ECN Forum Forums Technical Discussion Electrical Theory and Applications My Meter "creeps":

Trying to post this message again, so formatting might be odd, due to copy/paste.
Scott.

I have a couple of Qs for the original poster on this meter creeping situation:

1: Is your service a 120 VAC 2 wire system??

2: Did the utility company isolate both load side connections??

3: Have they tried leaving the meter in circuit, then jumping across it??

4: What's the power quality over time look like??

5: Is there a possibility that the meter is connected backwards on one side?? or possibly the 5th lug position that's being mentioned here is not being removed??

6: Do you have any high power radio transmitters in the near area, or High Voltage Transmission circuits near your service??

7: Are you absolutely positive that they have used different meters with correct calibrations??

8: Also, are you 100% positive that there's nothing illegally connected to the load side of the meter, but ahead of the main breaker??

Be sure that if the utility company is using insulating boots for tests, that the boots are new, without scrapes or gaps, plus the meter is fitting into the clips, not slipping on the side of the clips.

There's a few tests that could be made to see what's going on when the boots are on. Test voltage drop across the meter with a DVM, run jumpers directly to the load side of the meter, then measure voltage drop and amperes on all conductors, run an electromagnet source near the meter and see if this causes it to creep, stuff like that.
Sounds like a simple leaking meter, or leaky circuitry.

How much did the meter move with the main breaker open?? Are all the poles opening?? Check this with a nominal load [+10 amps per line] flowing, then open the breaker and check voltage drop across it with a DVM. Also check voltage drop with breaker closed.

When checking voltage drop, use a DVM with low to medium input Impedance [nominal loading effect]. Check from the "Line" side on one pole, to the "Load" side of the same pole - not to ground!!
Start at the highest V setting, then work down to the lowest possible.

With a current of 10 amps flowing across a 100 amp breaker, expect a voltage drop of 3 volts max. [the DVM will measure 3 VAC].

Check amperes with a True RMS [high Hz] type meter. For low I levels, use a flow-through ammeter with high accuracy and low loading effect.


Scott SET

we know for sure that the fire started in the meter base on the top side which belongs to the utility company ,the type of siding is masonite which is hard as the devil,yes what little siding was charred was replaced,it could have been the service entrance cable but what caused it to break down who knows

Now an interesting note here our son has new home he calls me to come up and w/everything off u can see the meter barely move we called the utility company they come out next day and leave note that they would be back well that meter no longer creeps they say they did nothing so who knows but it is gone { the creep } NOW along with this his washing machine springs a water leak in it so he had to buy a new one now did creep cause the leak and the new one stopped it or did utility company do something strange things do happen with electrics. will do another post on another odd thing around my house with a night light and telephone

Doc,

When I was asking about the siding I meant if it was replaced before the Fire. I was thinking about the possibility of a nail through the SE cable after the meter and before the Main. I thought that might explain the "creep" and the fire.

Bill

Bill the cable was in rigid pipe coming to meter and then from meter to pael with rigid and then coming to sub panel a short rigid nippleand the siding was put on and then all the electric stuff added and had never been touched. You know the more iI think about this seems like they had been out { utility } 3 times prior to all of this happenimng and had to replace the connection on the neutral where they tied onto my wiring at I know of 2 times they did this.
DID u see the note about our sons house

I would like to see an explanation for how this melted anything inside the house if it started from above the meter.

I suspect that it started inside the house and burnt its way back to the meter.

soory to rain on u Dspark but according to a forsenic expert it started in the meter base and then went,was he wrong could be but at the time I believed him and still do i said this as been several years ago, but some of the things or still very etched in my memory ,I guess experts are wrong sometimes,if I still had a copy of the papers I would gladly send them to u to read but we finally threw them out when we could not get any where with the utility company.Bottom line is my meter no longer creeps

A leak in a washing machine somehow tied to the utility company? I think you need to call a catholic priest! If your showers start to run green pea soup, I would sell the house.