Homeowner reports partial power !?
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- Опубліковано 8 лис 2021
- Hey Everyone!
I totally wasn't planning on filming this call, but after popping the meter off wanted to share what I found. It was the first cold night this fall and I was worried the customer's home may get damaged from the cold. Thankfully everything worked out pretty good in the end!
We've also been slowly converting a lot of our inventory over to Milwaukee products... Finally they release their own version of the Lineman's hammer!
It passed through our tools committee pretty quick 🧐
- 😁🍻 Cheers!
Milwaukee 4 in 1 Lineman's Hammer (32oz)
➡ www.milwaukeetool.com/Product...
** These video's are NOT intended for training or D.I.Y. Only properly trained and authorized personal are allowed to work on this equipment. Always adhere to work methods and procedures particular to the company you are working for. **
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Huge thanks to my Patreons!
➡ / bobsdecline
Music courtesy of:
"All good in the wood" by Audionautix
UA-cam audio
#Bobsdecline #Beingalineman #MilwaukeeTool
I wasn't planning on capturing any footage on this particular job, but wanted to share with you all how bad this guy's wires heated up! If your lights start acting up, don't wait to call an electrician or your local power company to investigate further! I was happy that everything worked out for this home owner in the end! 😌 A few un expected costs are never good news, but it could have been a lot worse and now everything is safe. Have a great weeks Guys and Girls! 👊👊🍻
P.S - I left in a lot of my "rambling on" as a result of popular request 🤣😁
Watching from NE Ga USA 🇺🇸
The costumer has pulled too much current power/current for the connection, or the connection got lose and the contact area decreased. First option more probable I guess
It's interesting how the meter housing and mast is the responsibility of the home owner as I would consider it part of the meter itself. In the UK the meter and all cabling up to the meter and any associated isolation switch and main fuse are usually the distribution network's responsibility to maintain and they have legal obligations to repair and replace faulty equipment in what is a fairly short time after reporting. This has obvious benefits as it means that when responding to a faulty supply such as this there is no reason to have to get a 3rd party electrician involved (unless the fault is caused by wiring in the home itself but in that case the DNO will still repair the fault and isolate by removing the main fuse) so meter and wiring faults such as this can be rectified quicker without all the permit overheads and return visits to reconnect. This also ensures that dangerous faults are more likely to be reported and repaired as there is no direct cost to the end customer.
@@ThePoxun unfortunately this is how it goes most of the time.. it's completely profit driven. 99% of companies operate to do the least work as possible.. any opportunity to "pass the buck" will always be taken..I don't believe that junction should be the customers responsibility.. now inside the house, fair game.. if you're causing faults internally that's on you.
@@ljgil850 ... nothing to do with $$ and everything to do with code compliance. The guys from your local power company are not trained in anything to do with building codes, including wire size, proper termination inside those boxes, etc. Here in North America the power company brings power up to the entry point on a building and that's it. That means the weather head up on the eve of the house or a weather head out at the pole on top of YOUR conduit. Their responsibility ends at the end of the service wire. You own the rest.
I had a situation where the mast broke off from the top of the meter can. Local utility guys came out to inspect it and said they would have to disconnect power. Got to talking to guys and they noticed for a 200A service, the drop was only sized for 100A. They scheduled to replace the drop the next day and said "If while we're running the new drop, the mast magically repairs itself, we have no issues". He did stress to not touch the actual connections in the meter can. So we bought a new mast and weatherhead. When they showed up the next day, they cut power and started changing the drop. I have the mast swapped in 30 minutes. Linesmen made a comment that he's seen electricians take all day to do that. They reconnected power and all was good!
you own it, the line is dead, you can repair it, in most cases. The only exceptions I have seen on that rule is if it's a rental property where ALL repairs must be done by a licensed sparky.
I don’t know why they didn’t replace your service that night? I can replace it by myself in under 2 hours. Yes #4 aluminum is rated for 100 amps. The gold standard is #2 aluminum which is rated at 200 amps.
@@johnclyne6350 ... and that's the difference between the power company standards and building code. Utility uses #4 AL triplex for a 100 amp service, but only because you seldom draw the full amount for any length of time... and... it's considered "free air" with no secondary wrap holding in the heat. I think you will find the voltage drop at 100 amps is approaching 20% over 100 feet. Same with #2 AL triplex. The free air rating allows something approaching 200 amps for short spells with maybe a 15% voltage drop. That's not acceptable for a home's inside wiring. Even #4/0 AL outside service cable is only rated for around 180 amps at 5% voltage drop, but it's allowed because it's mostly on the outside, not buried in a wall. Utilities have have a WHOLE DIFFERENT set of rules they play by that don't meet indoor building codes.
@@johnclyne6350 They told me that they had just come from a drop replacement and didn't have enough cable to do it then. IIRC it is 3/0 copper from the meter to the weatherhead, and 2/0 copper drop.
@@neonhomer Everyone I work with keeps a well stocked truck. Each truck keeps a coil of service wire with enough wire on it for two drops. It’s possible that the crew that showed up didn’t have enough wire for your house if they had a very busy night or the run from your house was longer than a coil of wire (250’)? However most people I work with wouldn’t hesitate to drive back to the shop & load what they needed for that job & head back out while the other lineman initiated repairs.
Down in this part of the world meter loops to a mobile home must be mounted on a meter pole within 30' of the mobile home. It's interesting to see how codes are in different parts of the country and other countries. Stay Safe keeping the fire in the wires Brother.
He's in Canada
Yeah. I've chatted with him before.
We've still got a few around like that! They used to run a tec cable from the pedestal or pole over to the mini home. It wasn't a bad setup. Less of a mess at actual mini home Parcs.... Didn't have 4 wires coming of a central pole
that's a common practice where code dictates the meter / service must be attached to a permanent structure. Since most mobile homes are NOT permanent structures, well, you get the idea. I'm sure there are grey areas in the rules for anything set on pilings or a foundation, despite the structure style.
In Canada they also mount panels horizontal. From what I've heard they don't allow for branch circuits to cross over the feeder wires, so they usually come in the side of the panel and make the shortest run to the breaker.
Watching from Connecticut, USA. Love the videos! Fellow electrician
Nice to see folks thinking ahead and positively trying help the customer. Good on you. Seen wires heated up so much that they were all that was left in the heap of ash- after we’d put the fire out. Watching from Saxilby, nr Lincoln, UK.
I really enjoy your videos. I did A/C in Phoenix for over 25 years and saw some pretty gnarly wires and crappy, sloppy repairs. I got tired of crawling through 170 degree attics and no A/C calls at 2 AM on a Saturday and it slipped out that it was out since Tuesday, I switched to hotel and apartment maintenance (saw some REALLY scary stuff there). I retired 5 years ago and moved up to BFE Montana. don't miss it at all. Stay safe.
Working in Telecom as a installer, you just made me buy that Milwaukee hammer for j-hooks ! Great work keep it up
Hi Arron I’m from mesa ,Arizona I’m a A/c tech had to learn about loops in school even though I don’t have to deal with them . Love your videos people don’t realize how dangerous your job is .
Watching from Maryland. Great video. I'm glad the customer was able to get that fixed quickly. Things like that always happen at the most inopportune time and can be devastating to someone who doesn't have the resources to get it fixed. A lot of people would have just unhooked it and walked away but you put in the extra effort to see to it they got it straight. Thank you for being awesome and stay safe out there.
Thanks Jamey! Cheers!
New Jersey USA I love when our guys dont drive the j hooks in far enough and snow weight pops them right out. You can see the depth right on the rings. Nice work be safe
Thanks for your videos and your service. I am not a lineman. In 1970 my family and I moved from Lawtey, Florida to Liverpool, Nova Scotia. My mother died 6 months before. My dad and brother and 4 sisters wanted to get away. So off to Canada we went. But we only stayed for 3 months, we could not survive on the low income. My dad was an expert printer he went to work for the newspaper and my two older sisters went to work at a laundry making 90 cents an hour. There was 7 of us. But we left and went to Richmond, Virginia. Now I am living in Jacksonville, Florida. I watch your videos because I am a hobbyist electronic guro and it reminds me of Nova Scotia.
I'm watching from Lima Ohio, which is part of Northwest Ohio. Here we still have lots of 60,70 7 100 amp service & meter bases. My house is one of those with what is likely 60 or 70 amp and the entrance cable runs under the soffit the entire length of the house about 50 feet or so. The wire is so old that the insulation is actually cracked and looks very brittle. Another interesting thing about my electric is I still have some knob & tube wiring still in service which is surprisingly in really good condition.
watching from the Philippines. i'm an electrical engineer but i always want to be a lineman.
Watching from Port Orchard Washington - near Seattle.
Thanks to all the lineman keeping us warm this wild winter.
I flinched when you reached in the meter box and touched the lug with your finger.😅
Back when I was still working I was the king of finding lost legs / neutrals when my customers called our generator company. Probably half stated their gen set was going on and off every few minutes and that told me there was a wild voltage swing. I have found burned wires, bad breakers, toasted buss bars, plus fried crimps, and rubbed through insulation on the service wires. I had the power company and several "responsive" electricians on speed dial. (people I knew personally) I always had a pole number or street address with a cross street handy too boot. (years in the fire service paid off with details) BTW, I once found a meter pan that was live on the outside with sparks flying... and it was an underground service. The young electrician didn't know what to do so good thing I was there! We waited to have the power cut out at the pole. Be safe from lower CT USA.
Watching from the lower 48 on the East coast. North Carolina. Love what you do. Thanks. Stay safe buddy!
My husband and I watch your vlogs. He was an EE with central and northern IL utility companies for decades. We really enjoy seeing how you handle all sorts of situations.
Great service. You guys really look after your customers. 👍👍👍
Watching from New Jersey USA.
Worked at a Science Center and the theater used a 15KW lamp that was powered by a rectifier supply 400 amps DC! You have respect what your working with always!
I always enjoy your videos, even though I'm an auto mechanic. I find your line of work fascinating. Greetings from southern New Jersey!
Great video! I like seeing Electricians, from different tech fields, come together for one goal! Watching from Denton, Texas!
46 yr employee from Indianapolis Power and Light {now AES Indiana). Great videos.
Thibodaux, Louisiana. I actually kinda got a crash course in this after hurricane Ida, our mast got bent from the storm, we ended up not having power for like 2-3 weeks and were running off of a generac until the local grid could be brought back up. my father has been a lineman since the '80s and my grandfather has been an electrician since god knows when, I felt so lost watching them/being a tool gopher since I'm just an automotive technician, they were able to replace the mast and re-conduct it with copper since it originally had aluminum wire. it was really interesting being able to see that aspect of the job
I'm in the US, Columbus Ga. Like watching some of your videos. Great information and nice to learn about the things you do on the jobs.
Watching from sunny Southern California where it is not freezing, enjoy watching your videos keep up the good work
Chesterfield Michigan, Lots of good information , thanks!!
Watching from Umpire, Arkansas. My son is currently a journeyman lineman and I have engineering background. I really enjoy the way you explain what you are doing and why. Stay safe and throw in a eh every now and then!
Great videos! Enjoying watching them here from Asheville, NC.
Im watching from NJ im a industrial electrician for 10 years now i went to lineman School and unfortunately no one would give me a chance when i got out. But what your doing is my dream im so glad i found your channel you do a great job showing us
Great video. Always try to watch them while enjoying my morning coffee up here in Upstate N.Y. 👍
Same guide lines we follow here in New England i work for National Grid in MA/RI and we follow the same process it’s amazing to see the videos you share hope to be a lineman soon! work hard and stay safe! Been an inspiration for me for a long time!!! Thank you!!!
I am watching from Albuquerque, NM.
Great Job, I really enjoy your commintary!
Watching from Dripping Springs Texas and we have a terrific electric provider, Pedernales Electric. I invite lineman to deer hunt my property at no cost because they deserve some perks. Love the channel and keep up the great work.
That's pretty cool of ya! Cheers to that 🦌 😎👊
Pedernales is great. Used to live in hill country TX.
Currently in school to become a lineman in Ontario Canada. I love your content and it does help me understand more what my teachers are talking about
This reminds me of an incident I had working at a friend's house years ago. She was doing something in the kitchen that required pulling the gas stove away from the wall. We shut the gas off, pulled the stove out a little, and disconnected the gas line. As I was disconnecting it, I got a shock! I had a meter with me and measured about 70 volts between the frame of the stove and the gas pipe. I poked around a little more, and also measured 70 volts between both the neutral and ground of the outlet the stove plugged into, and the gas pipe (it was the nearest grounded object). Turns out the outlet was wired with *two wire* romex... hot, neutral, and no ground. They'd connected the outlet ground (and box) to the neutral line! And there was a fault in the neutral connection in the main breaker panel such that it wasn't connected to ground or incoming neutral, it was just floating.
Whenever electronics engineers ask why neutral and ground are kept separated - because there's no *electrical* reason - this is the answer. They don't need to be separate until there's a fault and then you're glad they're separate
Hey Washington State, here. The storms and long nights have already started for our linemen and I'm thankful they're out there keeping the lights on and turning them back on when they go out. Thanks for the vid and stay safe.
Always enjoy your videos. Watching from Lafayette Indiana.
Watching from perth Australia. Love what you do. Great WORK.
Illinois here. Have learned a lot from your channel. Engineer working in the AV/Lighting industry both install & event production so deal with temp power a lot.
Interesting video and very educational in my opinion. I'm from central NY
I always enjoy seeing how others do these types of jobs.
For myself I'm an ex cable install, turn telco lineman, then turned OSP engineer (due to the pandemic), now waiting on my on boarding paperwork to get into transmission work as an apprentice in MA.
Keep up the good work my friend, stay safe and as we always say in my area always watch your overhead.
By the your Milwaukee hammer is pretty nice, I myself have the Madi multi purpose hammer and love how well it works.
Awesome video! Watching from Jersey. I'm going to a trade school to become an electrician. But the whole idea of becoming a lineman is always in the back of my head!
Watching from Locust Grove Georgia. Really enjoy your videos.
Edmonton Alberta here. Love your videos.
Hello from the desert, Phoenix AZ. My dad was a journeyman thru IBEW 640 here for well north of 40 years before he retired in 2005. He taught me alot but he wasnt a lineman he did exclusively commercial, industrial installs for as long as I can remember.the copper mines, IBM, that sort of thing. Thank you and be safe.
Great video/content Aaron. Always helpful tips, as well. “Aluminum on top, copper on the bottom!”
Like good cookware pans - copper on the bottom!
Aaron. Thanks for this video. What I especially loved about it is your concern for that customer. Living in a mobile home myself I am all too well aware how vitally important heat can be....mobile homes cool off fast if the heat fails. At 77 years old... we kinda feel the cold more than I used too in my younger days. Great to note the working relation between the line guys and the local electricians.... sadly... that ain't always the case, but to see you folks working together just gladdens my heart.
Aaron.... keep up these videos. While I am in Ireland.... things might be a wee bit different here.... but many of the messages are the same. Your hints and tips... and concerns for safety of yr own crew and that of the customer(s) are very very much noticed and APPRECIATED. that customer must consider himself lucky.. this story could have had a very different ending, with the fire service playing a major role.
Albert.
Hello from Idaho! I'm surprised the line segment falls on the homeowner! I believe here the power company runs just about everything up to and including the meter.
Watching from SoCal(LA county). Great video and good job!!
Super nice videos !
Continue like this.
Actual worker of the national electrical grid company from France :)
Great video and good recommendations on safety! I am watching from Graham North Carolina!
Fab video! watching from South Wales UK
New favorite UA-cam channel!
Watching from Texas, keep up the good work brother!
Nice job Thanks for sharing 👍
Over here in Jacksonville Alabama thanks for the share be blessed
Electrician from California
I just ran across your channel, i only watched about 4 or 4 videos so far and i find it very informative.
I had an incident about a week ago with the meter being blank and the customer had flickering lights. Turns out it was an Edison issue, thanks.
Scotsburn, Nova Scotia
Nice job
Interesting video as always
I love Milwaukee tools!
Thanks from Santa Monica, California.
I enjoy watching your thinking process to narrow down where the problem is. First, other neighbors didn't call, so assume it's localized to that one household. Then the matter of cutting the lines before pulling the meter for safety. That you worked with an electrician and got electricity that night is impressive. Palm Desert (Palm Springs), CA.
Good videos. Retired lineman/servicer from northern Indiana, USA.
Good job Aaron.
I watch your videos from out here in the front room, by the space heater. Stay Safe out there! -Bob...
Great trouble call. Good job. Chiming in from Santa Cruz, CA.
Thanks for another interesting video. I’m in Yorkshire in the UK and it’s great to see how different things are done in Canada compared with here.
We have such a better and safer system them Canada and America they are so way behind compered to us in Britain
watching from New Zealand. Very interesting
A bushing pulled out of the transformer across my street a couple years ago, one leg went bad swinging all around from 0 to 70 volts. Not good in the house... I opened breakers real quick and called it in.. your boys fixed us up pretty quick. (new transformer)
Watching from Perry,Fl.
We have Duke Energy.
Great video.
I always watch your videos...im a lineman from Philippines..stay safe 👊
Had similar happen to me. Overheating turned the meter base into crispy charcoal and the heat damaged insulation for feeders going into the main panel. Another symptom besides flickering can be condensation of yellowish brownish scum on the inside of the meter glass. Glad I had a great electrician who fixed everything pretty quickly.
Thanks for the video.I replaced our meter not knowing any better about pulling one.It had a buzzing sound and one leg would cause dim lights when the furnace came on. I stopped by electric company warehouse and picked up a new box free and called them to turn off for a few hours . I was amazed I could do it for free but prob best leave to electrician.
Good work Erin. Your a very good safe worker.
Barrie Ontario Canada.
Thanks Michael! 🇨🇦
Another Great job.
Olympia Washington, USA
Great videos as always. Watching from Johnstown Pennsylvania !
Watching from Moncton! Haha. Just found these. They’re great! I set those street lights poles where you’re driving into the sun haha! 🤙
Great video! From Chicago.
Great vid, Belton. Texas here
Nice job....Good content. From San Leandro, California
Nice job dude. Electrician watching. I live in Ontario, but at the moment I’m watching from Nunavut!
Good job! Gulf Shores, Alabama
Great stuff!
Watching from Borger Texas.
Nice video I've watched for over 3 years id like to give a shout out from California
Here in the UK our meters have the terminals built in but the same thing can happen especially if the terminals aren't torqued down. But all connections to the meter and before are the responsibility of the power companies (although technically the 'tails' (double insulated cables) from the meter to the breaker panel are property of the homeowner. With regard to PPE we tend to use hard hats with a built in arc flash visor.
watching from Las Vegas,Nv. You have some great scenery where you are !!
Watching from Crystal, MN.
I would have thought the meter socket would need to be upgraded. I recall when upgrading about 17 years ago, new meter sockets have to have an internal bypass switch.
Glad to see the electrician could replace the lugs though. That was a close call for the homeowner. Fortunately it didn't burn down the home.
Like your videos. I have always liked all things electrical. As a kid, I would tell my grandma what a beautiful extension cord she had. I would sometimes go to bed with a cord vs a blanket. My wife still rolls her eyes about my fascination with extension cords.
BTW... Would you do a video about pole tagging and what it means? I noticed the power pole holding the transformer behind our house had a new red tag. Looked it up, and it says do not climb... personally I think it should be replaced as it is visiblly cracking apart at the base. Would be nice to hear your take on the process of pole safety programs.
Keep warm.
Good job, watching from Trinidad
At a large mobile home Park in Florida where my parents live, all the power is run underground and they have special multi meter socket boxes mounted on concrete posts so 4 house's meters share 1 post at the corner of the property line.
Watching from Edinburgh! Love these videos.
Great customer service thanks for posting great job be safe 👍 Mike iron river m.i.
Love Bobsdecline! Watching in Monticello, NY.
Excellent video. Watching from Washington state
I do handyman work in Mississippi had a customer call me and he said his lights worked but were flickering and nothing else worked when I checked his house he only had 120v a tree limb had rubbed through one leg of the service coming from the transformer.Stay safe out there👍👍
New Jersey here. Love the content.
That's interesting didn't know that about the meter. Had a branch and subsequently another time wind take our line down. One of those times the mast snapped the junction on the top of the meter box and pulled one phase out but both the meter and half the house still had power.
Missouri! I do overhead design/estimating for pole replacements. I'm never in the field so it's always great to see first hand experience. I was hoping to see you sag and splice the service up close. Maybe next time :)
Yes for sure! I've got a go pro setup, but it was at home at the time. I was wishing it was on board when I decided to record
Great Videos man! 👊
Great vid 🍻you need to get a set of catch blocks for services, they are great!
Lovin the PicQuic
I just bought the 7/16 impact from Milwaukee because you like it and it makes me money
Here in Texas and our power company it’s our responsibility for everything in the meter loop up to the line side lugs. We always carry spare guts, spare riser pipe, spare riser wire and all. But good catch! Stay safe