480sparky

Been having a lot of service calls lately for Loss of Power. Turns out, it's because of loose jaws in the meter sockets. I typically take a pair of Channies and squeeze them back together, but sometimes this is only a temporary fix........ six weeks later, I'm back.

I've seen clamps that are used on fuses that tighten the blades onto the fuse ends: Does a similar clip exist for meter jaws? It would have to be mounted above/below the jaw to allow for the meter to be inserted.

__________________
In winter, why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?

mcclary's electrical

I've found that the guts from the millbanks they sell at hom depot fit in dominions meter bases. I don't have to swap the whole can.

480sparky

Sockets are 60's era, no name on them.

__________________
In winter, why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?

electricalwiz

My local poco has clips like that but I never seen them for sale

__________________
'I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies"
Thomas Jefferson

kbsparky

Time to replace those meter boxes/guts.

Squeezing those jaws back together is only a temporary fix at best. Once the temper is gone, those type of repairs won't last.

__________________
-KB

Life is uncertain -- eat dessert first!

mcclary's electrical

I would schedule to meet the power company out there, and they will normally have parts on their trucks.

leland

Good Idea, but given the age of the socket,probably nut & bolt,so the can has to come off any way.

wildleg

replace

__________________
As President Roosevelt said: "We have nothing to fear but fear itself. And Chuck Norris. And 滿口胡言. And Grabthar's hammer. And Gort. and 江南 Style. and rotting in the street and Zombies . . . and Wayne Griffen "

SEREMan2000

an even easier fix is to tell the power company to stop pulling the meters on house when customers dont pay.

Bulldog1

Duke stopped supplying meters here years ago. I save the guts out of the old meters we take out for emergency repairs like you do.

Cletis

2 polaris vice grips would solve that problem

__________________
www.cletiselectric.com

480sparky

It's not POCO equipment, so they won't touch them.

__________________
In winter, why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?

480sparky

Right. Like I'm gonna tell the POCO how to run their business. What do you think I am..... a union?

__________________
In winter, why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?

davis9

I twist them from the inside with my beater screwdriver forcing the arm back out. Then re-squeeze with Channel locks.

Tom

Stab&Shoot

Permit for disconnect-reconnect. Replace meter can. Easy 12-15 hundred bucks and ...............wait for it..............no call backs or liability!!! Easy one!

Magnettica

I would do my best to make the repair and if the problem persisted it would have to be replaced. We install a lot of 5-jaw meter pans here because they [POCO] like to measure the neutral current too.

CADPoint

Metal once deformed; this work is done at the smallest level of the metal structure-level, nothing can be done to correct this!

Once this change has happened, one has changed the properties of the orginial charactertics of the metal.

InPhase277

I bet you can find a new jaw from a meter socket and use it as a spring over the old jaw to hold it tight.

thegoodelectrician

Last year I had a job working for our utility replacing meter sockets, and repairing them as they went through and replaced all their meters with the automated reading type. I found alot of different sockets, and diminished my supply of used parts, however one thing the meter manufacturer asked me before I was awarded the project is what would I do if I came to a socket that had loose jaws. I said my first try would be to squeeze them back together, and then replace them if they would not stay together. They told me NEVER to squeeze them back together because their new meters would burn up the connection if the jaws were not the right strength. It has proven to be true, because a year after all the meters were finished, there is alot of meter sockets and new meters burned up. The contractor they hired to actually install the meters, used temp workers to replace the meters, and they squeezed alot of the jaws together.

LARMGUY

Good to know inormation. Thanks.

__________________
There are 10 types of people.
Those who understand binary and those who don't.