Surging lights

[rcdallas]

One thing they did do right in Dallas is their phasing is consistent throughout the system, all square corners and I believe it's something like A phase is always N or W...something like that I've been told.

Come out to the old TPL or Tessco parts of the system and it's whatever works.

[MI-Lineman]

I've seen a few old banks built with the tie legs through the open wire secondaries but I have never seen them built with a lighting pot on one pole and power pot on another and I am thankful as it sounds like a deathtrap to me.

I wouldn't call it a death trap? Yeah the 4 wire secondary is pretty much (as well as the primary!) banked which some think is a death trap but I actually enjoyed it! I worked with a few hands from Florida and they got acclimated pretty quick! One was called "Gator?" He was good to work with? I forget the other one but I'm sure he's retired? Nice old boy but didn't like climbin much? He was more of a sub guy but really smart!

Sorry Ran....Oops I mean RC! Seems I hijacked your thread?

[MI-Lineman]

One thing they did do right in Dallas is their phasing is consistent throughout the system, all square corners and I believe it's something like A phase is always N or W...something like that I've been told.

Come out to the old TPL or Tessco parts of the system and it's whatever works.

"A" or "X" to us Yanks I guess is usually North and West yes! As for DTE it's what we called "bastard corners!" A phasin set is you're best friend of course!!!!

[Lineman North Florida]

Went on an ice storm up near dallas once. all the alleys were paved and every pole had a pot on it. Had to look twice as there were several 3 phase customers but only one pot per pole.Open wire secondary on racks running thru the alleys. Needless to say they built a 3 pot bank using one pot per pole and the secondary as a buss. Also saw 3 transformers all tied thru the secondary so if one blew the others would pick up the load .It seemed to me then and still does that this is a death trap if they ever built one. I was damn glad to leave that nightmare. I sure would never wanna troubleshoot a system like that.

I've seen pots tied in series on the secondaries and never could see where that was a good idea either, kinda like johnny balls in open wire, why not just double deadend them on the pole instead. I've worked on FPL property down in Miami years ago and it was full of these kind of things, oh and grasshopper cutouts.

[Lineman North Florida]

I wouldn't call it a death trap? Yeah the 4 wire secondary is pretty much (as well as the primary!) banked which some think is a death trap but I actually enjoyed it! I worked with a few hands from Florida and they got acclimated pretty quick! One was called "Gator?" He was good to work with? I forget the other one but I'm sure he's retired? Nice old boy but didn't like climbin much? He was more of a sub guy but really smart!

Sorry Ran....Oops I mean RC! Seems I hijacked your thread?

I guess it's all what you become accustomed to, I guess I've gotten kind of spoiled in that we have some good standards where I'm at ie all standard primary phasing A phase top South or East, banks all built on the same pole etc etc, I used to like seeing all the different things, now not so much, guess it means I'm getting old.

[slimdalineman]

We use the hell outta those banks! DTE really uses the sh!t outta them though!! Except their lighter pots on one street and the power tubs 2 blocks away over a fence behind a garage in a rear lot line? Fun!

As far as the "open neutral" theory on a single phase customer I guess I wouldn't think that? If it was truly open usually ya get one side higher than hell and the other bottomed out! I've seen 0-240 on one IF it was completely open! Usually when it's a neutral connection goin bad or a urd neutral goin bad it's around 100-140 or some where about? That imbalance thingy!!

Those dam split bolts!! Course beats those dam squeeze ons!! Get way to many of those goin bad!

in rural sections you'll see higher difference when losing the nuetral but in urban areas its very common to not see as drastic of a difference seeing (around here at least) mains get ground through the water pipes...hell alot of folks probably dont have a good nuetral connection and dont know no better.

[slimdalineman]

I should have said loose or open neutral, but that being said surging lights, or any kind of stray voltage usually means a neutral problem, and this was not a split bank, and i have been on plenty of loose or open neutrals where the voltage shows good with a volt meter until load is applied, a BEAST is a great tool for any odd or stray voltage detection.

Just clarifying, not disagreeing with you.

the Beast does work great but alot of us carry a hair dryer on our trucks so we dont have to run to the garage to get the beast....works just as well for identifying nuetral problems

[johnbellamy]

the Beast does work great but alot of us carry a hair dryer on our trucks so we dont have to run to the garage to get the beast....works just as well for identifying nuetral problems

Luckly we have a beast on all of our trouble trucks, some have the Big Beast.

I know it is different in alot of places still , but if we were to take the cover plate of a main, or even the low part of a meter base on the load side of the meter and an incidental falsh would accure, the we would be liable to repair or replace any damage, plus a hell of alot of paper work, peer review, and even disipline could be a result, kinda silly, but reality.

It is crazy but you have to change your mind set these days, no where the boundries are, and if you cross them, even trying to help a customer out, all intentions are good, you risk a huge headache, and depending on what happens, it could count as a strike against you or a letter in your file that can lead to your termination.

But if you are just plugging it into a socket, in different areas in the house, under different breakers and it does not work anywhere I guess that might work too?

Maybe you can fill us in on how ya do it, it might be something alot of guys might use if they work for a place that only buys just one for everybody to use, cause I know there are plenty of places out there like that.

[Pootnaigle]

Ummmmmm a quick way to look without risking anythang is to use a ampmeter at the groundrod. any reading other than zero tells ya they have a prollem.

[MI-Lineman]

in rural sections you'll see higher difference when losing the nuetral but in urban areas its very common to not see as drastic of a difference seeing (around here at least) mains get ground through the water pipes...hell alot of folks probably dont have a good nuetral connection and dont know no better.

Well yeah cause ya got more ground rods with more buildings? Makes sense but I've never really seen that here? Usually we get a bright/dim only after the customer looses their grounds. Like you say they don't know it for some time!

Had one I never figured out? A trailer was complainin in a rural area so I hook up the Mega Beast and they had a 30v swing? Their hot water and dryer wouldn't kick on for 3 weeks before they figured it was on our end? 3 WEEKS WITH NO HOT WATER OR CLOSE DRYER????

Anyway we changed every connection, replaced 8' of copper missin on the pole ground, changed the tub and still had the swing?? So gettin close to quittin time we checked a few other houses on the line which was towards the end of the circuit and found the same swing? There were two sets of regs on neutral also but I didn't think that would do it BUT they were only at 113/113 towards the end at the trnsfrmrs. An app and I found at least 12 automatics in three spans of wire and I figured that must be it? I've had quite a few automatics go bad or burn up in open wire from slappin together and cause bright/dims. So we told dispatch to let the on-call crew know and somehow it got lost and they ended up crankin up the regs only and never checked the trailer to see if it corrected but we've had no call back?