Hi ROSLYN,
Well, the PoCo may have been right in preventing this from getting any worse, if that's actually possible!.

"The Lawyer is after the Utility" Estimates " to clean up his work
Let me guess - Free Estimates

Run Forest! Run!

He can do all the work he wants on his own property.
The utility company has the authority to NOT connect it if they consider it unsafe.
While he sits in the dark he might reconsider the money he spent on the full page ad on the back cover of the phone book and call an electrician.
An inspector once told me that if someone wants to do brain surgery on themselves he wasn't going to stop them. He then said he wasn't going to give them the scalpel.
Alan--

Tom,

Is this a recent installation in LIPA territory? I'm wondering where he bought the Meter Enclosure.

(FYI to ECN Membere: This type and size of Meter Enclosure hasn't been permitted on Long Island for about 10 years or more now)

Bill

Are them two gutters inter-connected?
It looks like there seems to be something between the two units.
Guy couldn't have guessed that hole size in the bottom any worse either, you could house a family of 5 in that gap.
Is that meter base actually recessed into the wall?.
Something doesn't look right between the gutter and the pipe.
One final thing, there must be a bend and a half on the conduit feeding into the right-most meter.
Wouldn't there normally be saddles on that?.

Just as a total, off-the-wall, random guess, I'm guessing that this isn't a single-family dwelling?

Hi Bill,

Yes what a mess.. I was one of 8 contractors looking at this mess in South Floral Park. The Meter Pan Is NOT Approved for LI, The Home Owner attended a class at Home Depot on " Service Changes " and bought all the materials there.. The Troff / Gutter were just placed together & the KO were too large for the Connectors. The Best, The Hanging 60 Amp " A " Base Meter - fed a 200A MAin Breaker Panel Inside Basement Apt. - for a " 1 family " house.

While he's at it...the lawyer might consider suing the seminar, for giving out incomplete or incorrect information, and for misleading the public into thinking this sort of job was within their competence.

Just one such suit would sure slow down these DIY "enablers."

John,
I couldn't agree more, mate.
If this is the standard of work that they are teaching at these "classes", something seriously needs to be done.
It sort of makes you wonder as well, what sort of wiring standards, some homeowners have inside thier houses, because of poor tuition.
Other side of the coin, you have to also realise that a seminar like this can't teach you everything and I'd be inclined to think that on the majority of occasions where work like this has occured, it's the result of the homeowner either guessing (through lack of knowledge) or substituting the proper parts and equipment for something that they "happened to have handy".
Either way, it's just not good enough!.

Just curious: You know how every Home Depot (Lowe's too, for that matter) has a mock-up of a service with a subpanel, usually mounted to a structural column, to show DIYers how they're supposed to look? Has anybody ever seen one that was done right?

The ones I've seen usually have the MBJ missing in the service panel, or the neutral and ground connected to the same bus in the sub, or both. Other errors abound. I've never seen one that was right.

If any ECN member has seen one of these done correctly, please speak up!

The Lowes near my house has a service/sub-panel display that's sort-of right. If the service panel had the main in it, everything would be copacetic, but they use a MLO panel and neglect to include the service disco. or any of the grounding/bonding issues that involves.

I'm really amazed that these places even offer a DIY Service seminar. Seems like anyone who knows enough to install a service would know that isn't a project you can or should advocate for the average electrically-ignorant HO. What's next? Maybe a course on how to build your own glue-lam structural trusses.

-John

In florida a homeowner can only work on a private residence.A business owner cannot do his own work legally anyway.Most times the utlity will not connect unless inspector calls them personally.Hard to feel sorry for a laywer is'nt it.

Surfin'sparky,
Is that the same as a Landlord doing his own work?.
To cut costs?.

Surfinsparky,
Welcome to ECN. It's nice to see another Brevardian on here.


[This message has been edited by IanR (edited 03-06-2006).]

Question: If that new gutter on the right is supposed to be weatherproof (nema 3R), what's with the KO on the cover?

If the wiring inside those gutters is as bad as this guy's conduit-fitting...

I don't understand what's going on with the hanging meter to the right? Is (or was) he in the process of replacing this somehow?

Mike (mamills)

Hey what's up their Ian.I live in M.I.The county usually will not issue a permit to anyone without a license unless they are the resident of the structure.ie no homeowner permit for an apartment bldg.Of course does the law get followed to the leter?

Never fails "home-wrecker how to".. It just blows my mind how big places like that try to teach people to make repairs
or installations and make things dangerous..... Friend of mine went in the big "orange" looking to buy a Co/ALR" receptacle.. (for me to replace) They sold her no-alox and setscrew wirenuts that are not compatible with AL wire... The salesperson " Recomended those as that was his way of doing it".

They even sell parts to do your own gas fitting!!
Some things should not be touched by the HO but with parts readily availible that allows homeowners or "Wanna be tradespeople" to think they can tackle all..

Maybe the 'big orange should teach courses on "What to do when your house catches fire" or " What to do when you smell gas"...

I have a question about that meter socket I see above... Normal for a 5-jaw meter socket??? I am just curious, all resi services here are 4-jaw..

A.D