# Problems with Power Company



## Lythropus (Jan 27, 2009)

Has anyone else had major problems with a power company concerning temp power, service hookups, or general scope of the job on large commercial projects?

I'm working on a project for a medical office building in a large live-work complex. My company has all of the commercial shell buildings in the medical complex and a few on the interiors without going into too much detail. I've done electrical work for 15 years now for projects up to 9 million dollars.

So the power company originally had parking lots and road lights but declined running conduit and then later declined parking lot lights also pushing it back on the developer/GC/and ultimately me. The originally meetings with the power company were pretty cut and dry, intended to mount a temporary 600amp 480V service during the first building positioned so it could branch off and feed additional building as they became available for temporary power. The original plan was to bring 480 into the building, transform it down on temp power skids and distribute it throughout the building.

So in total, we ran all of the temp power, primary and secondary feeds for power company transformers, all of the conduits for power company lights, distribution on site, even including directional drilling under some existing roads to get back to power company existing junction boxes. The only things we didn't do was set the power company transformer and pull wire to their existing 7200V feed. After the first building sprung up and all of my equipment was installed the power company declined to provide three phase temp power. They had set a single phase transformer by mistake and refused to change it when they showed up to hook it up. This caused me to have to install a 400amp single phase meter can in place of the 600 amp three phase, rewire the panels single phase and bypass all of the transformers inside the building. 

After this fiasco, reinspections, the power company shows up to look at the temp service before calling someone out to hook it up. They then ask why I installed a bolt in meter base. I've never personally seen a push in 400 amp meter base but maybe I'm wrong. Then questioned the transformer pad, which has been done for 3 months (concreted in duct bank and already inspected/ signed off by the power company engineer) I showed him the stamped approved transformer pad prints and he literally says they don't matter because the one they are supplying for the job doesn't match the one on my prints. After coming back out with a hand drawn on a sheet of paper pad dimensions and some arguing sifting the pad over will make it line up properly with the conduits and he refused to give me an updated/ engineer signed off print for the new dimensions.

A day later someone shows up to hook up the now 400 amp temp service and leaves because, and I quote "It's not made up on the meter base line side and the wire isn't pulled into the transformer"

I've never once had to open up a power company transformer on my own without pre-approval and pull in wires while it's hot. I've only maybe twice had to bring MV feeds out of substations for site power on large projects with the constant watch of the power company. He literally asked me why I hadn't done it yet. I informed him that I've never opened up a power company transformer and pulled in lines to a live transformer. He said that he would send someone out and open it so that I could install the conduit, pull wire into the transformer, and make up the line side of the meter base. I told him he might as well just give let me terminate the transformer and bolt in the meter can if that was the case.

Higher ups in charge always send me back to the lower field people who refuse to do anything at all. Am I just off base? I've always supplied the conduit and wire, dug the hole for them, stubbed down the conduit out of the meter base, and left them the prefabbed conduit and wire to slide it in when the power company opened up the transformer for final connection. They have always made up the line side of the meter base (unless it was just a small temp pole with direct bury wire hanging out) and installed the conduit/wire into their transformer.

So what's the deal?


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## MCasey (Dec 7, 2016)

Never have problems with power providers but we keep them advised of our plans and time lines. Were you plannig to run elevators from the 3-phase? Do not believe we were ever asked or required to run a 3 phase temp service on a new build.


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## Lythropus (Jan 27, 2009)

We normally set three phase services on large projects, more than 200,000 square feet or multiple buildings that aren't necessarily close together. We do it so often we have pre-made skids that have a disconnect, transformer and 208 panel attached to them to just pick up with a forklift and set on whatever floor or area it's needed. It's also nice to energize 277 lighting panels before large services are hooked up.

I really thought we had the planning covered but I guess not.


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## MCasey (Dec 7, 2016)

While our parent company may do that on highrises it is not a part of my division that engages in mil/gov contracting only.


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## 3DDesign (Oct 25, 2014)

I don't know what it's like in N/A, but in Pennsylvania, we can call the PUC (Public Utility Commission). They can fine the Power Company thousands of dollars and have done so recently for not connecting power on time.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

3DDesign said:


> I don't know what it's like in N/A, but in Pennsylvania, we can call the PUC (Public Utility Commission). They can fine the Power Company thousands of dollars and have done so recently for not connecting power on time.


Things in N/A are just harsh from what I hear.


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## Cow (Jan 16, 2008)

All I know is your power company is running you through the sausage grinder.

It seems like you're going out of your way and doing so much for them, I'm not sure if I should call you an electrician.....or lineman?

We have two power companies over here we deal with on 95% of our projects.

Power Company A. They install the transformer and base. We run the conduit from the transformer secondary to the metering equipment and pull the secondary wire in and terminate at the metering equipment. 

Power Company B. They install the transformer and base. We run the conduit from the transformer secondary to the metering equipment. They pull the secondary conductors in.

On huge projects, say multiple transformers spread out across a huge farm, we'll set the vaults for the transformers and pull points, and run the primary conduit between them. They pull the wire and set the trans.

I might be inclined to call the PUC like mentioned above and find out your rights, right from the people who know. Then there's no question about what's what.


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