OT: More Electrical Theory. :-D

-MIKE- · 2017-01-17T06:36:28+00:00

So I wake up Sunday morning to a house full of light fixtures that are dim or flickering, fans not starting up, stove and microwave both just humming and displays blinking on and off. Seems like half the rooms and outlets are fine and the other half are acting possessed by the evil spirits. :-) I start checking outlets and am getting weird readings. Some are 80volts, some are 108, 112, 122, some are 80 one minute, and 112 the next. So I open up the breaker box and start taking measurements. Same thing in the box, but seems to be limited to one pole. I bridge the main shut-off poles and get really strange reading like 10 volts, when it should be 220. Next, I go out to check the meter and there's no display (digital). Ok, time to call the power company. They come out and start checking everything. A couple hours later and some digging in the front yard.... Turns out a tree root had grown around one of the hot legs and choked it out until it shorted to the root and grounded itself out. I have the root, it's all burnt up where it was around the electric line. I'm kind of relieved because I had been having all sorts of weird electrical issues the past several months and this explains ALL of it.

Jan 17, 2017 24 Replies

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Leon 9 years ago

Apparently this is not the rule. ;~( I have a rider on my insurance policy that covers this and external sewer lines for $75 per year with a $500 deductible.

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-MIKE- 9 years ago

As with most things, it varies depending on local laws and utility contracts.

Around here, be it water, gas, or electric, it's the utility's responsibility up to the meter and homeowner's responsibility after the meter. The water company company seems to be the only one with forethought in this matter. They put the water meter about 20ft. from the street, leaving me to deal with the remaining 80ft. :-) Electric meter is on the house. Gas meter is a foot from the house. In fact, the gas company already replaced a section of underground gas pipe that was leaking. They wanted to replace it all, but I would let them since their ditch-witch would've cut through some big roots of trees in our yard. Those darn trees. :-)

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