Problem with electrical service meter


  #1  
Old 01-19-06, 07:47 AM
S
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Philadelphia area
Posts: 31
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Unhappy Problem with electrical service meter

According to my electrical meter I am using ~700kwh a month with all gas appliances. I called PECO, they were not usefull. I have firewitch -- service disconnect, outside of the house, next to the meter. Using disconnect, I shut down the service to the house, but the meter was still spinning. Very slowly, but nevertheless!!
I called PECO again with this information, they just would not listen.

Any body have any ideas?? Can I do anything about this?
 
  #2  
Old 01-19-06, 08:26 AM
itsunclebill's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Denver, CO area
Posts: 207
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
If the meter is still turning with the disconnect off there is likely a problem and it may not be the POCOs. Best bet is to pay a pro to eveluate what is going on. If there is a problem with the POCO side of things a call from the pro will get a response.

The meter could likely be turning for several reasons. Lightning can burn insulation in such a way that one wire will leak a bit of current to a adjacent wire without there being a direct short, at least for a while. Point is, if a problem similar to this exists it is on the "homeowner side" of the meter and is really your problem.

That the POCO wouldn't at least check to see why a meter is still turning with no connected load is bothersome though..

UNK
 
  #3  
Old 01-19-06, 08:49 AM
Pendragon's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: USA
Posts: 1,767
Upvotes: 0
Received 2 Upvotes on 2 Posts
[QUOTE=itsunclebill
The meter could likely be turning for several reasons. Lightning can burn insulation in such a way that one wire will leak a bit of current to a adjacent
UNK[/QUOTE]

If the meter is still turning after tripping the service disconnect, then the only 'short' is between the meter and the breaker (highly unlikely) or in the meter itself.

Being a regulated utility, I'm pretty sure they are required to investigate.
You need to call them back and strongly suggest they come check the meter and lines. If they refuse, call the regulatory agency for your state.

You are being charged for services not rendered (illegal in all states) and there could be something seriously wrong with the meter or the line that could eventually cause a fire or kill someone.
 
  #4  
Old 01-19-06, 09:21 AM
S
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Philadelphia area
Posts: 31
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
I called up the Electrician that replaced the service cable back in the summer. He is going to come in tomorrow and take a look. Hopefully something good comes out from this.

Thanks you guys for your suggestions!

PS: Last couple of months I was also noticing lights getting dimer for a second or so every once in a while. At first, I thought one of the circuits is mis-wired, but then I noticed all light circuits exibit the same behavious.... I will tell it to electrician tomorrow, may be there is a connection...
 
  #5  
Old 01-20-06, 04:07 PM
F
Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 879
Upvotes: 0
Received 2 Upvotes on 2 Posts
i don't have anything to contribute but i wanted to track the thread. it really got me thinking about my own system . have no disconnect but i think it's worth shutting everything down just to look. please post back as to your outcome. this is very interesting. how many of us are having our electric bills "skimmed" by faulty feeds ?
 
  #6  
Old 01-25-06, 07:59 AM
S
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Philadelphia area
Posts: 31
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by flopshot
i don't have anything to contribute but i wanted to track the thread. it really got me thinking about my own system . have no disconnect but i think it's worth shutting everything down just to look. please post back as to your outcome. this is very interesting. how many of us are having our electric bills "skimmed" by faulty feeds ?


Electrician stopped by a few days ago and was suprised just as much as I was when he saw the meter spinning with the service to the house disconnected. He checked out the wiring, pointed the problem to the meter itself and promised to call PECO himself.

Today he called me back saying that PECO along with him will be coming out on Feb 14 to check out the problem!
 
  #7  
Old 01-25-06, 08:43 AM
F
Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 879
Upvotes: 0
Received 2 Upvotes on 2 Posts
"suprised electrician" thats a phrase ya don't like hearing. thanks for the followup.
 
  #8  
Old 01-25-06, 04:41 PM
W
WFO
WFO is offline
Member
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: usa
Posts: 226
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Most electromechanical meters (ones with disks) will creep under no load due to the magnetic field of the potential coil (which is energized regardless of load). To compensate for this, the manufacturers design certain characteristics into the meter. One is the two small holes on either side of the disk. Normally, the disk will not rotate more than half a rotation before it stops as these two holes align themselves under the stators of the meter.

Otherwise, on older meters, I think the creep limit is one rotation per 5 minutes.
(At least these were our specs.)

If you want to calculate how much enegy it is recording, look at the nameplate for the Kh. Usually this is something like 3.6, 2, 7.2, 12, etc. depending on the age and make of meter. The Kh represents the amount of energy it takes to make the disk rotate one time.

For example, a Kh of 7.2 indicates that it takes 7.2 watts of energy to make the disk turn once. If it takes an hour to make one revolution, you've used 7.2 watt hours. If it makes 1000 revolutions in an hour, you've used 7.2 kilowatt hours (kwh).

Did your electrician put his clip on ammeter on the line to see if anything was going through it?
 
  #9  
Old 01-25-06, 07:48 PM
S
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Philadelphia area
Posts: 31
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by WFO
Most electromechanical meters (ones with disks) will creep under no load due to the magnetic field of the potential coil (which is energized regardless of load). To compensate for this, the manufacturers design certain characteristics into the meter. One is the two small holes on either side of the disk. Normally, the disk will not rotate more than half a rotation before it stops as these two holes align themselves under the stators of the meter.

Otherwise, on older meters, I think the creep limit is one rotation per 5 minutes.
(At least these were our specs.)

If you want to calculate how much enegy it is recording, look at the nameplate for the Kh. Usually this is something like 3.6, 2, 7.2, 12, etc. depending on the age and make of meter. The Kh represents the amount of energy it takes to make the disk rotate one time.

For example, a Kh of 7.2 indicates that it takes 7.2 watts of energy to make the disk turn once. If it takes an hour to make one revolution, you've used 7.2 watt hours. If it makes 1000 revolutions in an hour, you've used 7.2 kilowatt hours (kwh).

Did your electrician put his clip on ammeter on the line to see if anything was going through it?
Thanks for the info!!

I have brand new electromechanical meter. PECO replaced broken digital meter in september. That fact adds to my suspicion.

Electrician checked the lines. There was nothing leaking through
 
  #10  
Old 02-14-06, 09:53 AM
S
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Philadelphia area
Posts: 31
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by WFO
Most electromechanical meters (ones with disks) will creep under no load due to the magnetic field of the potential coil (which is energized regardless of load). To compensate for this, the manufacturers design certain characteristics into the meter. One is the two small holes on either side of the disk. Normally, the disk will not rotate more than half a rotation before it stops as these two holes align themselves under the stators of the meter.

Otherwise, on older meters, I think the creep limit is one rotation per 5 minutes.
(At least these were our specs.)

If you want to calculate how much enegy it is recording, look at the nameplate for the Kh. Usually this is something like 3.6, 2, 7.2, 12, etc. depending on the age and make of meter. The Kh represents the amount of energy it takes to make the disk rotate one time.

For example, a Kh of 7.2 indicates that it takes 7.2 watts of energy to make the disk turn once. If it takes an hour to make one revolution, you've used 7.2 watt hours. If it makes 1000 revolutions in an hour, you've used 7.2 kilowatt hours (kwh).

Did your electrician put his clip on ammeter on the line to see if anything was going through it?

PECO electrician and my electrican stopped by today to check on the meter.
Just like you said, PECO electrician mentioned that there could be "acceptable" amount of creep. But he could not determine whether the creep on my meter was acceptable or not. He end up switching the meter with exactly the same model and that one didn't creep at all. If anything, it crept back a bit after disconnect.

He left a new meter in and said that the old meter will be send to the lab and I will be refunded if the they find any defficiency.

Also, PECO electrician said that of all the times he had been out to check out the meter, after customer complain, this is the first there was an issue.
 
  #11  
Old 02-14-06, 04:45 PM
W
WFO
WFO is offline
Member
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: usa
Posts: 226
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by slvr00gt
If anything, it crept back a bit after disconnect.
Yes, the meter will turn in either direction until those small holes line up.

Originally Posted by slvr00gt
He left a new meter in and said that the old meter will be send to the lab and I will be refunded if the they find any defficiency.
Our Utility tries to be scrupulously honest when it comes to meter tests. However, (in Texas at least) a meter has to be over 2% out of tolerance before a refund is warranted. Most aren't.

Originally Posted by slvr00gt
Also, PECO electrician said that of all the times he had been out to check out the meter, after customer complain, this is the first there was an issue.
He must be new.
If you get a response from them, post it and let us know. Also let us know if your bill changes.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: