# Restaurant meter base



## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

Took a look at this little beauty today. I gave em a decent price, welll see if I get to repair it....

Late 70's strip mall, one overhead riser lands into the trough and 4 meter bases nipple off it. This one in particular is for a Mexican restraurant that's been out of power since Monday. It's a three phase 200 amp service, but the panel in the restraunrant is single phase. This leads me to believe b phase is probably a bastard leg, so they left it at the meter. The only thing that puzzled me was a #12 green wire under the load side lug on b phase in the meter base that appeared to land under the line side neutral lug...???? I'm not sure what that was and was hopping someone here might be able to she'd some light on this.


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## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

Sorry, wrong pic. This should be it.....


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## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

Wrong one again dangit.....here it is.


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## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

Yeah, that third picture is the one I was talking about. Poco cut the wire on the burnt up lug, and cut the wires at the tap in the trough as well (2nd pic). If you look closely you'll see a faded #12 wire under b phase load side lug. It appeared to be landed under the line side neutral lug...


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## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

......:whistling2:


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

Can't see the wire you are talking about in the meter pan, sorry guy.


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## pjg (Nov 11, 2008)

That is the seventh jaw(neutral) for the meter to work properly.


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## ElectricJoeNJ (Feb 24, 2011)

Any chance it was a corner grounded delta service?


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## guest (Feb 21, 2009)

pjg said:


> That is the seventh jaw(neutral) for the meter to work properly.



This one: 












And I see a lot more serious issues there, like bad conductors in the trough, arc flash damage, etc. I hope the OP is bidding on a complete gut and redo.


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## Magnettica (Jan 23, 2007)

MHElectric said:


> Took a look at this little beauty today. I gave em a decent price, welll see if I get to repair it....
> 
> Late 70's strip mall, one overhead riser lands into the trough and 4 meter bases nipple off it. This one in particular is for a Mexican restraurant that's been out of power since Monday. It's a three phase 200 amp service, but the panel in the restraunrant is single phase. This leads me to believe b phase is probably a bastard leg, so they left it at the meter. The only thing that puzzled me was a #12 green wire under the load side lug on b phase in the meter base that appeared to land under the line side neutral lug...???? I'm not sure what that was and was hopping someone here might be able to she'd some light on this.




Could have been mistakenly installed as a MBJ. I have a residential customer like this with one of those old POS Murray 200 amp MB panels from the seventies, the one with the red MB. The panel's in good condition and doesn't need to be upgraded but the supply from the poco is this exact set up. 4-wire overhead to a 3-pole meter and a trough on the inside concealing one of the 3-phase legs. There are no 3-phase loads.


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