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[Jamin Lynch]

Replacing the service means connecting live no matter what. There is no individual disconnect at the poco and they are not going to drop the whole street just to change a service.


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But isn't it the responsibility for the PoCo to get power to the meter and then downstream of the meter it's the homeowners responsibility?

Seems like the PoCo just could pull the meter which would shut off power to the main panel.

[Rob Spence]

But isn't it the responsibility for the PoCo to get power to the meter and then downstream of the meter it's the homeowners responsibility?

Seems like the PoCo just could pull the meter which would shut off power to the main panel.

Two things...
Pulling the meter doesn't help if you are replacing the meter box and wires up the side of the building. You missed that they are replacing the service with a whole new one.

The home owner is responsible for supplying everything attached to the house except for the strain relief for the cable from the pole. The poco only supplies the cable from the pole to the house where it then ties to the service entrance cable (the thing on the side of the house.
An exception is underground services.


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[Stephen Swaffer]

I've cut live wires and made them up before-I am an electrician (even the State of Iowa says so).  I would usually try to do this from my bucket truck-easier and safer.

I wouldn't do this without at least leather gloves (OSHA says voltage rated , too).
I wouldn't have an aluminum ladder within 100 yards-they couldn't afford a 32' fiberglass to do it right?
The main CB should be off first, then pull the meter.  Even then the ground is the last one cut.
Bypassing the meter would upset the POCO-would you walk out of the store with "just a little bit"?
Around here, the POCO disconnects and reconnects without charging-but probably not without a meter.
Rob is right-even temp power requires a complete ground system-ie 2 ground rods.
Probably number of other things I do almost subconsciously to make sure this won't be my last time doing this that I haven't mentioned.

Why waste time watching these morons?  I doubt this was actually live for the demo. Do they put anything you can actually rely on, on their show?  This is just asking to get someone killed.  Yes, people can do this safely-if you have to ask, I doubt that the group that can do this safely includes you.


(Rob is correct as far as the demarc point-although Co-ops sometimes are a little different..  Pulling the meter is a double check to make sure nothing is loading the circuit-something I can see while working.  Not that I don't trust others, but when it comes to my personal safety, I don't.)

[Jamin Lynch]

Two things...
Pulling the meter doesn't help if you are replacing the meter box and wires up the side of the building. You missed that they are replacing the service with a whole new one.

The home owner is responsible for supplying everything attached to the house except for the strain relief for the cable from the pole. The poco only supplies the cable from the pole to the house where it then ties to the service entrance cable (the thing on the side of the house.
An exception is underground services.


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Gottcha

I saw that, I was thinking the meter box and conduit was up to the PoCo to take care of.

Thanks

[Jerome Malsack]

This is another item that should have been in AC Power and Grounding ?

[Bob Leonard]

I've done this a few times, but always with rubber gloves. I've replaced the service in my own house twice up to the weather head, and have worked with a close friend who is a licensed master on this type work a few times as well. It's not an uncommon practice and he did the job just as I was taught. I don't get the reason for not bringing in a jenny though. In every case where I've upgraded or replaced a service we brought in a jenny to use while the main panel was replaced. And Rob is 100% correct in his statements above.

Want to see a masterpiece in residential wiring? Have Rob post a picture of the service he installed for his own house. LED lighting in the cable chase and everything nice and neat.

[Mike Sokol]

There's another real danger not mentioned by anyone yet. If you're up on a ladder tall enough to reach the second story of a building and you get any kind of shock at all, you'll most likely fall from the ladder. That's a LONG way down and will likely result in at least breaking a few bones and maybe worse.

Secondly, there's no over-current protection on that feeder wire, so it could go up in smoke if the conductors were shorted with a shovel or by being run over with the metal tread from a bulldozer or whatever. 

I do think that a DIY show airing a video that amateurs will likely emulate is a bad idea. The electrician seems awfully calm and complacent to be connecting to a hot wire with his bare hands while up on a tall ladder.

Here's the right way to run temp power for a construction site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM6b96v-4r0

[Stephen Swaffer]

The other thing that can startle you and cause you to lose your balance is arc flash.  Its unlikely to be explosively dangerous in this situation for a number of reasons, but it will be very noisy and bright if the hot and neutral touch and it will keep going most likely til the wire burns away enough to disconnect.

Even though its not recognized as a shock prevention measure by OSHA, I personally prefer to wear a heavy cotton long sleeve shirt-less exposed skin to inadvertently touch something.

I rarely bring in a genny to replace a panel/service.  Fridge and freezer should be good for a few hours, make sure batteries for tools are charged and a good LED headlamp are all you really have to have.

[Jonathan Johnson]

I do think that a DIY show airing a video that amateurs will likely emulate is a bad idea.

The thing is, TOH is no longer a DIY show, and it's really not even marketed as such. It's more about home design and showing the process that professional contractors go through. It's very rare for the homeowners to participate in the renovations they feature. What they show tends to be an overview, leaving out a ton of detail. The sad part is that viewers will interpret what they see as "I can do that!" even though they often don't have the training, tools, or experience to do it safely, correctly, or successfully.

The companion show, Ask This Old House, is the one billed as a DIY-type show. On ATOH, they do simple projects with the assistance of the homeowner. With few exceptions, these projects never take more than a day, and they include a lot of detail that's glossed over in the main TOH show.

EDIT: Not excusing what they did. Just pointing out it's not the DIY show everyone thinks it is.

[Chris Hindle]

The thing is, TOH is no longer a DIY show, and it's really not even marketed as such. It's more about home design and showing the process that professional contractors go through. It's very rare for the homeowners to participate in the renovations they feature. What they show tends to be an overview, leaving out a ton of detail. The sad part is that viewers will interpret what they see as "I can do that!" even though they often don't have the training, tools, or experience to do it safely, correctly, or successfully.

The companion show, Ask This Old House, is the one billed as a DIY-type show. On ATOH, they do simple projects with the assistance of the homeowner. With few exceptions, these projects never take more than a day, and they include a lot of detail that's glossed over in the main TOH show.

However someone wants do describe it, showing that little stunt on TV was irresponsible.
Never mind that the entire capacity of that line is now available for <whatever> in that spider box.
Sure, nothing will likely happen, but maybe Murphy is in town this weekend.

Chris.

[ProSoundWeb Community]