Which of these wires do you undo first? I've got to upgrade my circuit breaker box. I know how to wire the box. It's just breaking that connection at the drip loop outside that I'm concerned about. I've done it before several times but my mind just ain't what it use to be. I am going to do it, with or without help.
Call the power company and have them do it for you.
No, on second thought, just hire a licensed electrician to take care of the whole thing.
-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)
Save the baby humans - stop partial-birth abortion NOW
Why don't you just remove your electric meter or call the power company and ask them to remove it? It is a lot easier and SAFER then cutting your lines.
In answer to your question: You always cut the hot wires first, then cut the neutral.
My recomendation is for you to call a pro or make sure that your affairs are in order and your will is made out.
More than likely, some of that outside wiring will need to be replaced...not just the box.
But you don't need to break that connection to simply put in a new box. Just pull the meter.
But I'd strongly suggest you DON'T do that.
Have a nice week...
Trent
Follow Joan Rivers' example --- get pre-embalmed!
Quite an understatement.
I really hope this is a troll.
Actually, some idiots *should* hire pros.
I didn't respond because the post sounded too much like a troll. I find it hard to believe anyone is foolish enough to guess what to do on a live power feed, and only slightly less hard to believe anyone would actually rely on internet advice in this situation. But it's possible that it wasn't a troll, and he merely fell into the above mentioned idiot category. In which case, the advice offered by others was quite appropriate.
Jeff
I was going to leave this one alone but... In my area it would be illegal to attempt such an act. Furthermore I would like to see how your insurance company would react on a claim following an incident on this one ?
Now I know why "You gotta see this" have so much material to show.
D.Martin
Oh bullshit......that's what this NG is all about......helping other people. We don't need your business, nor do we want it. I have plenty of work, thank you. As a matter of fact I had to suffer a shoulder injury to get some freakin' time off.
I believe that the real reason everyone is dancing around this one is for safety reasons......anyone who has to ask how to cut a service off the line just doesn't have any business doing it......nor will he be aware of the hazards involved. Reading about electrcial safety on Usenet is not the way to learn it. One needs instruction _and_ supervision by qualified electrician's before doing hot work like that.
If you are just changing your service panel -- like keeping it a 150 amp panel but one with more branch circuits -- you could just take the cover off the meter box and pull the meter out. This will disconnect the power to the service panel. If you are upgrading to a larger rated panel -- like from
100 amp to 200 amp -- then you will probably have to change the meter housing and the service entrance cable.Turn off the main breaker first. Then, it doesn't matter what wire is disconnected first at the service riser. It is preferable to use a wooden extension ladder against the siding for this type of work, but an aluminum ladder could be used if you set the base of the ladder on a piece of insulation -- such as a piece of plywood, or roofing shingles, and etc. Tie the bottom of the ladder with a rope to the house in some way so that it does not slip out. Slice the tape that is on the wire connection and see if it is a split-bolt connector, or a compression type. If a compression type, then you will have to cut the wires and remove the connector, and buy a split-bolt connector to replace it. Buy the AL-CU type, and place the aluminum feeder wire from the pole in one side of the split-bolt separator, and the the service drop wire on the other side; then tighten with crescent wrenches. Don't use channellocks on these connectors. When you make these connections, do not place them on the bottom of a drip loop. Place them in a rise of the curve so that water does not collect on the connection. When you tape them, run the last turn of the tape so that water will run away from entering the tape, much like shingles on a roof.
Always keep in mind that if you short out the lines coming from the pole, there is no GFCI, or circuit breaker to open the circuit. You are dancing with death on this one.
Good luck...
That's the very reason you SHOULD NOT be suggesting how he could do the job himself!! He has already indicated he's not a electrician.
Tom J
Then pull the meter.
Well, that's certainly a good way to get somebody killed or seriously injured.
. Slice the tape that is on the wire connection and see if
That's another good way to get killed or seriously injured should the wrenches slip and accidentally contact the bare ground wire while you're cranking down on the hot wires. Why didn't you tell him to make sure that he isn't grounded while he's cranking on those split bolts? What is this, a lesson in how to get someone killed? Besides, the connection needs to be made permanent by the power co. _after_ the new service has been inspected. Geez, I hope he doesn't have a bolted ground fault.......or did you even tell him to check for one? A romex connector or a blue wire nut will suffice for a temporary connection until the power co. shows up.
With instructions like that he's gonna need a shit load of it.
Wouldn't you think a guy that knows 'all the other stuff involved' would know about pulling a meter?...or how to cut a drop?
Have a nice week...
Trent
Follow Joan Rivers' example --- get pre-embalmed!
So is "plugging in an extention cord" according to you, my leg-humping pet!
Save time and cut all three wires at once.
Many people worry too much about trolls and the reasons questions are asked. I'd rather answer the question and if it is a troll, so what.... Someone else might learn from it. In this case it could save a disaster too. Remember, we all got to learn somewhere, and many people tackle things blindly. At least we can try to assist. I see no sense to tell people to hire a pro. Everyone knows that is an option already, and some people cant afford a pro, while others just like to do things for themselves and like to learn things. Either way, these people will end up doing it themselves, with or without our help. I'd rather offer that help than let them learn the hard way.
.......Snipped Tom "Firebug" Pendergast's pitiful whining.........
Legitimate argument from _YOU_? BRAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAA!!! In 1980, 12,800 electrical fires were attributed to cords and plugs...........thanks to public education/awareness those casualties were reduced to almost half by 1998, with 7000 cord and plug fires in the US, 60 of which resulted in death. Let's see......that's one death every 6 days.
Sure, extension cords have their uses.........but not as a replacement for permanent wiring. If one has purchased a house that is 50, 75, or 100 years old that doesn't have a sufficient number of outlets to help prevent the use of extension cords, maybe, just maybe, it's time to install some?
Here ya go, Tom "Firebug" Pendergast, aka "I Shit's-fer-brains".....here's what a _manufacturer_ of extension cords recommends:
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