I am interested in how some of the other jurisdictions handle service work where power needs to be disconnected to make repairs or a meterbase needs to be replaced. In my area this will require an inspection before the utility can restore power and to have the permit issued for service work or upgrades to a service has taken me up to a week. Then you can request an inspection the next day, but they allow themselves 48 hrs. and possibly 72 hrs. to inspect. It seems that these inspections must be done in the afternoon and the power release will be faxed to the utility when the inspector returns to the office, which is usually around 4 o'clock and the utility won't even think about doing it that day. This thing becomes a vicious circle that seems to take on a life of its' on. There must be a better way and I just wanted some ideas that I could take to the powers that be in my area.
Hello,
Here, MA. Repairs are scheduled as described.Hurry up and wait.
Emergencies, the POCOs' are pretty good, we call and they will show up, (after coffee etc.). Then repair call them back and wait, but they do show up. Get the permit and inspection the next am.Approval faxed to all.
Not always this smooth but usualy close. The POCO researves the right to decide if it is a true emergency.
I have changed out main breakers before, with a call and permision to pull the meter.
They are very protective of meter seals here, locals (not NStar etc) have very hefty fines for cutting them.
In my area all work must be permitted and inspected, that being said in an emergency the utility will usually cut loose and re energize whatever I need at thier discression. The permit and inspection occur after the fact, and any repairs to sub code items come out of my pocket. This is emergency cases ONLY meaning after hours and on weekends, and usually only if there is no furnace and the owners cant go somewhere else, or for a medical reason( IV pump, Oxygen concentrator etc). The utilities, AHJs, and permit offices are really easy to deal with if you keep them in the loop, try to cut them out and you might as well move away. This is a small town and people do not soon forget.
In many if not all communites in my area (SE Alaska), an emergency is an emergency. I call the POCO and they show up and cut the power. When done you call them up and they will reconnect. The line crews typically know what to look for. It may be different in the larger communities like Anchorage and Fairbanks.
It's the same here as with sparkyinak's area. Call POCO they come out to disconnect, and will come back to reconnect when called again. In a normal disconnect/reconnect, the paperwork (permit, connection authorization etc) has been done ahead of time, but with emergency jobs the paperwork is done after the fact and faxed to the POCO.
Mine and sixer's post got me thinking about a song. "Changes in latitude, changes in attitude..." Jimmy Buffet
Here (Austria) generally licensed electricians have the right to cut seals, make repairs and fax the reconnection form (which only tells the PoCo: "Come here and seal the meter again whenever you like, I told you the meter is unsealed so it's your responsibility!". Usually that happens when they read the meter the next time.
They also reserve the right to visually inspect the service and panel prior to resealing, but rarely do so other than having a glance at the meter (hard not to do ;))
I am interested in how some of the other jurisdictions handle service work where power needs to be disconnected to make repairs or a meterbase needs to be replaced. In my area this will require an inspection before the utility can restore power and to have the permit issued for service work or upgrades to a service has taken me up to a week. Then you can request an inspection the next day, but they allow themselves 48 hrs. and possibly 72 hrs. to inspect. It seems that these inspections must be done in the afternoon and the power release will be faxed to the utility when the inspector returns to the office, which is usually around 4 o'clock and the utility won't even think about doing it that day. This thing becomes a vicious circle that seems to take on a life of its' on. There must be a better way and I just wanted some ideas that I could take to the powers that be in my area.
What I see with your problem in the inspector may be the problem, what we usually do to make it run smoothe is get an early time from the inspector then schedule with the utility, you may have a power trip inspector, then they is not much you can do short of calling your mayor, when that happpens, but try to talk to him first and work out something.
LK,
Being in NJ you know that we have the UCC which exceeds the NEC. However even here in NJ emergency work is allowed to start prior to permits being issued. However you must report to the local construction office as soon as possible to notify them of the work being done. After that you have 36 hours (I believe) in order to come into the office and pull a permit. After that you still have to get inspections and meet the code.
LK,
I forgot,if you know the AHJ, you might be able to get a meeting and show him what the work is that you are doing. You might be able to get ( in the case of services) a temp cut in card. This way on a Sat. or Sun. when you want to shut down a plant and re-energize it before Mon. morning, you would have a temp. cut-in card in hand. I have done this with several EC's in my town.
Harold & Les:
5:23.2.14 (b) 2 states....
...as soon as possible, but obtain/apply for permit within 72 hrs...
With a phone call to the Construction Official, emergency inspections are performed basically 24/7. Shut-downs are basically common for Sat &/or Sun. But, as I said..communications help immensley.
BTW, we have full time inspectors, 5 days a week; as opposed to a lot of towns that are MWF, or TT.
Stay safe
Time frame: 24 hrs or next bus. day.
Around here, they are getting damn serious on permits.
Check the lic board web site and you see alot of suspensions for no permits.
I used to be a PoCo faults-man here.
If an electrician rang the PoCo (on a number that was never released to the public), you could have a faultsman there within minutes, as there were enough of us around that might be near the place in question.
As a lot of us were pushed to pass our Inspector registration, all you needed was the faultsman, he would de-energise the place (as is normal practice here).
As long as we sighted a Certificate of Compliance from the guy doing the job, the power would be re-instated.
I used to be a PoCo faults-man here.
This may get lost in translation since I have no idea the reputatations the POCO's have in the NZ area.
The POCO's here do not not have "faults-man". It is more like, "It is not my fault man."
SparkyAK:
Mike (Trumpy) speaks the same english that we do.
He means a 'troubleshooter' or 'troubleman'.
Well blimey mate, that be bloody good.
AK,
Sorry for a bad use of terminology.
A faultsman here does quite a few jobs.
Their bread and butter is fixing faults on LV (230/400V) systems, when they happen.
Faultsmen are usually employed by a PoCo, as they only service the PoCo network and any customers places that the network feeds.
Aside from that, a faultsman must be able to work on HV equipment, as in 11, 22, 33 and 66kV.
We hold registration as Electricians, first and fore-most, the majority of us are dual trade, as in have served an apprenticeship in Line work, especially doing things like Live Glove and Barrier or Hot Stick work.
The more skills you have, the more use you are to your employer.
Ray here (RODALCO) is a faultsman, it's a good thing to be in.
No worries here, the difference in languages is always a treat, esecially talking technical stuff. Throw a little slang in the mix and it becomes a party.