CoCo

Can you change out a residential panel that has a new smart meter without getting a permit?
I heard that if you take the meter out, the power company will know and could show up.
Most panel changes I do, the homeowner doesn't want to pull a permit for, so we get sneaky and go around it.
Is that not possible with these new meters??

you guys rock.

socalelect

We do not support un permitted un inspected hack work round here. And yes they do know if the office when u pull one they also have tilt sensors according to a troubleman from my po co. Pull a permit cover ur butt and have it inspected if the job is worth doing its worth doing right from getting. A permit to doing the work and having it inspectes

CoCo

...gotta love the helpful answers you get on these forums when you are only asking a question. Especially from people who can't spell or write intelligible sentences.

chewy

If they are the same smart meters they are installing here they have a "cellphone" inside them which is sending a message out several times a day giving the power companys information on your usage and it will also send a message if the seal on the meter is broken.

may electric

Why is the home owner deciding if its ok to pull a permit or not?

You should pride in your self that you as a electrical contractor can pull a electrical permit and charge the home owner for it.

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Because ordinary has already been done!

jrannis

I've pulled out quite a few and never thought once about it. Who really cares if the meter is removed? If I need to look at the terminations in the meter can, I need to look at them. We do not have to get a permit unless we are making repairs or changing the service.

If you have some kind of law in place that does not allow you to remove a meter, or if you are required to contact the utility before you remove it, then make the phone call, that is why they hired you.

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"When a your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail"

backstay

In Minnesota, the HO only pulls a permit if they did the work. If I do the work, I pull the permit. How do you get around the poco seal?

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When "deleted" called the Seals, they killed Bin Laden. When the Seals called "deleted", he denied them.

wesleydnunder

If a permit is required for a panel changeout, then pull one. Is it worth your license just because a homeowner does or doesn't want something? You can always come up with a hundred reasons why you did something wrong. None of them are ever good enough.

Mark

knowshorts

I thought all of SCE meters had the barrel locks?

Charge for the permit and fees. That is why these jobs are $2000 minimum.

Cletis

You could go to prison for 1-3 yrs for that. On the other hand if you run over a person with a car you probably wont get any time.

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TooFarFromFenway

Says the guy with 4 posts. The answer, IMO, was quite sufficient, and accurate, spelling and grammar mistakes aside.

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Baseball players are smarter than football players. How often do you see a baseball team penalized for too many men on the field? ~Jim Bouton, 1988

ecelectric

Where I work the meter readers could care less , cut. Seals and all , they unlock for me all the time and never ask for a permit . maybe in some areas they police it Better

rrolleston

I have heard people saying the POCO shows up when a smart meter is pulled and others nothing happens. I have never had to deal with a smart meter yet.

azgard

He's on a trade forum copping an attitude when someone remark's he should just do it -legally-. IP ban him, if this is how he will introduce himself to the community, do you really think he has anything worth adding to it?

jrannis

I can see that if someone jumped out half of the meter of something but just removing it and checking your terminations?
BTW,
I pull the wire out of the seal and then just bend a hook on it and shove it back together. I don't tamper with or try to help anyone steel electricity. It isn't worth the hassle.

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"When a your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail"

mxslick

Nope. Ours here at my palatial estate have the little seals with a string that gets wound up into the seal portion.

My past experiences with SCE were the same. In fact, on one of my service changes way back in the early 90's the SCE crew gave me a handful of seals, some rings and blank covers. I can't vouch for how tight or loose they are about it now though, but I would think it would depend on the crew you interact with.

Exactly.

You sir need to get a thicker skin and lose the attitude to hang with this crowd or you will either find yourself banned from the forum or totally ignored when you try to request help.

Good point. But let's give him the benefit of doubt to see if he comes back with an adjusted attitude or ends up hanging himself.

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socalelect

My po co just started using the wind up string seals too

kbsparky

Did the OP say he was licensed? From what I read, he probably is NOT ...

In Delaware, Delmarva Power has been implementing those smart meters all over the state. One of the servicemen told me that they are catching a lot of "weekend warriors" doing unlicensed and unauthorized work over the weekends, since the new meters are reporting whenever the power has been interrupted.

Basically, they confiscate the meter, and even disconnect the lines at the pole (if necessary), and inform the homeowner they need a proper inspection card before they will restore power.

Leaves `em in the dark LOL

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-KB

Life is uncertain -- eat dessert first!

Davethewave

Hypothetically, Service entrance conductors fail on a Friday night. You get an emergency call Saturday morning. You visit the site and determine there has been a failure behind the meter socket. The service is single phase with a bare neutral conductor and the phone call is from a friend. A. Call the utility Co. who shows up and says that they need a city permit before they will reconnect power. City permit takes 48 hours and utility takes another 24 hours. Result = No power for 5 days and a lot of warm beer. :-( or B. Pull the meter replace the sub feed and have a cold beer by 2:00. Ethically, it is probably best to play by the rules ( government and utilities hold all the cards ). I am sure most that use this forum are capable and competent. Sometimes you just have to " Getter Done "

TOOL_5150

if the OP's POCO is PGE, then just do it.. they dont care. Ive pulled hundreds of smart meters, and not once have they ever shown up.

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Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.

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