Pictures submitted by magoo66:






Thanks Jeff!.

[This message has been edited by Trumpy (edited 11-07-2005).]

I am speechless, I wonder if this cured the homeowner and friend from DIY electrical work.
I hope so.
Ron

Ron: If they're still alive, I doubt they're cured. Stupidity has an ominous habit of repeating itself...

...and, unfortunately there seems to be a neverending supply of DIY'ers to take his place...

Mike (mamills)

Trumpy, are there codes on meter placement and meter hieght down there.

Rob

Rob,
They aren't actually my pictures.
I only posted them for Jeff.
Would the real Jeff please stand up?.

So for my own edification, let me see if I understand what happened here: Insulated neutral bus was at 120V. Both lugs on the same leg at 120V. All the 240 volt loads would've been supplied with 120, all the 120 volt loads would've been seeing 240.

I can't tell what's going on with any of the grounds or the GEC, but I assume something was grounded somewhere, and when DIY reinstalled the bonding jumper he saw a dead short on the unfused line conductors. The neutral lugs in the meterbase look insulated, but from the size of the scortch-mark, maybe not?

-John

... Oh well, just when you think you've seen everything,......"I CAN'T BELIEVE MY EYES"!!!!!! Oh,...my brain hurts.. and an AHJ approved it before the PoCo tied it in?? I particularly love the blue jumper... What were they thinking?? They were definitely heading for a "Darwin Award" ..or two...
Russ

Oh, and P.S.... What/who finally killed the power?? or did it just melt off the lug?? They couldn't have pulled the meter themselves because the seal was still on it..


[This message has been edited by Attic Rat (edited 11-06-2005).]

Not would be a good guess. The neutral lug is the one in the center, where you see a green conductor terminated. (I have but rarely seen a meter can in which this terminal is insulated.) It's mighty nice of these DIYers to use proper color code so we can dissect their apparent intentions despite the scorch marks. Consider the insulated lug on the lower left to be a hot lug. (Neutral on the right lugs is the correct wiring for a 120V socket meter, but I digress. Such meters are not used nowadays.) Were it not for the PVC nipple, the meter installer would have been the one to see the arc, and it would have been even uglier than this!

I'll bet running away in a panic did an effective job of removing the jumper, thus breaking the circuit. The breaker may also have tripped.

...on second thought, the breaker wouldn't have done squat. Running away in a panic. That's it.

Whats even more astounding is that the AHJ opened up the enclosure and make the homeowner change the single pole 20 to a 22k AIC breaker due to the proximity to the transformer. This guy has never been an electrician. He sold fuses for Bussman for 30 years and has a college degree.

was this a bottom feed from the pad mount? sure looks like it.can't belive they would even tie anything like this in .shoot the meter man could have been hurt!as for the darwin award, they weren't going for one. they got one!

Feed is underground from a secondary pedestal (just right of pic) which is fed from the pad mount with 350 mcm AL. No one was hurt thankfully although I'll bet someone had a real bright spot in the middle of their vision for a spell.

"The white is the hot one right?" - "Yep, white hot, green ground, and black, uh, negitive.. I think..."

Don't want to seem green here but what does AHJ stand for ?

Authority Having Jurisdiction, AKA the inspector,building dept, etc