RabbleRouser it actually started at Transformer on the pole. There’s no other way I can figure out every light in my house comes on at the same time goes double bright for 30 seconds and then goes bang. You had to energize the neutral. I still have the main shut off switch that’s actually arced and welded open.. I agree totally that overstepping bounds is ridiculous and happens too often under guise of safety!
Electrician stopped by this morning and changed out the main breaker. Looks like the main feed could be 100 amp but in order to change out the entire panel and feed, new ground rods, inspections I'm looking at $2500 ish. The feed wire did show some signs of corrision/patina buildup as well as the bus bars. All were scraped and greased to help prevent future issues. Time will tell.
In Maryland if you do a service increase and do not have it inspected you will find yourself without power if the municipality or power company finds out about it and it won’t be re energized until said inspection happens. With smart meters your asking to get caught. I can’t speak for areas outside my franchise area but can’t imagine harry home owner can legally do a heavy up without an inspection...
When I bought this house in 2018, the house had an old Square D XO panel from the 50s, with a Wadsworth panel scabbed into the garage. I called the county, asked about a permit, inspector told me how much to make the check out for and said I could start work whenever I wanted. Power company came and took the drop off the house (needed to have that done anyway to have a bunch of trees dropped). Ripped all the old stuff out, and ended up rewiring over half of the house after I dug into it and saw things that could have been published in ‘Future House Fires Magazine’. I put in a new 100 amp panel, two ground rods, and a generator transfer switch. No need for 200 amp here. All major appliances are gas, no central air. Called the inspector who came out, spent about 5 minutes looking at it, signed off and called the power company to reconnect service. With permits, panel, breakers, crapload of wire and everything else I was I into it for about $800. House didn’t have power for about 10 days, but we weren’t living here yet so it was no big deal.
Certainly sounds like a neutral short but the ones in the transformer are usually accompanied by a sound like a canon being fired. Could have been on the service drop or even at the meter. If it was their equipment that caused it, hope you sent them a hefty bill.
That blast is a primary fuse blowing. Dimming or flickering lights is a tell tale sign of an open neutral on the utility side. The utility should be held accountable.
I trashed the breakers and took the panel to a guy near me who recycles scrap. One of the breakers had tripped and wouldn’t reset. The back of that breaker had melted. How that didn’t start a fire still amazes me, but I knew what I was getting into when I bought the place. Thought I had a picture of that breaker, but only had pics of the panel with the cover on and cover off. To make it better, the water pipes for the tub/shower were right behind it. Reason number two for getting rid of that. I kept all the Wadsworth breakers for some reason. That panel was in better shape, but nothing I wanted to keep around. If anyone needs some various one or two pole Wadsworth breakers, let me know. The house before this one had two Federal Pacific panels, main in the garage and a subpanel in the basement. Those both went away before I moved in. I must have some draw to houses with substandard electrical service.
Ah the old Federal Pacific Electric - FPE, otherwise known as Fire Potential Extreme. If any of you have these panels, they have breakers with orange ends on the switch, labeled Stab-lok, they are a death trap, get rid of it immediately.
Read all the posts MMMMMMM permits??? never really looked into had a private pole in the middle of my yard removed it buried conduit when I had to replace the pole between my self and neighbors house (we have 2 poles from the street) peco said they were our problem so I put up new pole ran new wires from pole to the house replaced the meter panel and upgraded to 200 amp panel I had a ugly 60 amp fuse box with 2 uglier fuse sub panels my neighbor is a electrican so he climbed the new pole and moved the service over to my new setup put the meter back in we did everything in one weekend now I have a nice panel and a buried service to the house the whole job was about 900.00 in materials JB
proved it by continuity on old wires, Lawyer said as insurance covered my losses I was not an injured party
