Better Call Saul

Quote: AZDuffman

[Turn off the main breaker and there is no power goes into anything,

In a perfect world that would be true. Breakers fail, leak and they have a lifespan. A lot of electrical stuff we think will last forever, seems to die at around 20 years of age.

I have seen some amazing power leaks in a heavily salt contaminated environment. Also lots of tricky wiring out and about.

I worked on several utility crews whose job it was, to figure out how people were stealing electricity. I thought about writing a book " 50 ways to steal power", for entertainment purposes only.

I have seen some older places with two breaker panels. Tripping one set of breakers wouldn't have stopped the meter from spinning.

Quote: petroglyph

Turn off the main breaker and there is no power goes into anything,In a perfect world that would be true. Breakers fail, leak and they have a lifespan. .

My bro in law is an electrical engineer, head
of his dept at a major US factory complex.
He says breakers suck, they have given him
shocks from failing more times than he
can count. He says the old fuse system
was better, either a fuse was working
or it wasn't. When it wasn't it was impossible
for juice to thru it. Not so with a breaker.
He says fuses are safer in houses too, but
nobody will sell you insurance if you have
a fusebox. Even tho it's safer than breakers.

Quote: Evenbob

My bro in law is an electrical engineer, head
of his dept at a major US factory complex.
He says breakers suck, they have given him
shocks from failing more times than he
can count. He says the old fuse system
was better, either a fuse was working
or it wasn't. When it wasn't it was impossible
for juice to thru it. Not so with a breaker.
He says fuses are safer in houses too, but
nobody will sell you insurance if you have
a fusebox. Even tho it's safer than breakers.

One of work rules we had was, we had to have a "visible open", before grounding or working on stuff. A breaker isn't a visible open, a fuse is. There are just to many ways for a system to become re-energized, remotely or with scada to trust breakers. Especially the kind that have antennae on them.

Quote: Evenbob

He says fuses are safer in houses too, but
nobody will sell you insurance if you have
a fusebox. Even tho it's safer than breakers.

Weird, how did I buy mine when I bought my house then?

Quote: petroglyph

In a perfect world that would be true. Breakers fail, leak and they have a lifespan. A lot of electrical stuff we think will last forever, seems to die at around 20 years of age.

I forget, didn't he pull the breaker out of the panel?

Quote: petroglyph

There are just to many ways for a system to become re-energized, remotely or with scada to trust breakers.

Scada ??

Quote: AZDuffman

Weird, how did I buy mine when I bought my house then?

Where I live an insurance co won't even
talk to you if you have fuses. They might
laugh, in fact.

Quote: AZDuffman

Weird, how did I buy mine when I bought my house then?

Yeah, I forget as well. There is a big panel near the back door with the wire ends just airborne and willy nilly without breakers IIRC? The last several places I worked, there has to be a main breaker outside the house, [for fire crews] and then the panel can be indoors. I think that is how Chucks house was set up?

Kenarman would know more about this than I.

I recall toward the end Chuck beat the meter base, I think with a bat, and knocked the meter out of its socket. That should have isolated the house.

Quote: Fleastiff

Scada ??

Hi voltage remote controls. Operates Yuge breakers and equipment.

Quote: petroglyph

Yeah, I forget as well. There is a big panel near the back door with the wire ends just airborne and willy nilly without breakers IIRC? The last several places I worked, there has to be a main breaker outside the house, [for fire crews] and then the panel can be indoors. I think that is how Chucks house was set up?

Not sure where you are, but that may be a western thing. In AZ the breakers were outside the house, I assume because of weather permitting. Here in the east the line comes from the meter right inside to the breaker or fuse box.

Quote:

I recall toward the end Chuck beat the meter base, I think with a bat, and knocked the meter out of its socket. That should have isolated the house.

I think it did then he went to bed. I will not miss him.