Recent content by fast one

I am a lineman and make 6 figures a year on straight time working for a large utility company. Contractors are all about the same, some more some less then what we pay.

If you own the meter box renew it, if not you will not get power. Simple. The reason the company found it does not matter, they corrected a unsafe situation. The box can not be sealed properly. This is from a troubleshooter for large utility company.

Where I am in Maryland, if it is unmarked and you had locates it is on the locate company to pay for repairs if they missed it. If it was not in the prints it is on the utility. But if you are digging in the area and have reason to believe that utilities are buried in the ground, you are...

The only experience I have with the 170 is at work, that is what they buy us. I work for a electric utility as a lineman. We use them to cut cross arms, poles up and trees/brush as needed. They have been very reliable.

Comed will not raise the loop on the pole, it is as high as it can go to maintain clearances on the pole now. Unless you want to pay to have a taller pole put in. Its hard to tell if you loop is attached to the service mast, if not that is what you need to do. That looks like that could gain...

Most of what I see is two sets of 4/0 aluminum

Here in Maryland you have to confirm on the miss u ticket that each utility has confirmed no contingencies you dig. Also if you have reason to believe it has ben missed, next to a splice box with no marks you need to call back again or you are responsible.

Depending on what your voltage started at, you may have fallen below minimum standards. Is it possible that you have a hot leg starting to burn open or a bad connection on the power companies side. Are all of your connections on the load side of the meter tight?

My utility only offers 4 wire services for new construction. 3 wire services are maintenance only, if you have them, they will maintain them and you can keep them forever. If you have a delta bank hanging outside you may be able to reconnect, they may require you to put 4 wire in.

Kctyphoon, Have you tried using any of the staple pullers that the lineman sites have on them? . Getting the barbed staples out of CCA poles is a pain. I just use a screw driver and hammer. I have tried the tools they sell on the lineman supply sites and they are nice for penta poles. But they...

I work for a electric utility and we have hydraulic impact guns that have 7/16" hex adapters on them. We have bits from 1/2-1" from 9"-36" for drilling through wood poles. The impact gun with the long bits drills right through the poles with no issues, wood knots and all. Then we have 7/16 hex...

The poco that I work for put them in for skeptics when they first started putting smart meters in. They did that to show customers that the smart meter would have the same readings as a legacy meter. I think they put 50 of them in when they first started.

The jackstands are the best idea with a piece of pipe. At work (electric utility distribution yard) the reals of copper, aluminum, underground wire are on, we have them where the stands are taller and don't adjust.

I work on the opposite side of electricity as John does. We are provided with tools and get wrights cougar import brand for chrome sockets and wright brand ratchets and impact sockets. The ratchets wear out over time, but still work and are probably older than I am, but are very nice ratchets...

I have one at work to hold my hooks and climbing belt in. They are a very nice high quality bag.