# Losing one leg on service



## 220/221 (Sep 25, 2007)

Obviously a bad connection :thumbup: 

From my vantage point, I can't determine where it is but there are only a few choices.


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## guest (Feb 21, 2009)

Call the power company back and make them look very carefully at the service drop and ALL connections, at the riser AND at the pole AND the transformer. (Sometimes the POCO guys are a bit lazy.)

If that all checks ok, make sure the lugs in the panel from the main breaker (if present) to the bus are tight. I have found them loose in brand new panels.

Last possibility is main breaker is defective.


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## sfeyelectric (Dec 31, 2010)

mxslick said:


> Call the power company back and make them look very carefully at the service drop and ALL connections, at the riser AND at the pole AND the transformer. (Sometimes the POCO guys are a bit lazy.)
> 
> If that all checks ok, make sure the lugs in the panel from the main breaker (if present) to the bus are tight. I have found them loose in brand new panels.
> 
> Last possibility is main breaker is defective.


he won't let me come over tonight he is going to work, will do all tomorrow, unfortantly i have to worry bout this all night now. Happening when windy.


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## guest (Feb 21, 2009)

sfeyelectric said:


> he won't let me come over tonight he is going to work, will do all tomorrow, unfortantly i have to worry bout this all night now. _*Happening when windy.*_


That's the biggest clue right there. It is definitely a problem with the POCO drop. Does it pass through or near any trees?

Get them back before it opens up or burns down.


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## sfeyelectric (Dec 31, 2010)

mxslick said:


> That's the biggest clue right there. It is definitely a problem with the POCO drop. Does it pass through or near any trees?
> 
> Get them back before it opens up or burns down.


 no comes right off the pole. could it be at the main breaker and the wind blowing the service line?


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

I had one just like this a month or two ago. Intermittent loss of one leg - checked EVERYTHING in the panel... had the Poco come out and open up the meter base, which was in fine shape. He got up in his truck and inspected the top end of the drop - turned out it was one of the connections up there. He said it was kind of a mess, actually; several connections to other houses on the same transformer were in pretty bad shape too.


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## sfeyelectric (Dec 31, 2010)

erics37 said:


> I had one just like this a month or two ago. Intermittent loss of one leg - checked EVERYTHING in the panel... had the Poco come out and open up the meter base, which was in fine shape. He got up in his truck and inspected the top end of the drop - turned out it was one of the connections up there. He said it was kind of a mess, actually; several connections to other houses on the same transformer were in pretty bad shape too.


Was wondering if it one of my connection at the service drop could be lose on that leg, but would that burn the house down over night


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## guest (Feb 21, 2009)

sfeyelectric said:


> no comes right off the pole. could it be at the main breaker and the wind blowing the service line?


Very unlikely to be a breaker problem....it is the drop, either a bad connection or damage to one of the conductors.


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## sfeyelectric (Dec 31, 2010)

mxslick said:


> Very unlikely to be a breaker problem....it is the drop, either a bad connection or damage to one of the conductors.


 do you think that would burn the house down over night, just really worried cause cant get there till morning?


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

sfeyelectric said:


> Was wondering if it one of my connection at the service drop could be lose on that leg, but would that burn the house down over night


Didn't you say you redid your connections to the service drop and it was still happening? It's on the transformer end. Poco's connectors fail too.


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## sfeyelectric (Dec 31, 2010)

erics37 said:


> Didn't you say you redid your connections to the service drop and it was still happening? It's on the transformer end. Poco's connectors fail too.


Yeah and it's on the same leg every time


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

sfeyelectric said:


> Yeah and it's on the same leg every time


Okay, so... discussion over. You changed everything out up to and including the connections to the service drop. And it's still happening. It's up on the pole.


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## guest (Feb 21, 2009)

sfeyelectric said:


> do you think that would burn the house down over night, just really worried cause cant get there till morning?


Open hot leg, not a real hazard. Annoying but not really dangerous. 

Open neutral, big potential for problems. Possible fire hazard. 

Since what you describe sounds like lost leg and not neutral, it will be ok at the house end overnight. 

The loose connection, wherever it may be, _*might*_ burn open if the load is high enough. 

If you can contact the client, advise them to unplug ALL sensitive electronics until it is fixed to err on the side of caution.

And erics37 is right, it's at the pole (or a defective drop), it's the POCO's baby.


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## sfeyelectric (Dec 31, 2010)

erics37 said:


> Okay, so... discussion over. You changed everything out up to and including the connections to the service drop. And it's still happening. It's up on the pole.


This start after i changed his service from a 60amp fuse box, to a 100amp service.


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

sfeyelectric said:


> This start after i changed his service from a 60amp fuse box, to a 100amp service.


Ah I see.

Did you check the meter jaws yet?


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## sfeyelectric (Dec 31, 2010)

erics37 said:


> Ah I see.
> 
> Did you check the meter jaws yet?


 was in meter last night and power company check thier meter and said no problems 240 thru there meter last night, told home owner it had to be at main breaker. Also last night i would get 120 on one leg and 107 off the other when when and testing. the leg that had 107 when i test is the one going in and out. Other leg read 120 the entire time. This reading were on meter. other times zero


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

sfeyelectric said:


> ...Also last night i would get 120 on one leg and 107 off the other when when and testing....


 Was there a load on it at the time you read 107?

-John


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

I have found burnt insulink crimps on the power cos side, heat/cool,on/ off effect. But with todays manufacturing quality, I wouldn't rule out the main breaker.


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## sfeyelectric (Dec 31, 2010)

Big John said:


> Was there a load on it at the time you read 107?
> 
> -John


 No it read that at the service connection at one point and at line side of meter pan with meter out so no load on it


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

sfeyelectric said:


> No it read that at the service connection at one point and at line side of meter pan with meter out so no load on it


 Yeah, super-high resistance connection somewhere if you only had 107 with no load. 

If you're reading that at line-side of the meter it's a bad crimp at the weatherhead or the pole. Seen it before where they blow in the wind and the leg drops in and out.

-John


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## sfeyelectric (Dec 31, 2010)

Big John said:


> Yeah, super-high resistance connection somewhere if you only had 107 with no load.
> 
> If you're reading that at line-side of the meter it's a bad crimp at the weatherhead or the pole. Seen it before where they blow in the wind and the leg drops in and out.
> 
> -John


And when the power company got there they told him the had 240 between them, and the light always flicker right before they lose that leg. also when i tested their line at the service drop i was getting low numbers from their wire to the customers n connection i read as little as 100.


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## captkirk (Nov 21, 2007)

its at the pole or transformer...no doubt..


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## sfeyelectric (Dec 31, 2010)

If it was an Open neutral, wouldn't it show problems on both legs?


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

Yeah, when you read 107 on one leg, it would've been something like 133 on the other. This sounds like a plain bad leg.

-John


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## sfeyelectric (Dec 31, 2010)

Big John said:


> Yeah, when you read 107 on one leg, it would've been something like 133 on the other. This sounds like a plain bad leg.
> 
> -John


 but the thing that gets me is why when the power company came in the middle of the night their reading was fine 120


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## rdr (Oct 25, 2009)

Walked into that one once and inside the meter can the lugs for one phase were basically disintegrated. No signs of it on the outside. We ended up replacing the whole service. Really wish I'd had a camera that day!


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## sfeyelectric (Dec 31, 2010)

rdr said:


> Walked into that one once and inside the meter can the lugs for one phase were basically disintegrated. No signs of it on the outside. We ended up replacing the whole service. Really wish I'd had a camera that day!


Well brand new everything and no signs of any problem with lugs in meter


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## rdr (Oct 25, 2009)

sfeyelectric said:


> Well brand new everything and no signs of any problem with lugs in meter


Not necessarily saying that was your problem, just was in this instance. Power companies as I'm sure you know :laughing: like to blame as much on the electrician as possible. Sometimes, they're even right, sometimes they're wrong too, but they never wanna admit it.


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## rdr (Oct 25, 2009)

sfeyelectric said:


> if it was an open neutral, wouldn't it show problems on both legs?


exactly!!


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## sfeyelectric (Dec 31, 2010)

rdr said:


> Not necessarily saying that was your problem, just was in this instance. Power companies as I'm sure you know :laughing: like to blame as much on the electrician as possible. Sometimes, they're even right, sometimes they're wrong too, but they never wanna admit it.


I know im sorry, just a little nervouse


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## sfeyelectric (Dec 31, 2010)

Was the poco connection at the pole, called and demanded they come out while i was there!


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

Victory!








(You're now thinking about the theme song to "Rocky")

-John


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

sfeyelectric said:


> Was the poco connection at the pole, called and demanded they come out while i was there!


There ya go.

Now you're properly prepared for the next time.

The first time I encountered an open leg scenario I was like "WTF why are half the lights off until you turn a burner on at the stove??" :blink:


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## sfeyelectric (Dec 31, 2010)

erics37 said:


> There ya go.
> 
> Now you're properly prepared for the next time.
> 
> The first time I encountered an open leg scenario I was like "WTF why are half the lights off until you turn a burner on at the stove??" :blink:


Yeah so now i won't think twice about calling the poco, i figured it was on their side the whole time, and i figured (which was my first mistake) that they would have check that the other night when they checked the meter! Thanks for everyones help


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## CraigV (May 12, 2011)

sfeyelectric said:


> Yeah so now i won't think twice about calling the poco, i figured it was on their side the whole time, and i figured (which was my first mistake) that they would have check that the other night when they checked the meter! Thanks for everyones help


 
Ah, so they never checked the weather head, only metered the pan and called it 'good'. 

Just your description of it happening when it's windy would have had me tell 'em to get the bucket up there. 

But all's well that ends...


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## sfeyelectric (Dec 31, 2010)

CraigV said:


> Ah, so they never checked the weather head, only metered the pan and called it 'good'.
> 
> Just your description of it happening when it's windy would have had me tell 'em to get the bucket up there.
> 
> But all's well that ends...


I was not there the first time they came out, and i make the connection at the weatherhead which was not the problem! It was at the pole


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## sfeyelectric (Dec 31, 2010)

Just wrote customer invoices for two emergency calls to his house, to submit to Poco. Lets see if they will pay it! Who thinks they will?


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## Meadow (Jan 14, 2011)

sfeyelectric said:


> Just wrote customer invoices for two emergency calls to his house, to submit to Poco. Lets see if they will pay it! Who thinks they will?


I vote poco will make various excuses as to why they shouldnt. :no:


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## CraigV (May 12, 2011)

sfeyelectric said:


> Just wrote customer invoices for two emergency calls to his house, to submit to Poco. Lets see if they will pay it! Who thinks they will?


Is it Met Ed? bwahahahahahahhaha!!!!!!!


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