# Anyone ever change out a res. meter bass LIVE (underground feed)



## 00Funk (Oct 9, 2007)

Im going to today. As long as I tape up the line netrual real good, and make it up last, shoud be fine.


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## frenchelectrican (Mar 15, 2007)

i will just tape the hot conducters very carefully and IMO it will be wise to call the poco to cut their transformer off if that possible because you know this very well this part is unfused secondary side of POCO system if anything happend and flashed on ya.

there will be a holyheckva a mess if that conductors shorted out 

Belive me when they short out they will work like monster sized welder uncontrolled at all.

I know few guys here done that but i am sure most will say the same thing as i just say few second ago about hot conductors

tape up netrual ?? i dont know about that part 

Merci, Marc


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## 00Funk (Oct 9, 2007)

Yea, I get to do it tommorrow, instead of today. If poco shuts it off they require permit to turn back on. Its a pvc plastic underground pipe. Make up the 2 hots first, that way im not grounded, if i accidently touch box. connect neutral last. Im getting the bigest 200 amp meter can I can find


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## 220/221 (Sep 25, 2007)

They let you do it without a permit? Sweet 



Use a hex socket and a long taped/insulated extension to tighten the lugs.

Your multi hex hand set is a little dangerous.

The last one I did had a rusty rigid riser and I had to fill it with lube and tug the crap out of it to get it off. That was the only part that seemed dangerous.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

I've done it, but it's not exactly something I brag about. Get yourself a penta wrench and just lift the lateral at the transformer flags and do your work in peace.


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## 00Funk (Oct 9, 2007)

I have no idea what a penta wrech is, or a lateral


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## randomkiller (Sep 28, 2007)

00Funk said:


> I have no idea what a penta wrech is, or a lateral


The five point tool to access the trans and shut it off.

I see no intelligent reason to do this job live. Only a hack would do it to avoid a permit.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

Here's a visual of a penta socket/wrench:


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

00Funk said:


> I have no idea what a penta wrech is, or a lateral


Bummer.

A penta wrench is what's used to take the bolt out that holds the door shut on most padmounts. A lateral is the pipe and associated conductors between the padmount and the meter can.


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## 00Funk (Oct 9, 2007)

Im probly just going to trade the guts out. Keep the leads taped off till I get them in there place, then put lighter fluid on the tape to burn it off. :jester:


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

00Funk said:


> ...then put lighter fluid on the tape to burn it off. :jester:


:laughing: I hope you're just kidding.


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## 220/221 (Sep 25, 2007)

00Funk said:


> then put lighter fluid on the tape to burn it off. :jester:


 

WTF? Is it April 1st somewhere?



We've been duped


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## jbfan (Jan 22, 2007)

Where are you from? We may want to watch the newspaper for awhile for burnt houses or bodies!


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## te12co2w (Jun 3, 2007)

Could it really be that someone is just dreaming up stuff to see how others will react? Funny. We did something like this once. POCO did not want to kill the underground feed because there were other houses on it. We had to push 4/0 urd through a 24" steel elbow and then up a 4' riser. They taped it up but wanted us to push it through. I asked my guys if they were willing to do that and one of them piped up and said yes. Things went wrong and the conductors shorted inside the riser. The man that was handling the riser dropped it like it was a box of hot rocks. He said he got some sensation out of that. I thank God that's all he got. That's when I told poco we wouldn't be trying that again and they killed the lateral. Have to be careful out there.


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## Roger123 (Sep 23, 2007)

I consider myself an uneducated red neck, (but nice type of guy ) and I would not do what Mr. Funk is thinking about. 

I think he is "funking with us!"


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## 00Funk (Oct 9, 2007)

MR. Funk DID"NT do it. He paid his buddy 200 cash, and he did it. :thumbup:

Took him about 45 minutes, It was like it was nothing to him. The new guts fit perfect in the old can.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

te12co2w said:


> .... We did something like this once. POCO did not want to kill the underground feed because there were other houses on it.....


If someone says it's too much of an inconvenience to others to shut the power off, I ask, "How much of an inconvenience is it to my family to bury me?".


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## Bkessler (Feb 14, 2007)

480 that 's a good reply, mind if I use that one. bk


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## HighWirey (Sep 17, 2007)

"I've done it, but it's not exactly something I brag about. Get yourself a penta wrench and just lift the lateral at the transformer flags and do your work in peace."

Marc,

I have a penta wrench, but could I really tamper with the POCOs transformer? That never occured to me?

Best Wishes


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

HighWirey said:


> Marc,
> 
> I have a penta wrench, but could I really tamper with the POCOs transformer? That never occured to me?


I gave myself permission a long time ago to do whatever it takes.


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## Andy in ATL (Aug 17, 2007)

MDShunk said:


> I gave myself permission a long time ago to do whatever it takes.


That is my new favorite quote. Can I rip it off to use in my everyday life??:laughing:


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Andy in ATL said:


> That is my new favorite quote. Can I rip it off to use in my everyday life??:laughing:


I certainly don't care, but I also wouldn't want to guarantee that it's sound advice.


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

Cut seals as necessary. I will not waste my time waiting hours for the utility to show up at their convenience.

Yes I have worked a service change hot. Nothing I would ask anyone else to do or discuss at any extent.


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## ItsHot (Oct 20, 2007)

*Busted*

"Get out of that transformer MD, you aint no poco man"!!


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

ItsHot said:


> "Get out of that transformer MD, you aint no poco man"!!


:laughing: I think I can say that you have no idea what kind of a man I am. I am a man of many hats. :thumbsup:


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

Marc would have to drop a couple of points from his IQ to qualify for the local utility. Line men typically know less about electricity then the average electrician.


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## Nosparxsse (Aug 12, 2007)

Just wondering, but are't there fines for getting into a public utilitiy's transformer??? I know if we did that around here we would probably be on the evening news....


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Nosparxsse said:


> Just wondering, but are't there fines for getting into a public utilitiy's transformer??? I know if we did that around here we would probably be on the evening news....


They might want you to think that, but the short answer is NO. If you steal power, that's a different story. I had one bad attitude lineman threaten to call the police on me for cutting the seal and tampering with the meter (I just yanked it out of the socket). My response was, be my guest. It's obviously not tampered with because it's laying right there on the ground in the same condition it's always been in. Untampered with.


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## te12co2w (Jun 3, 2007)

MDShunk said:


> I gave myself permission a long time ago to do whatever it takes.


 I like this one. Starting today I give myself permission to do whatever it takes.


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## HighWirey (Sep 17, 2007)

Always thought we couldn' tamper with the POCo's stuff.

Guess a little smoke with some mirrored balls from the POCo goes a long way to obsure their real agenda.

Recently met that same attitude lineman. Not sure if he had the can 'o smoke, or just the mirrored balls . . .

Best Wishes


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## Mountain Electrician (Jan 22, 2007)

I go by the old adage, "forgiveness is much easier to gain than permission". What the POCO doesn't know won't hurt you. And if they do find out, at least around here, as long as you had a good reason for breaking their seal they don't too bent out of shape.


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## User14727 (Sep 2, 2010)

*What?*

After we open the transformer are you saying to pull the laterals back till they are out of the can, but still connected to the Xmfr or do you dissconnect them from the lugs first? Not that i will try either.


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## jza (Oct 31, 2009)

Separates the men from the boys.


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## Fredman (Dec 2, 2008)

jza said:


> Separates the men from the boys.



Or lucid from the insane.


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

Ancient thread alert.


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