
- Indianapolis
Re: Temporary hot box
We will put you in jail if we catch you in the act of current diversion. When that happens, we go for high publicity to warn others that stealing is wrong and we will punish you.
It is not like stealing, it is stealing. Rob, besides bypassing our cash register, what would you do about grounding and GFCI protection? Do you have the proper training to work hot? Do you have a clue what the fault current available is in your area?
We will put you in jail if we catch you in the act of current diversion. When that happens, we go for high publicity to warn others that stealing is wrong and we will punish you.
Re: Temporary hot box
Whoa, Whoa there.... Guys what is all this talk of stealing and such. I was a lineman for FPL in florida for 16 years before moving up here to MN. and getting my journeyman wireman license.The deal works the same up here as it did in Florida. It goes like this... I'm changing out a 60 amp. fuse panel and socket to a 200a. meter can and panel. At 9:00 am the lineman from the local poco arrive as scheduled, place ext. ladder against house and cut the service drop from the old weatherhead in the clear. He then hollars down, hey sparky do you need a temp hooked up. I say yes and throw him(power co. lineman) my hot-box. He then clips it on the service and wa-la temp. power for my light and drill if needed. The two lineman drove up in a $100,000 line truck and each of them making $25 plus per hour. This service is free of charge to the cust. After all that expense, I seriously doubt that a dollar of electric to run a light bulb and run a drill for two minutes is going to hurt the poco. It is a benefit or service they(poco) do for the EC's here.when the crew comes back at approx. 2:00 they drop out the temp and hook up the new service.Maybe I'm lucky to have lived and worked in two different locations (different ends of the country)where the poco provides this benefit to the EC's. Sure beats using a generator.I'm sorry that it's stealing in your neck of the woods but it is not here. rob....
Whoa, Whoa there.... Guys what is all this talk of stealing and such. I was a lineman for FPL in florida for 16 years before moving up here to MN. and getting my journeyman wireman license.The deal works the same up here as it did in Florida. It goes like this... I'm changing out a 60 amp. fuse panel and socket to a 200a. meter can and panel. At 9:00 am the lineman from the local poco arrive as scheduled, place ext. ladder against house and cut the service drop from the old weatherhead in the clear. He then hollars down, hey sparky do you need a temp hooked up. I say yes and throw him(power co. lineman) my hot-box. He then clips it on the service and wa-la temp. power for my light and drill if needed. The two lineman drove up in a $100,000 line truck and each of them making $25 plus per hour. This service is free of charge to the cust. After all that expense, I seriously doubt that a dollar of electric to run a light bulb and run a drill for two minutes is going to hurt the poco. It is a benefit or service they(poco) do for the EC's here.when the crew comes back at approx. 2:00 they drop out the temp and hook up the new service.Maybe I'm lucky to have lived and worked in two different locations (different ends of the country)where the poco provides this benefit to the EC's. Sure beats using a generator.I'm sorry that it's stealing in your neck of the woods but it is not here. rob....
charlie
Senior Member
- Location
- Indianapolis
Re: Temporary hot box
OK, I am wrong. I was answering for the way it is here and not there. Sorry, I thought you said that you hooked up the hot box yourself.
I do have a few questions. Rob, what would you do about grounding and GFCI protection? Do the linemen always hook up the hot box and if not, do you have the proper training to work hot? Do you have a clue what the fault current available is in your area? If this has a screw in fuse, is it a type S fuse. And why do you need three leads, wouldn't two be correct? Do these hot boxes have a SUSE lable? Are they suitable for the fault current that is available?
OK, I am wrong.
I was answering for the way it is here and not there. Sorry, I thought you said that you hooked up the hot box yourself.I do have a few questions. Rob, what would you do about grounding and GFCI protection? Do the linemen always hook up the hot box and if not, do you have the proper training to work hot? Do you have a clue what the fault current available is in your area? If this has a screw in fuse, is it a type S fuse. And why do you need three leads, wouldn't two be correct? Do these hot boxes have a SUSE lable? Are they suitable for the fault current that is available?
- Location
- Massachusetts
Re: Temporary hot box
It has been 10 to 20 years since I did residential services, but we always tapped the line for temp power.
Step 1 climb the ladder cut the old service off and place a temp socket with a 15 amp Edison base fuse in line with one of the "hot" conductors, drop that down to a 4" square box with outlets.
The MGN was ground/neutral no GFCI but now I would use a GFCI cordset.
If the old meter did not fit the new meter socket jumpers would be put in place giving the customer "stolen" electricity until the POCO would get out there with a meter and replace our burndys with compression connectors.
Never got any flack for doing this, I guess some POCOs will not miss a few pennies.
I did get talked to when I pulled about 10 meters in a apartment building and did not put them back in the right spots.
Bob
It has been 10 to 20 years since I did residential services, but we always tapped the line for temp power.
Step 1 climb the ladder cut the old service off and place a temp socket with a 15 amp Edison base fuse in line with one of the "hot" conductors, drop that down to a 4" square box with outlets.
The MGN was ground/neutral no GFCI but now I would use a GFCI cordset.
If the old meter did not fit the new meter socket jumpers would be put in place giving the customer "stolen" electricity until the POCO would get out there with a meter and replace our burndys with compression connectors.
Never got any flack for doing this, I guess some POCOs will not miss a few pennies.
I did get talked to when I pulled about 10 meters in a apartment building and did not put them back in the right spots.
Bob
david
Senior Member
- Location
- Pennsylvania
Re: Temporary hot box
I did get talked to when I pulled about 10 meters in a apartment building and did not put them back in the right spots.
Oh my!
I did get talked to when I pulled about 10 meters in a apartment building and did not put them back in the right spots.
Oh my!
Re: Temporary hot box
Charlie, I won't speak of the home-made units that I see used here by many electricians. Each person has built it a different way. But the unit we used at the poco when we need power for a drill or such, was a commerically made unit. It had three leads B/W/G, screw in S fuse and a twist lock recpt. I don't know the brand name. Up here we use GFI protection via the built in GFI extension cord we use. As a lineman for the poco years ago we never used GFI with our hot boxes.I'm not saying that it was right, but just the way it was there. As far as fault current, both places it was/is not considered. Again not saying it's right but just the way I see things done. I'm just looking to see if there is a commerically made unit w/ built-in fuse protection. With all of the equiptment, tools etc. in my truck the last thing I have space for a generator. We use a drop light because the panels are almost always located in the basmt. during the upgrade. thanks for your help and if I hear of one I'll be sure to post it. rob...
Charlie, I won't speak of the home-made units that I see used here by many electricians. Each person has built it a different way. But the unit we used at the poco when we need power for a drill or such, was a commerically made unit. It had three leads B/W/G, screw in S fuse and a twist lock recpt. I don't know the brand name. Up here we use GFI protection via the built in GFI extension cord we use. As a lineman for the poco years ago we never used GFI with our hot boxes.I'm not saying that it was right, but just the way it was there. As far as fault current, both places it was/is not considered. Again not saying it's right but just the way I see things done. I'm just looking to see if there is a commerically made unit w/ built-in fuse protection. With all of the equiptment, tools etc. in my truck the last thing I have space for a generator. We use a drop light because the panels are almost always located in the basmt. during the upgrade. thanks for your help and if I hear of one I'll be sure to post it. rob...
cm
Member
- Location
- Pennsylvania
Re: Temporary hot box
In western pa we call it a cheeter It dosent take a rocket scientist or a ee to, or a code lawyer to make one.You need aligator clips ,a pin socket for an edison based [plug fuse] a non metalic box and a spec grade gfci outlet. SAFETY FIRST when hooking it up make the neutral first break the neutral last ,dont hook it up under load,and observe polarity.
[ August 10, 2003, 08:36 AM: Message edited by: cm ]
In western pa we call it a cheeter
It dosent take a rocket scientist or a ee to, or a code lawyer to make one.You need aligator clips ,a pin socket for an edison based [plug fuse] a non metalic box and a spec grade gfci outlet. SAFETY FIRST when hooking it up make the neutral first break the neutral last ,dont hook it up under load,and observe polarity.[ August 10, 2003, 08:36 AM: Message edited by: cm ]
sparkmantoo
Member
- Location
- Virginia
Re: Temporary hot box
hey rob didn't mean to say you were stealing. sorry about that. it is a major offense here. we purchased a generator, a little Honda and it works great. slips right into the back of the truck.18x20x18. quiet little thing too. it is another option.
hey rob didn't mean to say you were stealing. sorry about that. it is a major offense here. we purchased a generator, a little Honda and it works great. slips right into the back of the truck.18x20x18. quiet little thing too. it is another option.
- Location
- Bremerton, Washington
- Occupation
- Master Electrician
Re: Temporary hot box
Out here are poco meters are radio read and the poco can tell when the meter has been pulled or there is an outage. They are read every midnite. You can go on line and check your previous days consumption.
Out here are poco meters are radio read and the poco can tell when the meter has been pulled or there is an outage. They are read every midnite. You can go on line and check your previous days consumption.
luke warmwater
Senior Member
Re: Temporary hot box
We tap the line also. And do the re-connect with H-Taps.
There is one Local Power Co, that will even lend the Electrical Contractor the H-Tap tool and taps if they don't own one (we do).
Here'a a safer method: get a marine battery and a 1000 watt power inverter. It works great. We just used one on a power shutdown on a commercial building. Plenty of power for lights and a drill.
We tap the line also. And do the re-connect with H-Taps.
There is one Local Power Co, that will even lend the Electrical Contractor the H-Tap tool and taps if they don't own one (we do).
Here'a a safer method: get a marine battery and a 1000 watt power inverter. It works great. We just used one on a power shutdown on a commercial building. Plenty of power for lights and a drill.
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