obviously you know what youre doing but i cant help but think why you use an impact on those terminals. Surely an insulated t handle or ratchet would be better and safer? You can then also properly torque the terminal..
You're not wrong in thinking that... As far as safer, there are many extra steps/tools/precautions that can be added to make many of our tasks safer. That being said, working in a fiber glass box on insulated wire while wearing rubber gloves and PPE, I don't feel it was unsafe either. High amperage connections are always torqued and in a perfect world all connections would be. I'm not worried about those connections failing as a result of improper torque but technically speaking I'm also not right in saying that. Hence what brings myself to question why I record myself working? It's definitely not because I'm perfect... But because I'm in a position to be able share a glimpse into our trade.
@@Bobsdecline Any task could always be made safer somehow, and you are right, i dont feel like any of it was unsafe. As i said, you can see you know what you are doing and it comes across that way. Here in the UK its hoop after hoop you have to jump through with any installation. Id love to see some videos from the big boys over here (the ones who do the powerlines and transformers) curious as to how different it would be. really enjoying the content though! and thanks for the reply :)
Thanks SuPrAmAd101 and to further add: (So I can pin this comment as there are many similar questions being asked). Our connectors/sleeves and crimpets come preloaded with anti ox compounds. We use penetrox when otherwise required. Also we test parallel connections, high voltage, wire 4/0+, terminations etc... Before energizing, but not every piece of #2 wire going to a meter box. Would testing every wire before energizing be safer? Absolutely. Better? Maybe... There was also a breaker in the open position directly below the meter. Otherwise we have a "breaker meter" which will test for faults on the load side, which I will show in a video in the near future.
120 is about as tame as it comes. I’m not even concerned until it’s 208 3ph, and that’s still just mild. 400 will wake you up. The reason the US is on 120 is because we like to mess with crap and sue people. 120 just teaches you a lesson.
Ya back to the impact on terminals, I cringe when I watch linemen around here use a impact on a customers brand new meter can I just installed. It’s like “ bro u got another set of guts for that meter if u bust a lug?” Nether do I…. Also dont you guys label the wires in the ground box when you hook em up? So nice to be looking for a set of wires later and u open the box and they’re tagged!! Much love from STL ✌️
Brilliant. As an electrical code expert here in the US it is always nice to see our friends up north following great safety practices. Enjoying the channel, great job.
Funny story on using an impact to tighten lugs. I had to in an emergency replace a motor and compressor on an ammonia refrigeration system. When I went to tighten the lugs i used my impact and messed up the strands, this caused the wire to come apart and single phase the motor. Since then I do not use impacts on those lugs.
Thank you for the vid bud, quick question if I may, I didn't see any anti ox compound on the aluminum wire, was there some in the connectors or is it more of a optional step? I use it on all my aluminum connections, and rarely on copper but have had maybe a few times where I pull my gold stuff out. I am in north east us, and do alot of residential solar services. The company heres regulations are not too bad to follow, but some don't make sense to me. Then again I'm just a sparky and doing residential solar. Our program requires a separate meter. Becaise the system has incentives to the home owner and gets paid a slightly higher rate then consumption
Just passed inspection on install of 20kw Kohler & ATS. Thanks to your videos stressing correct work practices for safety sake I did it myself. In my area ( ocean park Washington Coast) willing civilians are allowed to wire with permit. A feeling of accomplishment & saved a boatload! Really appreciate your effort with these videos.
Had a scenario where I was working on cable plant and multiple customers came out to say their lights were flickering ever since I've been outside. Told them to call power company and its a good idea to shut off main breaker until they get there. I stuck around because I was curious, turns out the fargo block (I think that's the name of the splice block) was never torqued when it was installed, there was zero deformation of conductors you'd expect from being torqued. Customers were happy it was fixed, and an added bonus was the 2 street lights powered from that box worked for the 1st time since the development was built.
Would have terminated those connections with an insulated T handle due to how short the feed was. Takes any chances of grounding out the impact on anything.
I've never seen a URD box that small or with it's cover above ground level. All the URD boxes we have here are flush to the "grass" as it were. I was also quite surprised that you didn't do an insulation resistance check on the two "hot" conductors to the neutral and to ground. We always use a 1000V Megger to check ours. Those molds are also very strange looking, Ours have a 1/2" hex bolt for attachment with a crimped lug you have to install on each conductor. As well we discard the supplied mold covers and apply 600V heat shrink over each of the connections on the molds which permanently seals them from any moisture. I too can't believe how short the "mains" on each mold were. We always leave a good amount of extra conductor to make hook up of future circuits easier. Also, as SuPrAmAd101 commented, we never use impact tools on these connections. Just a 1/2" drive ratchet and a socket. And one last thing we apply a bit of ALUMA-SHIELD on the lug to mold connections before covering them up with the 600V heat shrink. Thanks for another great video!!! Stay safe out there Aaron.
@@rustblade5021 I actually live in Canada in the next province over from Aaron in Nova Scotia. Doing insulation resistance tests on URD conductors before energizing them is very important so that we are sure they are not shorted to each other or to the neutral or ground. They are then safe to apply system voltage to. I only use the term "Megger" as one brand or type of insulation tester. Megger the "brand" makes several types of electrical testers and test sets. I hope this answers your question.
Great videos, thanks. I've lived my life on the other side of the meter base as a home owner. I've also done one dimming system install by myself in a multi-room banquet hall where I learned, too late, to up the conduit size by one from the code for the feeder. Even now I learn from your videos and appreciate your attention to detail. I can tell you love your job, or should I properly call it your craft. Stay safe and healthy. Thanks from Taylorsville, Utah. P.S. I've always been fascinated with the grid and its distribution. Thanks for your earlier substation tour - nice to learn what each item really is.
quick work stripping those cables and i liked the way, soon as you finished using it, you just dropped the knife. that was how i was taught. completely different work but my boss told me: slice it like that, one go cleanly, then put it down. this spindle keeps spinning, if you keep hold and it gets caught up, that's your hand, then your arm and then if i'm paying attention, i might get to the stop button before the rest of you goes round.👌
Hey there, "Bob" we're from North carolina. Originally grew up Watertown , New york. For those who do not know where that is. It's 20 minutes from Canada off of lake ontario. BEAUTIFUL NORTHERN WEATHER.
Here watching from the US, NM to be exact. Going to be starting line school in a month and I’m stoked about it. Watching your videos just gets me excited about working in the trade. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience, it has helped me a lot to get a better view and understanding of the trade.
Great video. Good to see how a typical domestic connection differs to ours. Watching from southern Ireland. Just home from the UK after a week on a HV SAP training course.
I'm a Canadian and live in Missouri. This is the second video YT has suggested so far . I've been to ArkFlash class and two classes at UL University Vancuver WA. I like those gloves you have.
Another great video Erin! Huge differences here compared to connecting a service in the UK. First when working in the connector box (link box in the uk) we would have to wear a full face visor in case of a flashover. Before connecting the tails we would carry out an insulation resistance check of all three conductors to ensure they’re open circuit. We would also short out the meter terminals and do a continuity test from the box to confirm we’ve got the correct set of tails. After energisation we would then carry out a voltage, polarity and earth loop impedance tests. Really interesting to see the differences around the world.
We preform some/all off those test in some of our installations. Transformer rated meters are one example (400 amp entrances). Also installations where the particular feeds aren't quite as straight forward.
@@intelmacs the work itself may be a little easier in Canada, but you are forgetting what the work is gonna be like when emergency calls start coming in on a -40 degree night/morning in February... I personally would rather have to take the few extra steps than have to go out and work in that kind of cold...
The missing neutral also reminds me of another incident that was a bit of a hard lesson. We used a bypass plate to give the customer service while we were working on their meter in the van. When doing services with a Form 3S meter, those bypass plates are handy for ensuring the CT secondary remains shorted (never trust an automatic bypass in a CT meter socket). This of course relies on a dangerous assumption - the lower right jaw MUST NOT BE CONNECTED! Anyway, at this location, there was so much debris in the meter socket that I didn't see until too late that the electrician that installed that 3S socket ages ago had tied that jaw to system ground! Normally, not an issue with 3S meters, given that the 5th jaw carries the return side of the voltage circuit. Long story short - I blew the transformer fuse (longstanding coop practice in the US was to use a spring-link fuse between the top of the transformer-mounted arrester and transformer bushing - but coops are now migrating to standard practice of a separate cutout) and ruined one of my bypass plates! I certainly took more care to check ALL sockets from then on!
Wow that overhead wire tree must have taken some dedication to make. Looked awesome. Use of the impact would have been prohibited for us, we would have had to use insulated tools for any connection onto live terminals.
Nice! Sometimes things done in the past are concerning! My electrical contractor instructor (also my father in law) used to say sometimes, "I would not sleep there!"
In the US we call have stand-alone service panels we call a "trailer panel"...they're actually great for a separate service for EV charging applications (for site-built homes as well).
Sometimes I wonder why they didn't run all electric lines underground. Wind and ice storms wouldn't knock out service anymore, but then again being out in open air it helps to keep the lines cool and linemen can easily access power lines for service. Plus it would cost billions to change everything over to underground power.
I live in a 1980s subdivision, and the underground insulation is breaking down, causing blown transformer fuses and slow repairs. In my previous subdivision (1970s), the transformer feeders were all replaced by directional boring and feeding the new conductors into a plastic conduit. The old lines were abandoned. Now, if the feeders have a problem in the future, they can be replaced by pulling new feeders.
It's so interesting watching how it's done where u live. The UK has so many regs etc that make simple tasks take so long, I don't mind because it's a lot safer but it can be annoying at times
Thank you for all the great videos ! As a narrowback from AK, I would continuity meter check the new branch conductors to ground before stripping and terminating into the splice blocks
I would have rather installed the meter with the stabs dead. I never thought twice about it until I saw a training video where something went wrong and the guy's helmet/face shield saved him from a nasty flash burn. That was before balaclavas were required and the flash still burned him a little around the back.
10:47 do I see live wires that have been cut off? When Erin jiggles the connector block, I thought I saw two cables move in a way as if they have been cut, near the lower side of the box in the frame.
Sorry, forgot to say, yes for the shorts! Its hard to post content consistently and have a full time job, and shorts are a good way just to keep to say hi to subs if nothing else. Might try it myself, I've tried to post every week but the day job takes over. Great channel, keep em coming!
When you plugged in the meter. I was ready hear you say : let the billing begin. 🤣 As electrician flashes are bad. So I am glad you are not a flasher.😏😉
Wow that box does look like a pain to work in. It's an odd design, I would have figured it would open from the side and have big terminal blocks. All that water around and in it makes the work that much more exciting too lol.
When I worked as a meter tester (contractor outfit), I remember coming up to one place and counting no less than FIFTEEN splices in the open-wire span from the meter pole in the yard to the coop member's house. The member spoke with me, complaining of trouble with low voltage. Gee, I wonder why...! I tried to feed back information on that member's power situation as well as stuff I saw like a pole on a 3-phase feeder with a badly split top, a melted rubber chicken (polymer dead-end) on a branch line, etc., but my supervisor intercepted my notes and told me that we were there to test the meters ONLY. Still makes me grumpy thinking of it 20+ years later.
In North America all electrical systems look provisional, though very practical. The electricity meters are from the stone age. Here in Europe we have fully electronic meters which connect over 4G to the power supplier and report your power consumptuon in real time
in Germany we say: 1. Freischalten: Die Anlage allpolig vom Stromnetz trennen (Schutzschalter oder Hauptschalter abschalten) 2. Gegen Wiedereinschalten sichern: Ein irrtümliches Einschalten der Anlage muss verhindert werden (z.B. durch spezielle Schlösser) 3. Spannungsfreiheit feststellen: Mit einem geeigneten Messgerät (zweipoliger Spannungsprüfer) muss die Spannungsfreiheit allpolig festgestellt werden. 4. Erden und kurzschließen (ab 1kV-Anlagen): Alle Leiter müssen mit geeigneten Werkzeugen kurzgeschlossen und geerdet werden, um ein Auslösen der vorgeschalteten Sicherheitseinrichtung (bei irrtümlichem Einschalten) zu verursachen. 5. Benachbarte, unter Spannung stehende Teile abdecken oder abschranken (ab 1kV-Anlagen): Benachbarte unter Spannung stehende Teile müssen gegen Berührung geschützt werden.
I don’t recall the company but they do make electrically insulated/isolating hex drive and square drive adapters and extensions for power tools. I actually keep two in my kit along with an insulated extension and run one on each end as despite being rated to 1,000V I’m just hesitant by the idea of a not completely insulated tool. 120V may not seem like a lot but when you add in massive amperage even over a short time you’re talking a LOT of wattage. Short wires suck; seems about as constant an issue in electrical work as death and taxes in life. I was surprised you didn’t have to do any kind of continuity/resistance testing on the home side of the meter socket; it’s the first step we do to ensure/limit any customer side issues. It’s a throwback to see what we refer to as an A-base meter socket; we stopped using those a couple decades ago as far as new service and push hard to update them to join and lever bypass so meters can be stopped without cutting power to the house/business. Nice video though showing typical issues you run into.
BROOOOOOOOOOOO!! JUST FOUND YOUR PAGE BY ACCIDENT AND I JOINED CUZ I LOVE LEARNING!! I KNOW A ALOT ABOUT ALOTTA STUFF FROM BUILDING A HOUSE TO BUILDING A ENGINE AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN LOL BUT ELE WORK I ONLY REALLY KNEW OUTLETS. WHAT YOU ARE TEACHING IS SOOO DAMN INTERESTING!! JUST SAYIN!!!! THANKS, F.M.V.
Pittsburgh pa Duquesne light service area You know what you’re looking at, very confident in what you’re doing, What size is the main feed on those blocks? Looked like 250 or 350 mcm
We don't allow ring type meter pans anymore here in Slidell Louisiana. As a state license electrician I know there are uninformed guys in the field getting rejected by our utility provider Cleco alot. Got to keep up with what you guys want. E=I×R -Russman
Good video. I would have checked for no short on customer side both to a ground and between phases. We also mark our cables with number stickers to help in trouble shooting. I put a different number on each customers cables and then I put that same number on the outside of meter raceway so I know where my cables go to.
No sign of Ricky, Bubbles or Julian so I know you are not in Sunnyvale.😎 Interesting video. I used to do a lot of HVAC work in mobile homes and it is cool to see how they are hooked up.
It is TN-C-S in this video, and there is no reason to make TN-S with 5 wires to the houses instead of 4 for the normal european threephase supply. Here in this video you would have needed 4 wires instead of three with no actual benefit if the wire is big enough (at least 10mm²).
If you want to be even more surprised, then there's also this: North American medium voltage distribution (typically 12.47 kV/7.2 kV) is all grounded wye, with single phase distribution transformers connected from phase to neutral on the HV side. The primary and secondary neutral are bonded, and are sometimes literally the same wire. So not only do we use the same neutral wire as the ground, but it is also used for the primary return currents to the substation. This has the interesting effect of putting whatever voltage is present on the neutral along the utility poles (typically under 10V) onto the customers grounding system, even if their main breaker is shut off. It also allows for a parallel path for primary neutral return current through things like the earth via customer ground systems as well as water mains, etc. In the event of an open primary neutral the system essentially becomes an accidental SWER system, sometimes elevating the voltage on the customers neutral and ground conductors.
They're lucky that you did the hook up and the meter here I had to have two separate Crews because there's a meter Department that comes through to put the meter in.
Excellent! When you were using the drill gun to crank down on the junction blocks inside the box, Why did you not short out with the ring on the tool hitting the box directly? Is the box not grounded? Also, I noticed that you didn't check the wires for shorts on the load side of the meter box.
Hear in Boston NY USA my mini home power comes to a pole then a drop to multi gang meter box usually 4 per pole. Breaker under meter then unground feed to homes. nice to see your videos. I work from weather head to inside the home. our NEC code change 2020. have the book . around hear 3 electric company's and different grounding . it's the ground rods. 1 or 2 . the dirt is different causing different rod resistance . panel box mush have surge protector per box. we have power outage and surge trouble hear. mostly weather related . last wind storm had a 235KV feed drop on a 64K feed making a surge that knocked out 10K people and around 100 homes with surge damage . the worst I worked on was 4160 primary go into a home. set a fire. had to put new service in . and yes copper bandits got us as well . took ground off a substation nocking 1K people with out power. AUG 14Th 2003 was our biggest grid down. lots of substations tripped power plants went off line . 3 transmissions lines failed. 50 million in dark over 24 hours. eastern Canada is part of our eastern grid. what a mess. power surges damaged homes .
Good job Erin one question with the meter you used looked like it had some age on it I noticed you didn’t check to see if you had power to the box below y’all just assume it’s all good?
Not entirely rational, but underground gives me (I'm not a lineman) the willies after I saw "I felt comfortable" with Randy Felhoelter. The video was more about safety procedures than setting but it is still unsettling. One of the T-men in our company was working with another at the other end of a section of 7.2KV UG. Sam was standing on the cover plate when he told the guy at the far end to close it in. A fault in the vault blew Sam off his feet!
Ive been wondering forever what those boxes are called in burlington,on theres a corner that has a couple of these and one has running water in it. Also watch out for bottle kids, keep yer neck on a swivel out there.
Hopefully those mobile home,s are well insulated for the extra cold weather that you get up there in Canada down here in Putnam county ga the the meter box is Pole mounted. Also there is a pole mounted shut off breaker for fire department use when they respond to a house fire
Interesting URD services. Similar but also some differences to here in Maryland USA. Our boxes are buried. Also those moles or flood seals that you bolt the cable too. Old versions were Allen wrenches and hate them. Always strip out. Now they are 3/4 bolts. Same concept tho. I do hate going to one when the leads are short. Got to think about the next guy
obviously you know what youre doing but i cant help but think why you use an impact on those terminals. Surely an insulated t handle or ratchet would be better and safer? You can then also properly torque the terminal..
You're not wrong in thinking that... As far as safer, there are many extra steps/tools/precautions that can be added to make many of our tasks safer. That being said, working in a fiber glass box on insulated wire while wearing rubber gloves and PPE, I don't feel it was unsafe either.
High amperage connections are always torqued and in a perfect world all connections would be. I'm not worried about those connections failing as a result of improper torque but technically speaking I'm also not right in saying that.
Hence what brings myself to question why I record myself working? It's definitely not because I'm perfect... But because I'm in a position to be able share a glimpse into our trade.
@@Bobsdecline Any task could always be made safer somehow, and you are right, i dont feel like any of it was unsafe. As i said, you can see you know what you are doing and it comes across that way.
Here in the UK its hoop after hoop you have to jump through with any installation. Id love to see some videos from the big boys over here (the ones who do the powerlines and transformers) curious as to how different it would be.
really enjoying the content though! and thanks for the reply :)
Thanks SuPrAmAd101 and to further add: (So I can pin this comment as there are many similar questions being asked).
Our connectors/sleeves and crimpets come preloaded with anti ox compounds. We use penetrox when otherwise required.
Also we test parallel connections, high voltage, wire 4/0+, terminations etc... Before energizing, but not every piece of #2 wire going to a meter box. Would testing every wire before energizing be safer? Absolutely. Better? Maybe...
There was also a breaker in the open position directly below the meter. Otherwise we have a "breaker meter" which will test for faults on the load side, which I will show in a video in the near future.
120 is about as tame as it comes. I’m not even concerned until it’s 208 3ph, and that’s still just mild. 400 will wake you up. The reason the US is on 120 is because we like to mess with crap and sue people. 120 just teaches you a lesson.
Ya back to the impact on terminals, I cringe when I watch linemen around here use a impact on a customers brand new meter can I just installed. It’s like “ bro u got another set of guts for that meter if u bust a lug?” Nether do I….
Also dont you guys label the wires in the ground box when you hook em up? So nice to be looking for a set of wires later and u open the box and they’re tagged!!
Much love from STL ✌️
Seeing water in the bottom of that box just increases the pucker factor that much more...
Brilliant. As an electrical code expert here in the US it is always nice to see our friends up north following great safety practices. Enjoying the channel, great job.
Thanks Master of the NEC! Cheers! 🍻🤝
I "love" the water in the bottom of that glorified junction box.
Thank you for your service
I've watched a lot of the other videos I am just blown away how these wires are pretty much just stuffed into this top mount box
The telco is worse… way worse. At least the power guys have to respect the wires. The telco doesn’t deal with lethality and it shows 😂
Funny story on using an impact to tighten lugs. I had to in an emergency replace a motor and compressor on an ammonia refrigeration system. When I went to tighten the lugs i used my impact and messed up the strands, this caused the wire to come apart and single phase the motor. Since then I do not use impacts on those lugs.
Hope you're all having a great weekend! 🍻👊I apologize in advance if this one makes ya dizzy in a few shots! 🤦♂🤦♂
360 cam? Gets some interesting angles! Thanks for showing inside those old style boxes, I haven't seen those before.
It is! It works pretty good, although I definitely haven't used it to its full potential. I also had the rear lense covered.
I want to know how in the world that passed INSPECTION from an inspector? Do they no inspect boxes where you live?
Thank you for the vid bud, quick question if I may, I didn't see any anti ox compound on the aluminum wire, was there some in the connectors or is it more of a optional step?
I use it on all my aluminum connections, and rarely on copper but have had maybe a few times where I pull my gold stuff out.
I am in north east us, and do alot of residential solar services. The company heres regulations are not too bad to follow, but some don't make sense to me. Then again I'm just a sparky and doing residential solar.
Our program requires a separate meter. Becaise the system has incentives to the home owner and gets paid a slightly higher rate then consumption
@@tek4 The UL tests connectors without the use of anti ox compound. So it is optional.
Just passed inspection on install of 20kw Kohler & ATS.
Thanks to your videos stressing correct work practices for safety sake I did it myself. In my area
( ocean park Washington Coast) willing civilians are allowed to wire with permit.
A feeling of accomplishment & saved a boatload!
Really appreciate your effort with these videos.
Had a scenario where I was working on cable plant and multiple customers came out to say their lights were flickering ever since I've been outside. Told them to call power company and its a good idea to shut off main breaker until they get there. I stuck around because I was curious, turns out the fargo block (I think that's the name of the splice block) was never torqued when it was installed, there was zero deformation of conductors you'd expect from being torqued. Customers were happy it was fixed, and an added bonus was the 2 street lights powered from that box worked for the 1st time since the development was built.
Would have terminated those connections with an insulated T handle due to how short the feed was. Takes any chances of grounding out the impact on anything.
There is always a worker who just doesn't care to take pride in there work
In Puerto Rico, we are required to use a meter puller, arc flash face shield and our gloves. Great job. Love. Your dedication to the craft!
I've never seen a URD box that small or with it's cover above ground level. All the URD boxes we have here are flush to the "grass" as it were. I was also quite surprised that you didn't do an insulation resistance check on the two "hot" conductors to the neutral and to ground. We always use a 1000V Megger to check ours. Those molds are also very strange looking, Ours have a 1/2" hex bolt for attachment with a crimped lug you have to install on each conductor. As well we discard the supplied mold covers and apply 600V heat shrink over each of the connections on the molds which permanently seals them from any moisture. I too can't believe how short the "mains" on each mold were. We always leave a good amount of extra conductor to make hook up of future circuits easier. Also, as SuPrAmAd101 commented, we never use impact tools on these connections. Just a 1/2" drive ratchet and a socket. And one last thing we apply a bit of ALUMA-SHIELD on the lug to mold connections before covering them up with the 600V heat shrink. Thanks for another great video!!! Stay safe out there Aaron.
are you in the UK? megging doens't happen much here unless it's a feeder because of the differences in impedance in UK vs NA electrical systems
@@rustblade5021 I actually live in Canada in the next province over from Aaron in Nova Scotia. Doing insulation resistance tests on URD conductors before energizing them is very important so that we are sure they are not shorted to each other or to the neutral or ground. They are then safe to apply system voltage to. I only use the term "Megger" as one brand or type of insulation tester. Megger the "brand" makes several types of electrical testers and test sets. I hope this answers your question.
@@christopherrichardson5352 I was saying same thing about box that high not flush to ground level
She's an old box that must have been temporarily used years ago... I haven't seen any others like it, other then the 2 or 3 in this neighborhood
Great videos, thanks. I've lived my life on the other side of the meter base as a home owner. I've also done one dimming system install by myself in a multi-room banquet hall where I learned, too late, to up the conduit size by one from the code for the feeder. Even now I learn from your videos and appreciate your attention to detail. I can tell you love your job, or should I properly call it your craft. Stay safe and healthy. Thanks from Taylorsville, Utah. P.S. I've always been fascinated with the grid and its distribution. Thanks for your earlier substation tour - nice to learn what each item really is.
Lehi, Utah. I estimate for line work from our South Salt Lake location but mainly bid on projects in the Pacific Northwest
Retired Accountant watching from W Wales UK. UTD on regs and keeping it safe. Love your videos.
quick work stripping those cables and i liked the way, soon as you finished using it, you just dropped the knife. that was how i was taught. completely different work but my boss told me: slice it like that, one go cleanly, then put it down. this spindle keeps spinning, if you keep hold and it gets caught up, that's your hand, then your arm and then if i'm paying attention, i might get to the stop button before the rest of you goes round.👌
Watching from Ontario, nice to see how service hookups are done. Thanks for your videos
Hey there, "Bob" we're from North carolina. Originally grew up Watertown , New york. For those who do not know where that is. It's 20 minutes from Canada off of lake ontario. BEAUTIFUL NORTHERN WEATHER.
Nice! I've never been to New York... Or North Carolina. But have been all around Lake Ontario and have family scattered across that area. Cheers! 🍻
The shorts are pretty neat. Nice little tidbits of what's going on or to come.
Here watching from the US, NM to be exact. Going to be starting line school in a month and I’m stoked about it. Watching your videos just gets me excited about working in the trade. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience, it has helped me a lot to get a better view and understanding of the trade.
Great video Aaron. Great catch on the neutral being in the wrong place. Safety first. That URD handhole was a mess.
Thanks Danny!
Awesome … you do it all line work , underground and trouble work.. amazing job and also being safe is key
I don’t care for shorts, but you do you and what works for your channel
Great video. Good to see how a typical domestic connection differs to ours. Watching from southern Ireland. Just home from the UK after a week on a HV SAP training course.
I'm a Canadian and live in Missouri. This is the second video YT has suggested so far . I've been to ArkFlash class and two classes at UL University Vancuver WA. I like those gloves you have.
Another great video Erin! Huge differences here compared to connecting a service in the UK. First when working in the connector box (link box in the uk) we would have to wear a full face visor in case of a flashover. Before connecting the tails we would carry out an insulation resistance check of all three conductors to ensure they’re open circuit. We would also short out the meter terminals and do a continuity test from the box to confirm we’ve got the correct set of tails. After energisation we would then carry out a voltage, polarity and earth loop impedance tests. Really interesting to see the differences around the world.
We preform some/all off those test in some of our installations. Transformer rated meters are one example (400 amp entrances). Also installations where the particular feeds aren't quite as straight forward.
@@Bobsdecline Honestly I think life would be much easier in Canada, thanks for sharing
I'm sure there's both pros and cons! 🍻
@@intelmacs the work itself may be a little easier in Canada, but you are forgetting what the work is gonna be like when emergency calls start coming in on a -40 degree night/morning in February... I personally would rather have to take the few extra steps than have to go out and work in that kind of cold...
@@Phred_Phlintstoner Very true indeed, it can get to about -10 here on a very rare occasion but winters are very mild compared to Canada.
Having worked as an electrician’s helper while in college, I really appreciate your videos👍
Watching from the Memphis, TN area.
The missing neutral also reminds me of another incident that was a bit of a hard lesson. We used a bypass plate to give the customer service while we were working on their meter in the van. When doing services with a Form 3S meter, those bypass plates are handy for ensuring the CT secondary remains shorted (never trust an automatic bypass in a CT meter socket). This of course relies on a dangerous assumption - the lower right jaw MUST NOT BE CONNECTED! Anyway, at this location, there was so much debris in the meter socket that I didn't see until too late that the electrician that installed that 3S socket ages ago had tied that jaw to system ground! Normally, not an issue with 3S meters, given that the 5th jaw carries the return side of the voltage circuit. Long story short - I blew the transformer fuse (longstanding coop practice in the US was to use a spring-link fuse between the top of the transformer-mounted arrester and transformer bushing - but coops are now migrating to standard practice of a separate cutout) and ruined one of my bypass plates! I certainly took more care to check ALL sockets from then on!
You Canadians have good sense to run power lines underground! Smart’
Wow that overhead wire tree must have taken some dedication to make. Looked awesome. Use of the impact would have been prohibited for us, we would have had to use insulated tools for any connection onto live terminals.
Lol in North America power companies make their own rules because they're professionals kind of like the rail roads used to be able to do
It looks like the bit is insulated but I could be wrong
Nice! Sometimes things done in the past are concerning! My electrical contractor instructor (also my father in law) used to say sometimes, "I would not sleep there!"
I am retired ComEd in Illinois. We always continuity conductors and definitely test before connecting service wires.
In the US we call have stand-alone service panels we call a "trailer panel"...they're actually great for a separate service for EV charging applications (for site-built homes as well).
Electrical Engineer here, not surprising seeing the electricians screw up. It's nice seeing someone knowing what he's doing. 😅
Now I’ll watch video hahahaha. So in Canada you call them a “mini-home”. In the states we call that a trailer park 😂
That's the politically correct term! 😬
Technically a mobile home.. LOL
Ricky, Bobby and Bubbles would like to show you where they live.
See things I learn.
Pre-manufactured home is what they are now.
Sometimes I wonder why they didn't run all electric lines underground. Wind and ice storms wouldn't knock out service anymore, but then again being out in open air it helps to keep the lines cool and linemen can easily access power lines for service. Plus it would cost billions to change everything over to underground power.
Everyone wants everything underground until outages take 10 times longer to resolve and cost 100x as much.
I live in a 1980s subdivision, and the underground insulation is breaking down, causing blown transformer fuses and slow repairs. In my previous subdivision (1970s), the transformer feeders were all replaced by directional boring and feeding the new conductors into a plastic conduit. The old lines were abandoned. Now, if the feeders have a problem in the future, they can be replaced by pulling new feeders.
@@gadgettt935 But then there wouldnt be any (well as many) outages because trees wouldnt fall on the lines or get hit by cars trucks ect
On a nice day like that it is great to be a lineman. Thank you for sharing your occupation I find it very interesting.
Looks about as fun as opening a shallow 4 square box with two extension rings on it
I love your videos. I learn a lot from them. I'm from Texas, USA. Keep up the great work! Keep those videos coming!
Do shorts.... I get addicted to those for like an hour at a time.... Drives lots of recommendations to your channel
It's so interesting watching how it's done where u live.
The UK has so many regs etc that make simple tasks take so long, I don't mind because it's a lot safer but it can be annoying at times
Look at wiha tools. They have insulated sockets and extensions. Will reduce risk of a short.
I'll check em out! 👊
Surprised it's not mandatory to use VDE tools, it certainly is for European countries
Awesome video! I signed up with NEAT here on long island NY last year and just waiting for a phone call. Can’t wait to start!
Thank you for all the great videos ! As a narrowback from AK, I would continuity meter check the new branch conductors to ground before stripping and terminating into the splice blocks
I would have rather installed the meter with the stabs dead. I never thought twice about it until I saw a training video where something went wrong and the guy's helmet/face shield saved him from a nasty flash burn. That was before balaclavas were required and the flash still burned him a little around the back.
Ok, so then you will be making the wire connections after the meter is in place? I think not!
that powerline tree is awesome, must have been a pain to put together though. I'm watching from Central Illinois USA lol
Hey me too
Awesome channel, thank you for the inside look at being a lineman. Watching from pensacola Florida
Thanks Edwin! 👊👊
Good to know it's not just telecom peds that can look like absolute trash :D
Gotta love the downspout right next to the box lol. Flood out everything 🤷♂️
Dude post as much as you want if people don't wanna watch then they don't have to!
Love the videos Rochester NY here
🤛
10:47 do I see live wires that have been cut off? When Erin jiggles the connector block, I thought I saw two cables move in a way as if they have been cut, near the lower side of the box in the frame.
@bobsdecline please review this footage/return to site.
I see it as well. Looks like maybe they were taped over or something instead of being pulled.
It looks like it's just looped back under itself on closer inspection... with the lighting though it does look like a cut off wire at first glance.
@@khx73 I think you might be right. I can't tell how deep that box is, so I'm probably wrong.
Sorry, forgot to say, yes for the shorts! Its hard to post content consistently and have a full time job, and shorts are a good way just to keep to say hi to subs if nothing else. Might try it myself, I've tried to post every week but the day job takes over. Great channel, keep em coming!
Thanks Dave I appreciate that, you're definitely right about it being tough keeping up! Cheers! 🍻👊
@@Bobsdecline it sure is, but you can bet all your subs really appreciate all your videos 🙂, makes it all worthwhile 🙂👍
When you plugged in the meter. I was ready hear you say : let the billing begin. 🤣
As electrician flashes are bad.
So I am glad you are not a flasher.😏😉
Wow that box does look like a pain to work in. It's an odd design, I would have figured it would open from the side and have big terminal blocks. All that water around and in it makes the work that much more exciting too lol.
When I worked as a meter tester (contractor outfit), I remember coming up to one place and counting no less than FIFTEEN splices in the open-wire span from the meter pole in the yard to the coop member's house. The member spoke with me, complaining of trouble with low voltage. Gee, I wonder why...! I tried to feed back information on that member's power situation as well as stuff I saw like a pole on a 3-phase feeder with a badly split top, a melted rubber chicken (polymer dead-end) on a branch line, etc., but my supervisor intercepted my notes and told me that we were there to test the meters ONLY. Still makes me grumpy thinking of it 20+ years later.
The hazard pay must be amazing!!
as a low voltage guy its amazing to watch you strip wire with a knife. I'm like noooo oh wait he can do it.
As a teenager, I got into the habit of stripping wires with my teeth.
The way you said about.... You didn't even have to say you were from Canada lol
I appreciate the camera angles, top notch
Relaxing after a Steelers win. Love the shorts. Hope the ones you post are the only ones we run into, if you know what I mean... 😉
In North America all electrical systems look provisional, though very practical. The electricity meters are from the stone age. Here in Europe we have fully electronic meters which connect over 4G to the power supplier and report your power consumptuon in real time
in Germany we say:
1. Freischalten:
Die Anlage allpolig vom Stromnetz trennen (Schutzschalter oder Hauptschalter abschalten)
2. Gegen Wiedereinschalten sichern:
Ein irrtümliches Einschalten der Anlage muss verhindert werden (z.B. durch spezielle Schlösser)
3. Spannungsfreiheit feststellen:
Mit einem geeigneten Messgerät (zweipoliger Spannungsprüfer) muss die Spannungsfreiheit allpolig festgestellt werden.
4. Erden und kurzschließen (ab 1kV-Anlagen):
Alle Leiter müssen mit geeigneten Werkzeugen kurzgeschlossen und geerdet werden, um ein Auslösen der vorgeschalteten Sicherheitseinrichtung (bei irrtümlichem Einschalten) zu verursachen.
5. Benachbarte, unter Spannung stehende Teile abdecken oder abschranken (ab 1kV-Anlagen):
Benachbarte unter Spannung stehende Teile müssen gegen Berührung geschützt werden.
I don’t recall the company but they do make electrically insulated/isolating hex drive and square drive adapters and extensions for power tools. I actually keep two in my kit along with an insulated extension and run one on each end as despite being rated to 1,000V I’m just hesitant by the idea of a not completely insulated tool. 120V may not seem like a lot but when you add in massive amperage even over a short time you’re talking a LOT of wattage. Short wires suck; seems about as constant an issue in electrical work as death and taxes in life. I was surprised you didn’t have to do any kind of continuity/resistance testing on the home side of the meter socket; it’s the first step we do to ensure/limit any customer side issues. It’s a throwback to see what we refer to as an A-base meter socket; we stopped using those a couple decades ago as far as new service and push hard to update them to join and lever bypass so meters can be stopped without cutting power to the house/business. Nice video though showing typical issues you run into.
How's it going Mr. Bob? I enjoyed this video. I have one of them green boxes close to my house, now I know what they're for
Dam splicers never thinking about the next guy😂
Thanks. Nice M18 torque wrench.
I like the low voltage connector very much👌. 👉 work under voltage 👍(PPN 👉praca pod napięciem👉work under voltage👌) at the highest level😃.
Keep the videos coming brother.....Thumbs up! Ottawa, Ontario. 😎
10:23 The ring was touching the case tho. Lucky man 😂
12:25 in other video you said, "dont bang on the meter" - man only 5 min in and I see like every single of own rules broken 😂
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year for Missouri
BROOOOOOOOOOOO!! JUST FOUND YOUR PAGE BY ACCIDENT AND I JOINED CUZ I LOVE LEARNING!! I KNOW A ALOT ABOUT ALOTTA STUFF FROM BUILDING A HOUSE TO BUILDING A ENGINE AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN LOL BUT ELE WORK I ONLY REALLY KNEW OUTLETS. WHAT YOU ARE TEACHING IS SOOO DAMN INTERESTING!! JUST SAYIN!!!! THANKS, F.M.V.
Pittsburgh pa
Duquesne light service area
You know what you’re looking at, very confident in what you’re doing,
What size is the main feed on those blocks? Looked like 250 or 350 mcm
Good job Aaron, very professional.
We don't allow ring type meter pans anymore here in Slidell Louisiana. As a state license electrician I know there are uninformed guys in the field getting rejected by our utility provider Cleco alot. Got to keep up with what you guys want. E=I×R
-Russman
Even With the constraints of this work order it was great job well done bro.
Good video. I would have checked for no short on customer side both to a ground and between phases. We also mark our cables with number stickers to help in trouble shooting. I put a different number on each customers cables and then I put that same number on the outside of meter raceway so I know where my cables go to.
Quite a bit of moisture in the ground there hey.
No sign of Ricky, Bubbles or Julian so I know you are not in Sunnyvale.😎
Interesting video. I used to do a lot of HVAC work in mobile homes and it is cool to see how they are hooked up.
Neutral to ground. In the UK the electricity companies like this and call it TNCS. A cost saving exercise from the 1970s😩
It is TN-C-S in this video, and there is no reason to make TN-S with 5 wires to the houses instead of 4 for the normal european threephase supply. Here in this video you would have needed 4 wires instead of three with no actual benefit if the wire is big enough (at least 10mm²).
If you want to be even more surprised, then there's also this: North American medium voltage distribution (typically 12.47 kV/7.2 kV) is all grounded wye, with single phase distribution transformers connected from phase to neutral on the HV side. The primary and secondary neutral are bonded, and are sometimes literally the same wire. So not only do we use the same neutral wire as the ground, but it is also used for the primary return currents to the substation. This has the interesting effect of putting whatever voltage is present on the neutral along the utility poles (typically under 10V) onto the customers grounding system, even if their main breaker is shut off. It also allows for a parallel path for primary neutral return current through things like the earth via customer ground systems as well as water mains, etc. In the event of an open primary neutral the system essentially becomes an accidental SWER system, sometimes elevating the voltage on the customers neutral and ground conductors.
They're lucky that you did the hook up and the meter here I had to have two separate Crews because there's a meter Department that comes through to put the meter in.
Excellent! When you were using the drill gun to crank down on the junction blocks inside the box, Why did you not short out with the ring on the tool hitting the box directly? Is the box not grounded? Also, I noticed that you didn't check the wires for shorts on the load side of the meter box.
Hear in Boston NY USA my mini home power comes to a pole then a drop to multi gang meter box usually 4 per pole. Breaker under meter then unground feed to homes. nice to see your videos. I work from weather head to inside the home. our NEC code change 2020. have the book . around hear 3 electric company's and different grounding . it's the ground rods. 1 or 2 . the dirt is different causing different rod resistance . panel box mush have surge protector per box. we have power outage and surge trouble hear. mostly weather related . last wind storm had a 235KV feed drop on a 64K feed making a surge that knocked out 10K people and around 100 homes with surge damage . the worst I worked on was 4160 primary go into a home. set a fire. had to put new service in . and yes copper bandits got us as well . took ground off a substation nocking 1K people with out power. AUG 14Th 2003 was our biggest grid down. lots of substations tripped power plants went off line . 3 transmissions lines failed. 50 million in dark over 24 hours. eastern Canada is part of our eastern grid. what a mess. power surges damaged homes .
Good job Erin one question with the meter you used looked like it had some age on it I noticed you didn’t check to see if you had power to the box below y’all just assume it’s all good?
Not entirely rational, but underground gives me (I'm not a lineman) the willies after I saw "I felt comfortable" with Randy Felhoelter. The video was more about safety procedures than setting but it is still unsettling.
One of the T-men in our company was working with another at the other end of a section of 7.2KV UG. Sam was standing on the cover plate when he told the guy at the far end to close it in. A fault in the vault blew Sam off his feet!
Watching from Hamilton New Zealand .Would be able to post follow up of the underground plinth change out at some stage.🇳🇿👊👊🦺
First video today and I enjoyed seeing how these things are done. Very cool stuff. I enjoy learning about the trades that make our world comfortable.
I dunno how anyone expects the next guy to be able to work on that shit. Whatever cable length you think you need… you need more.
Ive been wondering forever what those boxes are called in burlington,on theres a corner that has a couple of these and one has running water in it. Also watch out for bottle kids, keep yer neck on a swivel out there.
Bottle kids ! 🤣🤣🤣👊👊.
Side note, water gets in em a lot! Sometimes they create their own little underground river system 😟
Watching you from a fishing village in Mexico.
Hopefully those mobile home,s are well insulated for the extra cold weather that you get up there in Canada down here in Putnam county ga the the meter box is Pole mounted. Also there is a pole mounted shut off breaker for fire department use when they respond to a house fire
there was a breaker directly under the meter in the video.
@@rupe53 thanks for your help with this matter young man 😎
Watching from Las Vegas NV. Be safe out there
I really like your longer vids. Watching from Colorado
Nice video.
Why the box has no seals? Wouldn't it be easy for somebody to hook up and steal electricity?
Another nice video! I personally like the shorts you have uploaded so far! Keep up the great work!
Interesting URD services. Similar but also some differences to here in Maryland USA. Our boxes are buried. Also those moles or flood seals that you bolt the cable too. Old versions were Allen wrenches and hate them. Always strip out. Now they are 3/4 bolts. Same concept tho. I do hate going to one when the leads are short. Got to think about the next guy
Lenoir City Tennessee. Merry Christmas, Stay Safe.
It is always good to stand in a pool of water too.
Steve watching from Massachusetts. Thanks for the videos. Be safe. Happy Holidays
Thanks Stephen! You as well 🥂
scary to see what a mess that is, live wires and water at the base of the encasement. seems like a bad situation.