Blinking Lights

I WAS DISPATCHED TO A BLINKING LIGHTS CALL, ALONG WITH ANOTHER SERVICEMAN------WE ARRIVED AT THE LOCATION AND CHECKED VOLTAGE AT THE METER--WITH THE METER PULLED--153/91/246 VOLTS! EASY ENOUGH,WE THOUGHT--A BAD NEUTRAL/CONNECTION. CALVIN REPLACED THE NEU CONNECTION, WHERE THE 4/3 SERVICE LEFT THE OPEN SECONDARY---I CHECKED VOLTAGE AND IT WAS THE SAME--I THEN CHANGED THE NEU CONNECTION AT THE WEATHERHEAD--NO CHANGE! WE THEN TRIMMED OUT THE SERVICE AS FAR AS THE BUCKET WOULD REACH AND COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY--OK, TIME TO REPLACE THE SVC-----THIS WAS AND OLD IN/OUT LOOP--LOOK TOO HARD AT THE INSULATION AND IT WOULD FALL OFF!! WE CHANGED OUT THE SVC AND HEATED IT UP AND STILL THE VOLTAGE WAS THE SAME!!!!!

WE CUT THE LOOP LOOSE AND AS CALVIN TOOK THE DEADEND LOOSE FROM THE HOUSE KNOB, I CHECKED VOLTAGE ON THE NEW SVC--NO CHANGE---BY THIS TIME, BOTH OF US WERE PULLING OUR HAIR OUT--AND I DON'T HAVE MUCH TO PULL!! WHEN CALVIN REATTACHED THE SVC TO THE HOUSE KNOB, HE HAD ONE HAND ON THE NEUTRAL AND THE OTHER ON THE WEATHERHEAD, IT BIT HIM!! WHILE HE WAS DOING SOME MORE CHECKING AT THE LOOP, I WENT TO CHECK VOLTAGE AT THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR (THAT SVC CAME OFF THE SAME OPEN SECONDARY ON THE SAME POLE) THE VOLTAGE WAS 122/122/244V!!! WHEN I GOT BACK TO CALVIN, HE HAD TALKED TO THE CUSTOMER SOME MORE AND FOUND OUT THAT EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS A CABLE TV DROP AND SOUTHWESTERN BELL DROP ATTACHED TO THE HOUSE, HE DIDN'T HAVE EITHER CONNECTED, BUT HE DID HAVE THE CABLE TV (INSIDE THE HOUSE) CONNECTED TO A VCR---CALVIN HAD CUT THE CABLE TV AND BELL GROUND LOOSE FROM THE GRD FROM THE LOOP-----GUESS WHAT!!----THE PROBLEM WAS SOLVED--VOLTAGE WAS 122/122/244!! WE STILL DIDN'T HELP THE CUSTOMER OUT TOO MUCH THOUGH, HIS LOOP WAS SO BAD, WE WERE AFRAID TO HOOK IT BACK UP ---FIGURED HE'D BE BETTER OFF WITH NO ELECTRICITY THAN TO HAVE HIS HOUSE BURN DOWN AFTER WE LEFT!!!!

CALVIN (21 YRS EXP.) AND MYSELF WITH 31 YRS EXPERIENCE, AND BOTH OF US HAVE NEVER RUN ACROSS ANYTHING LIKE THIS ON A BLINKING LTS CALL, ALTHOUGH WE BOTH HATE THEM, CAUSE, AS IN THIS CASE, IF NOTHING IS OBVIOUS, THEY'RE USUALLY A PAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BILL MORRISON

ENTERGY/ARKANSAS