# Meters exploding across town



## WronGun (Oct 18, 2013)

It was supposed to be a day off after a 3 week long intense emergency job. I get the call from property management at 10pm. I obviously pickup as I’m on “standby” as an 80 unit building was just re energized after damage. A city where they happen to have heavy management suffered a power surge from the poco substation. 

I walked into a 54 unit town house warzone where meters had exploded into pieces all over the property. I no longer felt like an electrician, I was now a soldier in a battlefield…

Appliances, afci/gfci circuits breakers, gfci receptacles, alarms, doorbells, you name it got destroyed in most units. 

Never seen anything like it, just figured I’d share this story. I spent the day megging meter mains for meter replacement work orders. 

This was my day off…


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

Over voltage from the utility?
Lighting?
?????


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## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

WronGun said:


> It was supposed to be a day off after a 3 week long intense emergency job. I get the call from property management at 10pm. I obviously pickup as I’m on “standby” as an 80 unit building was just re energized after damage. A city where they happen to have heavy management suffered a power surge from the poco substation.
> 
> I walked into a 54 unit town house warzone where meters had exploded into pieces all over the property. I no longer felt like an electrician, I was now a soldier in a battlefield…
> 
> ...


This was a surge of epic proportion not an ordinary one and I bet it could've been caused where their local immediate HV distribution nework (IE: 2400 vols per phase, to 4160 to 12,000 volts where a heavier line of say 347,000 volts dropped down ad shored onto onto the low volt one...


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## WronGun (Oct 18, 2013)

WronGun said:


> It was supposed to be a day off after a 3 week long intense emergency job. I get the call from property management at 10pm. I obviously pickup as I’m on “standby” as an 80 unit building was just re energized after damage. A city where they happen to have heavy management suffered a power surge from the poco substation.
> 
> I walked into a 54 unit town house warzone where meters had exploded into pieces all over the property. I no longer felt like an electrician, I was now a soldier in a battlefield…
> 
> ...


it’s under investigation. 

For now it’s being called a “high voltage power surge” from utility provider substation. 

A number of transformers across town went up in flames and some houses/buildings reported to have fires. 


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## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

WronGun said:


> it’s under investigation.
> 
> For now it’s being called a “high voltage power surge” from utility provider substation.
> 
> ...


Have they ruled out sabatoge/ terrorism???


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

If the distribution transformers went up I wonder if the transmission lines got crossed up with the distribution lines :😳


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## MikeFL (Apr 16, 2016)

A town without power.
I know all about that.

Imagine trying to source all the materials.
Are you in line after us?


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## LARMGUY (Aug 22, 2010)

Is their grid controlled by the internet? Maybe a trial run on a small system for terrorists?
My suspicious mind is always working overtime. Where is @macmikeman ?
Just sayin.


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## CMP (Oct 30, 2019)

It sucks to be you right now. Go get a good nights rest, at least for one night.


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## WronGun (Oct 18, 2013)

I don’t know the actual cause yet, im sure I’ll
Find out soon. 


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## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

LARMGUY said:


> Is their grid controlled by the internet? Maybe a trial run on a small system for terrorists?
> My suspicious mind is always working overtime. Where is @macmikeman ?
> Just sayin.


Don't utter that name 2 more times on this thread...


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## backstay (Feb 3, 2011)

Pictures would help us help you. 😉


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

WronGun said:


> It was supposed to be a day off after a 3 week long intense emergency job. I get the call from property management at 10pm. I obviously pickup as I’m on “standby” as an 80 unit building was just re energized after damage. A city where they happen to have heavy management suffered a power surge from the poco substation.
> 
> I walked into a 54 unit town house warzone where meters had exploded into pieces all over the property. I no longer felt like an electrician, I was now a soldier in a battlefield…
> 
> ...


I want your job, actually I want your job in my town. $$$$$$$


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

splatz said:


> If the distribution transformers went up I wonder if the transmission lines got crossed up with the distribution lines :😳


I saw this happen, well the outcome I mean, in a nearby town I sometimes work at called Kailua.


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## RUSKES (6 mo ago)

Russians or Chinese


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## MotoGP1199 (Aug 11, 2014)

We need pics


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## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

PICS OR I DIDN' T HAPPEN


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## WronGun (Oct 18, 2013)

Wow you guys don’t believe my wild stories ???

Here’s building #1
I wasn’t exactly in the picture taking mood yesterday. 



















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## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

splatz said:


> If the distribution transformers went up I wonder if the transmission lines got crossed up with the distribution lines :😳


OG ha… Thank you Captain obvious.


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## micromind (Aug 11, 2007)

I wonder just exactly how meters were blown up, not to mention all the other stuff too. 

It looks a lot like a substation transformer was connected backward, I wonder if there were engineered drawings?

It's also possible that a transformer was replaced but the secondary voltage was higher than the original. Around here, the PUCO usually uses 7200/12,470 but they have replaced a few of these transformers with 14,400/24,940 models and changed out the distribution pots as well. That would put 480 on a basic resi meter, I doubt if they'd blow up.


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## backstay (Feb 3, 2011)

I smell money !


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## Almost Retired (Sep 14, 2021)

dump truck loads of it


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## just the cowboy (Sep 4, 2013)

WronGun said:


> Wow you guys don’t believe my wild stories ???
> 
> Here’s building #1
> I wasn’t exactly in the picture taking mood yesterday.
> ...


Interesting part is I don't see any blackmarks in the meter box to force the meter to come out.


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## Almost Retired (Sep 14, 2021)

just the cowboy said:


> Interesting part is I don't see any blackmarks in the meter box to force the meter to come out.


that caught my eye as well
there should be arc marks and smoke and the meter guts exploded if they were blown out
almost looks like vandalism to me
the hi voltage guess may turn out to be untrue


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## just the cowboy (Sep 4, 2013)

Almost Retired said:


> that caught my eye as well
> there should be arc marks and smoke and the meter guts exploded if they were blown out
> almost looks like vandalism to me
> the hi voltage guess may turn out to be untrue


No meters do show smoke, did they get pulled because he said inside damage as well


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## 460 Delta (May 9, 2018)

backstay said:


> I smell money !


Unfortunately, I smell lawsuits.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

Did they pump 10G down the 5G wires?


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## WronGun (Oct 18, 2013)

As of now it’s being called a “abnormal power surge from 2 substations” ya no 5hit…

All the street lights are blown out in the area. They have 4 way stop signs posted up at intersections. 


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## EJPHI (May 7, 2008)

This is where?


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## WronGun (Oct 18, 2013)

EJPHI said:


> This is where?


I can’t reveal this information, I wouldn’t want travelers stealing work from me [emoji23]


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## MikeWhitfield (Aug 1, 2011)

Only time I've seen that happen, Florida Power & Light sent 120V meters for a 277/480V strip mall. Worked fine for an hour or two, but when the first one shorted it caused a surge that saw every meter explode simultaneously, even several buildings away. Over a hundred meters destroyed because FP&L insisted on setting every meter before powering up any of the buildings. Some of the meters and meter pieces traveled 70 or 80 feet, just pure dumb luck that nobody got hurt. And yes, it was a VERY profitable job for the electricians, lots of overtime and expediting time & money. FP&L was pretty great though, immediately owned up (they looked at what they shipped and thus knew what had happened before anyone else) and paid for everything without quibbling. No tenants were ready to open, obviously, so it was just a major construction headache, especially for the drywallers. G.C. wasn't happy though; the electrical contractor got paid directly by FP&L so no markup for the G.C.


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## MikeWhitfield (Aug 1, 2011)

WronGun said:


> it’s under investigation.
> 
> For now it’s being called a “high voltage power surge” from utility provider substation.
> 
> ...


According to what I learned on TV, we don't know, so aliens.


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

MikeWhitfield said:


> According to what I learned on TV, we don't know, so aliens.


I'll buy that, that sounds like just the thing aliens would do.


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