What's wrong with this?

[sparky 1971]

Here's one I ran across today. What's wrong with this? Two things should be obvious to the pro's, so you can go ahead and react, but don't let the cat out of the bag just yet. Let's see if the weekend warriors can spot what's wrong with this picture.View attachment 1992670

 

[Paulski]

meter box is mounted upside down and PVC Conduit?

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

?? Not enough depth to the enclosure box

 

[sparky 1971]

meter box is mounted upside down and PVC Conduit?

The meter socket is upside down, but that is EMT. I just actually paid attention to the photo and the second problem isn't showing very well. My fault for not getting a very good picture.

 

[sparky 1971]

?? Not enough depth to the enclosure box

Nope. Good guess though. Those dinky meter sockets haven't been available for years and have to go away for an update.

 

[snickers muncher]

meter box upside down

guessing the conduit connection is wrong going from a smaller size into a larger size

 

[vwpieces]

Possibly mounted to a tree?

 

[wssix99]

That close to a road... No one in the neighborhood can handle their shotgun properly. This picture was obviously taken outside the US.

 

[3baygarage]

No tag and lock?

 

[sparky 1971]

meter box upside down

guessing the conduit connection is wrong going from a smaller size into a larger size

Dang. Easier than I thought. The EMT goes inside a post for A chain link fence.

No tag and lock?

I put a new panel in the house about a year ago. I cut the tag at that time. I didn't have my phone on me to take a picture then. I was back to put a sub panel in the garage today and remembered.

 

[engineer2]

No power company seal. Of course our power company ignores that as long as your readings seem normal.

 

[tarmy]

It is ugly…

Obviously, this installation is in Australia as the bottom is up and versa visa.

The meter is not s-inning…just sayin’.

 

[sparky 1971]

I found out tonight that a previous owner for 50 years was a lineman for the same POCO that serves the area. I suspect he might have decided to put his own service in and that's how the meter setting wound up like that. The 4" pole the meter is mounted is only about 10' tall but uphill from the transformer pole 20' away. The house has changed hands twice since then, one was a flipper and it turns out I know both of those two.

 

[sparky 1971]

No power company seal. Of course our power company ignores that as long as your readings seem normal.

I cut that off a year ago when I put a new panel in for a different owner than the one I worked for today.

 

[BrandonV]

No power company seal. Of course our power company ignores that as long as your readings seem normal.

Yup. We know when the tilt sensor activates .

 

[engineer2]

How do you guys bond it?

 

[sparky 1971]

How do you guys bond it?

POCO doesn't let us bond the meter socket. Bonding is done at the main panel. Three wire feed from the socket to the main.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

looks like a coupling is missing on the lower conduit in addition to the meter pan being upside down.

since the meyers hub is on the bottom i wonder how much water got inside the pan

 

[sparky 1971]

looks like a coupling is missing on the lower conduit in addition to the meter pan being upside down.

since the meyers hub is on the bottom i wonder how much water got inside the pan

The lower conduit actually goes inside a chain link fence post. Hard to tell in the pic but blatant obvious when standing in front of it.

 

[mike93lx]

Weird way of asking for feedback on your work, but you do you.

Keep practicing, you'll figure it out, or get zapped

 

[Innovate1]

Needs to be higher capacity. This is GJ after all.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Lighting to dim, out of focus, camera not level. Could benefit from some editing and enhancement.

 

[Steve.S]

• Meter box is upside down.
• No seal on meter.
• Lower conduit strap is "secured" to the metal pole with what, a sheet metal screw? Shouldn't it have a band that goes all the way around the pole and conduit?
• No upper conduit strap.

Here's one I ran across today. What's wrong with this? Two things should be obvious to the pro's, so you can go ahead and react, but don't let the cat out of the bag just yet. Let's see if the weekend warriors can spot what's wrong with this?

 

[Innovate1]

No lift in garage.

 

[MBfreak]

A box with a top entry. Outside. Great if you like water cooled electrics.
And since power company readings for charging today are made by radio signals, what is the point of having this
1940´s contraption outside ?
But as I have admitted in earlier US domestic electric stuff, I am TOTALLY ignorant.

Ola

 

[sparky 1971]

A box with a top entry. Outside. Great if you like water cooled electrics.
And since power company readings for charging today are made by radio signals, what is the point of having this
1940´s contraption outside ?
But as I have admitted in earlier US domestic electric stuff, I am TOTALLY ignorant.

Ola

These are outside with top entry. What's the problem with that?

 

[Jim greengo]

Here's one I ran across today. What's wrong with this? Two things should be obvious to the pro's, so you can go ahead and react, but don't let the cat out of the bag just yet. Let's see if the weekend warriors can spot what's wrong with this picture.View attachment 1992670

Damn,just damn! Hahaha

 

[Zeke]

Semi weekend warrior here though I've stripped and made up a connection or 2. I can't tell if the 2nd question has been answered completely but the upside down box brings about the hub (or lack of) that is on top. IDK, really. But the inspectors here are very tough on hubs and seals. Seems like only threaded connections are allowed with no union style to be used. Only threads to hub plus the seal. So no Myers hub.

Or maybe since the covers aren't latched in post #26 that's the clue.

 

[sparky 1971]

Semi weekend warrior here though I've stripped and made up a connection or 2. I can't tell if the 2nd question has been answered completely

It was, the conduit going down goes into a chain link fence post

but the upside down box brings about the hub (or lack of) that is on top. IDK, really. But the inspectors here are very tough on hubs and seals. Seems like only threaded connections are allowed with no union style to be used. Only threads to hub plus the seal. So no Myers hub.

Or maybe since the covers aren't latched in post #26 that's the clue.

What latches? That is a new generator install I am working on. The 400 amp screws shut, as well as latches and the 200 amp has a latch that was closed. I posted that due to the comment about no top feeding. You didn't know it, but at the time, I wasn't done with the conduit so there's really nothing to critique here...yet. The wire probably won't go in until March.

 

[MBfreak]

Sparky.
If you would care to read my entry.
Water runs downwards.
And your Q "These are outside with top entry. What's the problem with that?"
is quite self explanatory for a person living in the Mojave desert.

I have seen many utility weatheads in Clarksdale Ms.
Ie on the building housing The Ground Zero Blues establishment.
They were all directed downwards, which is the way to do it.

Ola

 

[sparky 1971]

Sparky.
If you would care to read my entry.
Water runs downwards.
And your Q "These are outside with top entry. What's the problem with that?"
is quite self explanatory for a person living in the Mojave desert.

I have seen many utility weatheads in Clarksdale Ms.
Ie on the building housing The Ground Zero Blues establishment.
They were all directed downwards, which is the way to do it.

Ola

Your comment that it's an outside box wit top entry is a reply to the question of what's wrong with this. It's kind of hard to have an overhead service without top entry since conduits have to go up in order to go overhead. The installation in the OP has probably allowed a ton of water to enter the socket, however, if it was done correctly and the conduit entered through the hub that is supposed to be on top, not a drop. Maybe that's what you meant and didn't mean to generalize all exterior top entry installations? And as far as a weather head being pointed down, they all are turned downward if mounted on top of a vertical conduit. You can't see the head in the picture but that's not the problem anyway.

 

[LOW1]

Here's one I ran across today. What's wrong with this? Two things should be obvious to the pro's, so you can go ahead and react, but don't let the cat out of the bag just yet. Let's see if the weekend warriors can spot what's wrong with this picture.View attachment 1992670

That conduit clamp screwed into the other conduit is a bit too redneck for my liking.

 

[MBfreak]

Quote from Sparkys answer " Maybe that's what you meant and didn't mean to generalize all exterior top entry installations?"
I definitely mean that under no circumstances shall cable/ conduit entries be from the top in ANY panel/box that is situated outside.
School of hard knocks from many dry and wet countries where I worked with high power transmission systems that often had several hundreds of otdoor boxes/panels/instrument transformers.
This even goes for solid busbars and insulation ( ie SF 6) gas bus ducts. Which are not so easy to enter from below, unless you have skilled layout engineers and corresponding manufacturing facilities.
For cables, no problems whatsoever.

Ola

 

[mike93lx]

Quote from Sparkys answer " Maybe that's what you meant and didn't mean to generalize all exterior top entry installations?"
I definitely mean that under no circumstances shall cable/ conduit entries be from the top in ANY panel/box that is situated outside.
School of hard knocks from many dry and wet countries where I worked with high power transmission systems that often had several hundreds of otdoor boxes/panels/instrument transformers.
This even goes for solid busbars and insulation ( ie SF 6) gas bus ducts. Which are not so easy to enter from below, unless you have skilled layout engineers and corresponding manufacturing facilities.
For cables, no problems whatsoever.

Ola

Top entry is standard operating procedure and can work just fine when properly installed and maintained.

Much of this country has overhead service and switching to underground is prohibitively expensive.

 

[sparky 1971]

That's not a clamp. That's rust that looks like a clamp. There may have at one time been a strap and that left the mark. It's a piece of EMT stuck inside a fence post.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Quote from Sparkys answer " Maybe that's what you meant and didn't mean to generalize all exterior top entry installations?"
I definitely mean that under no circumstances shall cable/ conduit entries be from the top in ANY panel/box that is situated outside.
School of hard knocks from many dry and wet countries where I worked with high power transmission systems that often had several hundreds of otdoor boxes/panels/instrument transformers.
This even goes for solid busbars and insulation ( ie SF 6) gas bus ducts. Which are not so easy to enter from below, unless you have skilled layout engineers and corresponding manufacturing facilities.
For cables, no problems whatsoever.

Ola

Theres millions of exterior main electrical panels with top entry for overhead service just in the state of california alone and they work just fine. No water entering the panel whatsoever…

 

[Norcal]

Theres millions of exterior main electrical panels with top entry for overhead service just in the state of california alone and they work just fine. No water entering the panel whatsoever…

When done correctly top entry is just fine, works as intended, done wrong like the first photo then there are problems. Still trying to figure out how the OP's example got hooked up, even where there is no inspections, the PoCo would not have let that fly. The only thing I can think of is a change after it was powered up.

 

[MBfreak]

Mike said
"Much of this country has overhead service and switching to underground is prohibitively expensive."
That overhead HVMV service caused catastrophical fires in California and I think it also led to the utility went broke.
Some of the fire problems may have been the result of very poor relay protection systems.

A large number of utilities around the world use HV cable networks, and the longer ones must be HVDC.
Reduces the cost for purchasing right of way and yearly tree felling.
And does away with fire hazard and lightning power cuts
Many of the substations are also indoor GIS, which occupy around 12 % of an outdoor substation.
(My favorite outdoor substation in the US is the one near the Audubon facility close to the river in New Orleans, where large birds nest close to phases. Station also occupies a large area where I BELIEVE that real estate is very expensive)
And energy cost for consumers is around the same as in the US.
For off shore wind farms there is no alternative to cable.

Ola

 

[mike93lx]

Mike said
"Much of this country has overhead service and switching to underground is prohibitively expensive."
That overhead HVMV service caused catastrophical fires in California and I think it also led to the utility went broke.
Some of the fire problems may have been the result of very poor relay protection systems.

A large number of utilities around the world use HV cable networks, and the longer ones must be HVDC.
Reduces the cost for purchasing right of way and yearly tree felling.
And does away with fire hazard and lightning power cuts
Many of the substations are also indoor GIS, which occupy around 12 % of an outdoor substation.
(My favorite outdoor substation in the US is the one near the Audubon facility close to the river in New Orleans, where large birds nest close to phases. Station also occupies a large area where I BELIEVE that real estate is very expensive)
And energy cost for consumers is around the same as in the US.
For off shore wind farms there is no alternative to cable.

Ola

Overhead distribution to a home is not what caused the fires in CA. That is utility distribution and thats overhead nearly everywhere.

 

[MBfreak]

What i wrote "overhead HVMV service caused catastrophical fires"
Overhead HV MV . The HV part is transmission. That caused the fire if the newspaper info I have is correct.
And I love the leaning MV pole distribution networks with transformers at the top.
Great for the company selling back up residential generators.
Ola