Any electricians on here?

[Dusty Stevens]

Since 99% of panels have the grounds connected to the neutral bar yes they are one in the same. Until a serviceman gets over there to see what the issue is everything here is just a guess. Calling an electrician is going to get you back in the same spot and we’ll be talking about it again next year.

 

[TrxR]

Since 99% of panels have the grounds connected to the neutral bar yes they are one in the same. Until a serviceman gets over there to see what the issue is everything here is just a guess. Calling an electrician is going to get you back in the same spot and we’ll be talking about it again next year.

I seriously doubt they will send a serviceman as their standard response is its your problem and try to tell you how to use your appliances . They tried it the other day on the phone before they finally agreed to send out paperwork to apply to get the meter tested.

They went on and on that we are using the oven too much, thats a laugh as the oven hasnt worked in 6 months. Then they tried telling use we must have a faulty baseboard heater, well we don't have any.

So i guess we will have to get the meter tested and see if anything changes. They say if it test to be fine they will charge us 60.00 . If it tests bad no charge. If that doesn't change anything we will have to keep pushing.

I have tested a theory before by having only the exact same things running in the house and for several hours only use 1-2kw an hour then with the exact same things running it will go to enywhere between 4-10 kw an hour.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Id pay the $60 that way youll know. When the guy shows up see if he has any ideas

 

[TrxR]

Id pay the $60 that way youll know. When the guy shows up see if he has any ideas

I got no problem with paying the $60 especially if it gives me any answers.

Im hoping they send a senior tech out to swap the meter out but they will probably send the leaet experienced tech they have.

I did find out they send the meters to a third party for testing though.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I got no problem with paying the $60 especially if it gives me any answers.

Im hoping they send a senior tech out to swap the meter out but they will probably send the leaet experienced tech they have.

I did find out they send the meters to a third party for testing though.

Usually the meter techs are the lowest of the low on experience where a service man is the one with the answers. We farm our meter swaps out to honeywell and they pay $15/hr to the top guys.

 

[Dodge61]

The utility/power company most likely has to use a third party/independent company to check the meter, otherwise it would be somewhat of a controversial situation. I do not understand the unwillingness that you describe as to their not wanting to send a serviceman out and check. Believe me an experienced serviceman will know what to look for.
Post number 31 is mine. I am only trying to help you out in this situation, and don't have an axe to grind. I have been doing this "exact" thing for soon be 35 years, and if you will read Post 31 it explains what needs to be checked. There is NO WAY that your neighbors can affect your power bill or usage and usage is what your bill is. KWH stands for Killowatt Hours. Kilo being one thousand, therefore one KWH is approximately equivalent to one 1000 watt bulb turned on for one hour. Or ten 100 watt bulbs turned on for one hour so on so forth.
One last thing, the neutral is a current carrying conductor, it carries any unbalance between the two hot wires. The ground wire is there for protection in case a fault occurs and to bond equipment. If the neutral gets broken and you get in series with it " one end in one hand and the other end in the other hand" it can be deadly. This is not so for the ground wire unless the neutral is not making connection back to the electrical system.

 

[J.d. Popkes]

Ask him if he’s got a piece of equipment called the beast or super beast. To test his side, and possibly your side if he’s able to hook on. Takes 2 minutes. It’ll tell ya real quick. Same as the hairdryer in theory but for both legs. Be real nice and don’t come at him with too many ideas, just let him test. I bet you’ll get the desired results. Coffee, cookies, it all helps

 

[TrxR]

The utility/power company most likely has to use a third party/independent company to check the meter, otherwise it would be somewhat of a controversial situation. I do not understand the unwillingness that you describe as to their not wanting to send a serviceman out and check. Believe me an experienced serviceman will know what to look for.
Post number 31 is mine. I am only trying to help you out in this situation, and don't have an axe to grind. I have been doing this "exact" thing for soon be 35 years, and if you will read Post 31 it explains what needs to be checked. There is NO WAY that your neighbors can affect your power bill or usage and usage is what your bill is. KWH stands for Killowatt Hours. Kilo being one thousand, therefore one KWH is approximately equivalent to one 1000 watt bulb turned on for one hour. Or ten 100 watt bulbs turned on for one hour so on so forth.
One last thing, the neutral is a current carrying conductor, it carries any unbalance between the two hot wires. The ground wire is there for protection in case a fault occurs and to bond equipment. If the neutral gets broken and you get in series with it " one end in one hand and the other end in the other hand" it can be deadly. This is not so for the ground wire unless the neutral is not making connection back to the electrical system.

I dont know what their unwillingness is all about but its there.

Weve been keeping an eye on the meter and what is running in the the house for two months now and it isnt making any sense.

One day last week I went around the house and shut everything down other than the fridge, and freezer. No one was in the house for 2.5 hours and in that time the meter read no usage. The next day we did the exact same thing and it read 10KwH of usage.

For the first 13 days last month we used 330KwH. Then it read that we used 616 in the next 2 days.

I dont mind paying for a serviceman if they can figure out where the problem is. Having a higher bill in the summer with less stuff running and less time in the house than the bill in the winter when running heat doesn't make any sense.

We wouldnt have 10 100watt bulbs in the house and most are led now. We dont use hair dryers, their is no electric baseboard heaters. Im just getting frustrated.

 

[spclark]

OK so rather than me read back through this entire thread, have you tried opening your MAIN PANEL BREAKER for an hour or six, see if the meter records any current flow during that time?

Dodge61's right that the company supplying your power is responsible for everything up to and including the meter on your service. What you're seeing has nothing to do with what's happening upstream from your meter.

But the box the meter's mounted on is yours, as is everything downstream from there.

If opening your MAIN BREAKER shows no current flow at the meter during the interval yet does once closed while nothing at all is operating as usual, the problem's yours for the fixing.

If with the MAIN BREAKER open you still see current passing through the meter, the problem may be between your meter's socket and your service panel, again for you to get fixed.

Unless of course the meter itself is bad.

Electricity, like water, will find a way to flow if there's a path for it. Problem being that if it's not flowing where it's supposed to it can do serious harm, just like water... but it's not as easy to diagnose where the 'leak' is.

 

[TrxR]

What I dont get is how I could got 13 days and only use 330 KW according to the meter than use 600 in 2 days? I didnt do anything different and what in the world could possibly use 300KW a day?

Also how could one day use 0KW for 2.5 hrs and the next day use 10KW in 2.5hrs with the same appliances running and no one in the house?

 

[markT]

I had a situation that my light would dim all the time.. I installed a new meter base weather head and wire.. Same problem... Then one day a tree fell on neighbors service entry wire and when the power company guys came out I went over and talked with them. I looked and the neutral wire was cut into that ran across neighbors yard I pointed it out to the guys. They replaced the entire line with a larger wire and new neutral wire.. All the problems wen away..
In your case I think I would follow Dodge61 recommendation... I'd say you got something pulling power like a water heater or well pump that you don't know when they are on.. Step by step you can find the problem(s).... Good luck..

 

[JohnJ73]

I don't know if you have city water or a well. If you have a well, your pump may be short cycling. Google well pump short cycling.

 

[Deleted outa08]

Ask him if he’s got a piece of equipment called the beast or super beast. To test his side, and possibly your side if he’s able to hook on. Takes 2 minutes. It’ll tell ya real quick. Same as the hairdryer in theory but for both legs. Be real nice and don’t come at him with too many ideas, just let him test. I bet you’ll get the desired results. Coffee, cookies, it all helps

Thanks for that little memory jog. I have tried to remember the test equipment we used. The beast was the best,we made load boxes out of heating coils in the old days but went with the beast when we came out of the 19th century. That would help in TrxR situation. Jeff

 

[clunker]

I dont know what their unwillingness is all about but its there.

Weve been keeping an eye on the meter and what is running in the the house for two months now and it isnt making any sense.

One day last week I went around the house and shut everything down other than the fridge, and freezer. No one was in the house for 2.5 hours and in that time the meter read no usage. The next day we did the exact same thing and it read 10KwH of usage.

For the first 13 days last month we used 330KwH. Then it read that we used 616 in the next 2 days.

I dont mind paying for a serviceman if they can figure out where the problem is. Having a higher bill in the summer with less stuff running and less time in the house than the bill in the winter when running heat doesn't make any sense.

We wouldnt have 10 100watt bulbs in the house and most are led now. We dont use hair dryers, their is no electric baseboard heaters. Im just getting frustrated.

Not an electrician, but I've done lots of electrical stuff. I think your post brings up a red flag.

If I understand correctly, you shut power to the house other than the fridge and freezer on two occasions. The first time there was no usage, and the second time there was lots of usage. I suspect you should look at your fridge and freezer. Both use a cooling system that tends to degrade over time, and both of them only draw current for short durations. My guess is that in your first run, both units were not active, but in your second test, one or both of the units were active. I have a chest freezer in the garage that has been unplugged for years after I discovered that it was drawing a lot more current than it was rated for. My monthly bill dropped $35.

I didn't read the entire thread, but someone may have already suggested that you get a cheap clamp meter. It will tell you if one circuit is responsible for the power draw. It's the tool I used to track down my faulty chest freezer. Good luck!