Underground wire raising power bill?

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jason

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If an underground (direct burial) wire is cut in the ground, could this create an increase in your power bill?

This may be a dumb question but I've never thought about it until today. This lady's wire to her shop got cut and she claims that since her power bill has sky rocketed.

Thoughts?
 
Yes, a cut in the wire/cable could create enough leakage into the ground (actually the current is returning to the source via the ground) to consume actual power and raise the electric bill.
 
peter d said:
Yes, a cut in the wire/cable could create enough leakage into the ground (actually the current is returning to the source via the ground) to consume actual power and raise the electric bill.
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Thats what I was thinking.

Thx.
 
I've seen it a few times. Typically an underground detached garage feeder, pool panel feeder, or something heavy along those lines. Post light branches get "leaky" too, but they'll normally trip a breaker from time to time before the problem is evidenced on a power bill. I troubleshoot these problems by turning breakers off and on, and observing the operation of the kilowatt-hour meter. Heat pumps that have lost a good bit of refrigerant are famous for running up the power bill too. They'll have all the backup heat and the compressor running almost 24/7 in the winter when they get like that. When I have a customer tell me that their power bill went from 75 bucks to 400 bucks, I can almost bet they have a heat pump, and the heat pump has issues. The leaky underground feeders aren't normally so profound.
 
If its the POCO's under ground feed that is broken and "leaking" into the ground it will not raise the electric bill. It has to go through the meter in order for the POCO to charge anyone for it.
 
iaov said:
If its the POCO's under ground feed that is broken and "leaking" into the ground it will not raise the electric bill. It has to go through the meter in order for the POCO to charge anyone for it.
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True, but the OP said it was a "lady's wire to her shop" which would imply a feeder (metered power.) At least that's how I read it, but it could be a separate service.
 
peter d said:
True, but the OP said it was a "lady's wire to her shop" which would imply a feeder (metered power.) At least that's how I read it, but it could be a separate service.
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You read it correctly. Underground feeder from outside main panel to shop.
 
Same as water.


Simply turn everything off (unplug everything if there is no disco at the shop) and see if the meter spins.
 
had an overhead feeder to a shop one time that was all wind twisted togather and really humming litterally.... you could hear it. The call was sudden rise in electric bill.
 
Dave_B said:
had an overhead feeder to a shop one time that was all wind twisted togather and really humming litterally.... you could hear it. The call was sudden rise in electric bill.
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I'll say it before anyone else does.... did you teach it the lyrics? :grin: :grin:
 
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