*Thanks for that clarification Pete. I am familiar with the NEC but know absolutely nothing about the NESC.
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13 years ago
Odd electrical problem
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13 years ago
Another typical misleading and vague statement from our arm chair expert from Canada. The neutral connection is at the transformer, which is usually within hundreds of feet. The above would lead you to believe it's back at the generator.
Anything else I can help you with?
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13 years ago
With an open neutral you can have your 15 amp electric skillet in series with your .1 amp clock radio with this string across 240. The radio is going to lose every time.
Jimmie Jimmie
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13 years ago
snipped-for-privacy@snyder.on.ca wrote: ...
Possible altho where I knew of them last were in the extremely rural areas on (I think) the equivalent of US REC (Rural Electric Co-operatives) lines. The cost of those for the low load/mile ratio is quite high so it wouldn't surprise if there were still at least some extant...
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13 years ago
Back in the early 80's North of Birmingham in rural Alabamastan I did some work at a marina that had TVA supplied power. High voltage came in on a single overhead wire and a transformer and ground rod was hooked up to supply the marina with power. The power is still probably like that after 30 years. :-)
TDD
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13 years ago
When I upgraded my panel and meter socket on a separate permit I was able to do it myself because I have underground service and PSEG disconnects you at the transformer for no charge.
When the *three* trucks from the power company showed up for the disconnect none of the wires were marked for the houses. They just started disconnecting them to figure out which was mine. The guy checking for power at my meter socket had a bad meter because they had to do it several times until they were sure mine was off. I could hear them talking "that one arced, that's not it". I was surprised they didn't even clamp on an Amp probe to see which ones weren't drawing first.
They made me very uncomfortable. I must have checked those wires 20 times before I swapped out the meter socket.
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13 years ago
When I upgraded my panel and meter socket on a separate permit I was able to do it myself because I have underground service and PSEG disconnects you at the transformer for no charge.
When the *three* trucks from the power company showed up for the disconnect none of the wires were marked for the houses. They just started disconnecting them to figure out which was mine. The guy checking for power at my meter socket had a bad meter because they had to do it several times until they were sure mine was off. I could hear them talking "that one arced, that's not it". I was surprised they didn't even clamp on an Amp probe to see which ones weren't drawing first.
They made me very uncomfortable. I must have checked those wires 20 times before I swapped out the meter socket.
*I can't comment on the quality of the training that they received. I had to have several underground services disconnected last summer and fall. In one instance one of the power company guys (PSE&G) came over with two pigtail sockets with light bulbs that were wired in series with long leads to check for 240 volts. That's the kind of tester I was raised on. I've noticed that PSE&G always send an entourage for these disconnects whereas JCP&L will send one guy in a pickup truck or two guys in a bucket truck. PSE&G does not charge for the disconnect, but JCP&L has a $280.00 minimum charge.- Vote on answer
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13 years ago
At least the guy who was working near the transformer had on High voltage gloves and a helmet, no apron or face shield though.
I also heard that PSEG is the only one that disconnects for no charge on an underground service. The town also told me that if the wires from the transformer to the meter socket needed repair or upsizing that PSEG owned them and would be responsible for them. I don't know the size but they were about 3/4" thick solid aluminum. I can't imagine how much 50' of that would cost...
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13 years ago
Don't expect the linemen to be all that technical, most of what they do is more mechanical than electrical. The electrical end is more the function of the engineers back at the office who produce the work orders detailing what is to be done. The linemen mostly check for correct voltages.
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13 years ago
I suspect single wire earth return was common in the US in the early days of electrification of farms under the REA. About the time the REA was created in1935 under 15% of farms had electric utility power. In the early 1950s almost all did. From comments by a utility engineer in Canada it sounds like early Canadian rural electrification was earth return, with a return wire becoming common in the mid 1950s. Likely the same in the US. As you said, low density makes electrification of farms expensive.
The resistance of through the earth in flatland is probably quite low. Making a low resistance connection to the earth is not real easy. But the connection was low current. If you actually had a 100A 240V load and the distribution was 7200V the primary current is only about 3.5A. Early farm loads were nowhere near 100A.
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13 years ago
Depends.
In the town i have rentals in, they ONLY require the copper pipe coming in the house to be the ground. Any additional rods or bonding is optional. They also REQUIRE ALL replacement water service entrance pipes to be copper
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13 years ago
or a low assed mounted shower head.
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13 years ago
Happens more often than you'd think! I am constantly annoyed when I end up showering in a hotel room or friend's house and have to crick my neck to get my head under the shower head. I'm only 5'11" fercryinoutloud.
nate
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13 years ago
I believe they were all replaced about 10 years ago after sme "stray voltage" scares where cattle were dying.
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13 years ago
Oh i hear ya! The three i've re-done recently, i've set at 78" from the tub/shower floor.
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13 years ago
I've called the local power company a number of times to report that metal termites (the bipedal variety) have cut all the copper ground wires off the power poles for miles in certain neighborhoods around here even downtown areas. The wire is cut off as high up the pole as a human can reach. I know those wires and ground rods aren't part of the power circuit but are more than likely part of a spark gap unit to send lighting to ground. I suppose the power company will have to switch to galvanized steel ground wire. Those vermin are responsible for a lot of the lightning damage around where I had a warehouse years ago, they would even come over the fence after small amounts of wire. I wonder, I've seen human sized insects on TV insurance commercials.
TDD
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13 years ago
The way I heard it, bonding to a water pipe protects you from a floating neutral as you are skinning muskrats in the sink. As you prepare to process the muskrat guts in the disposal, while holding a poorly-insulated electric carving knife, you reach up and touch the metal faucet...
Contrary to popular thinking, muskrat entrails are an excellent conductor, as proved by real science.