Who's A Cowboy?

JamesNLA

Wondering how many just cowboy the service feeders instead of waiting
around for POCO/Inspectors?

Had a prospective ask if we had to pull a permit to relocate his 200A panel.........

Magnettica

I'm not sure I understand the question.

Cowboy the service conductors before the PoCo gets there?

I had a few drinks after hockey tonight but I have no idea what your question is here.

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JamesNLA

Cowboy the service conductors AND the POCO isn't invited to the party

mdshunk

Never, except in a night/weekend emergency situation. Even then, inspections and POCO are involved within a few days.

daveselectric

Here's a good rule of thumb when deciding whether or not to "play by the rules". Try to anticipate your explanation to a judge in open court why you decided to ignore the electrical code and broke the law by not pulling the required permit(s). It may help you in future decisions...

thom

Back when I did service changes, we would reconnect everything with split bolts, call for inspection, then the utility would replace the splices a few days later.

I don't know how you would do it without the utility or the city involved. The meter reader would certainly notice and turn you in.

A.W.Davis

If try that crap here in Cali, PG&E will site you!!!

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Glasshousebltr

The only thing I managed to get from this thread thus far ....is that Paco wants to be a cowboy.

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Bob

Mike.GCOC

thom is right. Southern Calif. Edison will rat you out to the city- it's not worth the risk.

Sparky Joe

When in CA we installed coppers jumpers in meter sockets all the time, neither Edison or DWP ever seemed to care.

ron schenker

Giddyup

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Mike.GCOC

Nowadays, SCE has to approve meter relocations (they want them in an easily accessable place to read it). This is one of the first things the city will ask you when you go to pull permits. Sure, you can cowboy lots of things and maybe get away with it. When the meter reader comes around and it's not there anymore and you put it in an "unapproved" location you might have a problem.

A.W.Davis

yee haw.....cowboy up

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JamesNLA

LOL, in case some were wondering, I wouldn't touch it without the permit or the cut off. It's not worth the money to me. I also didn't say I was planning on doing it...hence the icon.

Just wondering if anyone does that. SCE are sticklers about touching their meters.

Magnettica

Are we talking about "bugging in"? Making a mechanical splice of the main feeders to the service entrance conductors with split-bolt connectors? "Bugging in" is a common term for it around here. Never heard of cowboying it.

As far as "jumping out" from line to load in a meter without the authority to do so from the poco, that's a big no-no. I've never done, and never will. But it is common around for an EC to "bug in" hot without the poco deenergizing their end. Recently, some EC's have even been given fines for "bootlegging" electricity while they do the upgrade to the service.

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Sparky Joe

Honestly I've always seen metermen (not readers) as the same type of guy as me. An IBEW memeber just trying to make an honests day living.
If I don't make waves for him then he won't make waves for me. You guys must have some odd workers in your juridictions, I've never met a man that was naturally given to snitchery.

MSSI

Here in eastern PA We deal with PECO...I do all my services with combination clamps, or blackburn crimps. Peco wont "retap" around here anymore, its up to the electrician, So I am always doing it "HOT" We will use the jumpers in the can as well. Peco doesnt care unless there is supposed to be a meter in there. Or for a new service You can jump it until they get there with the new meter. But You better be there when they put it in, if you want your jumpers back.
Sometimes you can leave the meter jumped for a 30 day period for construction, at least, Thats what I have been told, I have never tried it........

mdshunk

That's pretty hard core. My experience with linemen has been much like Joe's. Just a batch of regular guys, earning a living just like me... not the "electricity police". Matter of fact, they most often ask me for my alligator clip receptacle rig (which every electrician who does upgrades owns), and they'll put it on for me when they come to cut the service off. Some will, some won't, but none of them care.

Like MSSI, I work in PECO and Metropolitan Edison territory some, and both of them make us cut off and retap our own stuff. We just better have an inspection.

JamesNLA

ummm, not really.
The pre approved location that SCE wants is for them. There is no code refference that says it has to be below 6 1/2 feet and above 3 1/2 feet like SCE wants. I have pulled many permits for panel upgrades and the city has never asked if SCE has pre-approved the new location.

When Hot Wire comes out to do the cut off they ask if I have pulled the permit, I say yes, and he says see you later!
If it's a friday they will sometimes give their cell number and come back and reconnect before quitting time, because inspectors are long gone after 3.

The reason they want to pre approve the location is so the meter reader can have easy access to read it, and to determin if new conductors need to be upgraded or repulled.

The meter reader could care less where it is, as long as he can get a read. They have NO electrical knowledge.

Magnettica

I'm trying to understand this. You mean to tell me that the Power Company (Poco for short), comes out to deenergize the service conductors before you do the upgrade?

I've never been tagged for "bootlegging electricity." But from the people I've heard from who have been busted have been busted by local city inspectors who happened to have been driving by and saw the the set up. I dunno, maybe they hadn't already pulled a permit yet.

The aligator clips work fine. The last company I worked for had a meter set up attached to a portable piece of plywood with remote panel board and (2) GFCI receptacles attached to it. The line side of the meter was attached with flexible cord and twist-lock receptacle so the electricity being used could be metered. It was a professional set up.

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