Comments?

I pity the fool who brushes up against it!

Oh yes!!!! Right up my alley!!!

I love those Frankenstein switches!

Might pick up one when I go to Tijuana this coming week. Apparently they're still used for 30-amp services

I notice the meter has been removed and replaced with a blanking plate. Who does this and how is the plate attached?

Don't worry guys, If I do find that knife-switch, I will not install it in the apartment's electrical system.

I've seen plenty of these indoors, but I do believe that this is the first time I've ever seen one outside.

Is the neutral fused or is this a 220 volt no neutral service.

Scary!

Here's a clearer picture from a Mexican manufacturer's website:



And this is its corresponding 30-amp plug fuse

Rick,
Do you know how high above grade this was located?

It’s a bit hard to make out, but Sven’s catalog find is perfect—the "disconnecting means” looks even more suicidal...index finger in a very spartan phenolic ring.



It’s most likely that the “blanked-off” service is 120V (2-wire) with fused neutral. The object at 5 o’clock on the meter ring in the original image may be a padlock seal. { Plastic seal pic.}


"No aprobado por los laboratorios debajo de escritores." ;-)




[This message has been edited by Bjarney (edited 07-12-2003).]

Meter was right at 6' from grade. The local utility removed the meter when customer, who had lived in the house for 60+ years, was put into a nursing home. Blank is held in place with the meter ring, which has a screw to tighten it around the meter base.

This is the 1st time I have seen one of these outdoors, though I have seen them over bathtubs, on back porches, and above door ways, but all were inside, not outside.

SVEN, send me your address and I will send you one of these, maybe even the one in the picture!

Rick

It’s likely that the original installation was covered with a wooden “dog house” {made of the same material as the siding; topped with matching roofing material and fitted with a hinged door for the meter reader.}

Just went on a bid the other day where the POCO cut out the meter, cut the O/H at the house and pole. They then removed the base and said the house would need to be rewired. The set up was similair to this one. House era was early 1900's 2 recpt in the whole house and only about 4 overhead lights. Could not run out of there fast enough!

Just made two bids on places that had simular type of services. The home owners do NOT like my bids and do not like that I'll have to cut up thier walls. Told them both that a complete new electrical system is needed and the old stuff has outlived it's usefulness. The houses were origionally built in the 1890s.
We'll see if they want to renovate the places or not. Both are on the city's fix or condem list. Pity is both home owner are older retirees without a lot of money.
I guess that I'll see a 65-35% chance of these money traps will be condemed and torn down.
Like spkjpr I would just as soon run away, but if they will pay me, I'll do the work.


[This message has been edited by nesparky (edited 07-29-2003).]

RMIELL WROTE:


Hi Rick,

Thanks for the offer

I emailed it to you. Don't know if it went through. My e-mail's been sort of cranky lately -- sorry it took so long. Just got back from vacation on Friday. Please let me know how much it will cost to wrap and ship.

Didn't find/buy the knife-switch in Tijuana. I did manage to find an electrical/plumbing distributor who might have had one but I didn't have space in the bag to pack it, so I never stopped in.

But now I know where to go and what city bus to take for next time.

Sven (the only half-Gringo on the city buses in Tijuana) Still lots to visit and do in the San Diego/Tijuana metro area.

Update!
Just returned from meeting the two elderly customers who had to get thier old houses updated. Neither one has the money and thier banks will not loan it to them. Meeting was at city planning board hearing. Since both places have been on the condemned list for some time, and they do not have the money to fix them, the planning board voted to tear them down.
The old electrical is not these places only problems.

And some of us think that we have problems to deal with...

Why not just let these people live out their lives in their houses and when they die....tear the thing down?

Where are these people going to move to, who is going to pay for the move?

Of course the bank isn't going to loan them the money. These folks will probably die before they start paying it back to the bank.

It doesn't seem right to me. Where does this planning board get off on doing this? What harm could possibly happen if they leave these houses as is until the occupants die?

Oh...that's right. I forget. The government owns the land. We merely rent it...

Sigh....

It's not possible to do some sort of patch work to fix it up enough to be safe?

Sorry guys...that did tick me off just a bit...