# Blown Fuse



## MikeFL (Apr 16, 2016)

We use CH TVSS's with phase monitors so we get alarms when we lose a phase (about once every few years). It's always POCO's equipment that fails.

POCO could have had something cross some primaries which fried your customer's equipment.
Was it windy? Or a big accident of some kind?
Did the neighbors have problems?


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## Kevin (Feb 14, 2017)

MikeFL said:


> We use CH TVSS's with phase monitors so we get alarms when we lose a phase (about once every few years). It's always POCO's equipment that fails.
> 
> POCO could have had something cross some primaries which fried your customer's equipment.
> Was it windy? Or a big accident of some kind?
> Did the neighbors have problems?


I don't think any of the neighborhood power went out. Apperently this parking lot/area has an issue like this really common to them. Manager at the restaurant said that it's the 8th time in 6 months for the power to go out. Underground feed from padmount transformer.

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## emtnut (Mar 1, 2015)

Kevin_Essiambre said:


> I don't think any of the neighborhood power went out. Apperently this parking lot/area has an issue like this really common to them. Manager at the restaurant said that it's the 8th time in 6 months for the power to go out. Underground feed from padmount transformer.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk


I don't think the load would do it, unless one leg is heavily loaded and the power dipped quite low.
I'd go with a surge on the Hydro side.

Would be worth calling Hydro One (or Ottawa) and get them out looking at the transformer and feeds.


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## Kevin (Feb 14, 2017)

Hydro one. I'll have to mention that to the boss. Thanks emtnut


emtnut said:


> I don't think the load would do it, unless one leg is heavily loaded and the power dipped quite low.
> I'd go with a surge on the Hydro side.
> 
> Would be worth calling Hydro One (or Ottawa) and get them out looking at the transformer and feeds.


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## gpop (May 14, 2018)

Chicken and the egg.

Contactor fried and fuse is blown.

Its not unheard of for a phase to drop leading to a single phase/ low voltage condition. Normally this is followed by a complete power outage. 
This some times happens when the poco is buying power from 2 different company's so they are opening and closing switches early in the morning before the demand starts to climb. 

With out a using a recorder its had to tell what really happened but mikes suggestion of adding TVSS and phase monitors is defiantly worth considering.

Wouldn't surprises me if you are out there tomorrow at the same time replacing the same fuse.


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## 460 Delta (May 9, 2018)

Is this a 230 Delta or a 208 Star?


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## gpop (May 14, 2018)

Kevin_Essiambre said:


> I don't think any of the neighborhood power went out. Apperently this parking lot/area has an issue like this really common to them. Manager at the restaurant said that it's the 8th time in 6 months for the power to go out. Underground feed from padmount transformer.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk


Lights especially HPS or MH are sensitive to voltage drop. They will go out and have to cool down before striking. You will get told that the lights dimmed but the parking lot lights went out for 5 minutes. They will put 2 and 2 together and get 5 and tell you the trouble is in the parking lot.


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## eddy current (Feb 28, 2009)

Kevin_Essiambre said:


> Good morning all.
> 
> After some scary diagnosing without an arc flash suit (I'm ordering one at the end of the month... this is the second call that needed one this month... anyway)


Aren’t you an apprentice? I don’t think it is legal for you to do that kind of work alone in Ontario, just sayin. 

Also, I hope your boss is paying for the PPE. Not your responsibility to supply stuff like that.


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## emtnut (Mar 1, 2015)

I was under the impression he is Red Seal.

Ditto on employer providing PPE :wink:


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## Kevin (Feb 14, 2017)

600 Y with a 125kva transformer down to 208 Y


460 Delta said:


> Is this a 230 Delta or a 208 Star?


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

I will be honest, You are more worried about PPE than a simple problem?


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## Kevin (Feb 14, 2017)

Eddy Current and emtnut,

Yes I'm an apprentice. 
No, I shouldn't be doing this work. 
Yes I've talked the boss into buying the suit (he's the same build as me so either one of us can use it).

It's not a normal thing for me to go troubleshooting on live things (especially myself, but I am competent), however the boss needed someone to rush there to see if they could be open for 11am. He was busy on another call at a grocery store.

Yes I realize I'm an apprentice, however, on the books I'm a 3rd year apprentice... in reality I have 11000 hours of training (long story short my dad screwed me out of hours on my apprenticeship. I should have been licenced by now and I'm challenging the exam after I get my debts paid off).

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## Kevin (Feb 14, 2017)

One of my dad's electrician friends had a volt meter short out in his face one day on a 600 volt disconnect switch... I'm not too fond of the burns I can get from the same thing happening.


sbrn33 said:


> I will be honest, You are more worried about PPE than a simple problem?


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## emtnut (Mar 1, 2015)

sbrn33 said:


> I will be honest, You are more worried about PPE than a simple problem?


Not a place to be trolling Scott.
I've been at this trade 35 yrs, and I don't work live on 600V without PPE .... Period.

I personally know (am friends with them) 2 guys that spent a week in the hospital, because they worked without PPE.

Was hard waiting to hear from the surgeon if their nerves were going to start dying from the inside out.


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

Other than a surge it is rare that the utility would send something down the line to cause a fuse to blow. Even then generally something fries in the facility and the fuse blows. The most likely cause would be a single phase or low voltage situation causing a fuse to blow. The contractor frying most likely be a single phase condition.


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## gpop (May 14, 2018)

emtnut said:


> Not a place to be trolling Scott.
> I've been at this trade 35 yrs, and I don't work live on 600V without PPE .... Period.
> 
> I personally know (am friends with them) 2 guys that spent a week in the hospital, because they worked without PPE.
> ...


I have to agree 

If you have seen it or seen a person hit by it then you tend to be a little more gun shy.


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## SISYPHUS (Aug 13, 2018)

Kevin_Essiambre said:


> Eddy Current and emtnut,
> 
> Yes I'm an apprentice.
> No, I shouldn't be doing this work.


yup.....well...welcome to the club


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## eddy current (Feb 28, 2009)

I have also done some stupid **** in the trade that I shouldn't have but luckily did not get injured. 

This apprentice was working alone, hardhat melted to his head, woke up in the hospital 6 weeks later with 60% of his body burnt. This happened in Ottawa, Canada.








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