Hey Sparkles - Part II

[oldman]

Actually im pretty sure they are stainless.

NO

 

[oldman]

The actual ring is cheap ass steel. It has a stainless ball bearing inside the barrel. Attacking the barrel just causes you more trouble.

 

[JUSTWANNARACE]

The actual ring is cheap ass steel. It has a stainless ball bearing inside the barrel. Attacking the barrel just causes you more trouble.

All the ones they install here are stainless

 

[oldman]

All the ones they install here are stainless

If they are gold they are carbon steel

If they are silver they are stainless

Both made by Inner-Tite Edison has used both, but your right lately they have primarily gone to Stainless.

 

[monkeyswrench]

i tryed this once and one of the wire hit the back of the bar that the breaker hooks on whole street went out and probly at least 4 edison trucks were there 10 minutes after that had to eat a little crow with them but at least they let me finnish changing the breaker

I did good on that side, I was scared shitless I was going to screw up everything for the neighborhood. I can tell you insulated gloves probably would have been a good idea though. Kids and wife were heading out, and I'd spent the night on the boat...it was F'n miserable in the place.

 

[MPHSystems]

Classic RDP style in the flip fops

Needs black socks.

 

[MPHSystems]

sawzall wont cut it. torch will melt the plastic meter a piece of sheet metal by the meter and grinder small cuts only way

I cut 16 meter rings on 1 job. HOA near the beach, sprinkler peds had rusted away and were falling over. PG&E said their tech was afraid to walk in the bushes couldn’t find them. I just cut them and used the seal rings that came with the new peds. I never heard nothing about it.

 

[Melloyellovector]

I mean in litterally every way pulling the meter is safer than changing a 200 or 400amp main breaker live that’s bolted down with 2/0+ aluminum conductors fed into it lol.

mehhhh older home likely 100amp, like playing real life operation easy peasy
or if Edison taking to long, throw an old screw driver across contacts and short the entire neighborhood out, they’ll get there pretty quick. Lol

 

[MPHSystems]

If you couldn't get that off with a sawzall you're not very good at doing bad things

I’ve worn out at least 6 sawzalls in my career. Sawzall is the wrong tool for the job. The ring slides around the meter socket. Sawzalls jump.


if all I had was a sawzall to cut a meter ring, I would drive to Home Depot and buy an angle grinder. I’m not going to scratch up someone’s service or break a meter because I didn’t have the correct tool with me.

 

[JUSTWANNARACE]

I’ve worn out at least 6 sawzalls in my career. Sawzall is the wrong tool for the job. The ring slides around the meter socket. Sawzalls jump.


if all I had was a sawzall to cut a meter ring, I would drive to Home Depot and buy an angle grinder. I’m not going to scratch up someone’s service or break a meter because I didn’t have the correct tool with me.

They, the three that i mentioned, are all the wrong tool for the job. But they will all get you in. If you are wanting to use the correct tool you would need the key

 

[JUSTWANNARACE]

They, the three that i mentioned, are all the wrong tool for the job. But they will all get you in. If you are wanting to use the correct tool you would need the key

A sawzall right about where the red line is will pop the ring.

 

[MPHSystems]

A sawzall right about where the red line is will pop the ring.

View attachment 1505571

Have you ever even used a sawzall? A cutoff wheel is absolutely the correct tool for cutting that metal ring. How, exactly, do you plan on getting the sawzall blade on the ring? FYI, an actual sawzall has an orbital stroke, how are you going to keep the tip from bouncing off the material?

Could I cut a meter rings with a sawzall? Absolutely 100%.

Would I cut a meter ring with a sawzall? No fucking way.

 

[JUSTWANNARACE]

Have you ever even used a sawzall? A cutoff wheel is absolutely the correct tool for cutting that metal ring. How, exactly, do you plan on getting the sawzall blade on the ring? FYI, an actual sawzall has an orbital stroke, how are you going to keep the tip from bouncing off the material?

Could I cut a meter rings with a sawzall? Absolutely 100%.

Would I cut a meter ring with a sawzall? No fucking way.


View attachment 1505604

No I have never used a sawzall. Educate me PLEASE master!!

 

[JUSTWANNARACE]

Have you ever even used a sawzall? A cutoff wheel is absolutely the correct tool for cutting that metal ring. How, exactly, do you plan on getting the sawzall blade on the ring? FYI, an actual sawzall has an orbital stroke, how are you going to keep the tip from bouncing off the material?

Could I cut a meter rings with a sawzall? Absolutely 100%.

Would I cut a meter ring with a sawzall? No fucking way.


View attachment 1505604

Nice red line. I'd start with turning the blade around genius

 

[lbhsbz]

Have you ever even used a sawzall? A cutoff wheel is absolutely the correct tool for cutting that metal ring. How, exactly, do you plan on getting the sawzall blade on the ring? FYI, an actual sawzall has an orbital stroke, how are you going to keep the tip from bouncing off the material?

Could I cut a meter rings with a sawzall? Absolutely 100%.

Would I cut a meter ring with a sawzall? No fucking way.


View attachment 1505604

Its a Sawz-all, not a Sawz-some.

Just remove the foot and flip the blade or use a longer blade or whatever.

 

[MPHSystems]

Its a Sawz-all, not a Sawz-some.

Just remove the foot and flip the blade or use a longer blade or whatever.

Tell me you don’t know how to use a sawzall without saying: “I don’t know how to use a sawzall”


The first time I catch you removing a safety feature from a power tool to do something stupid you get sent home for the day. 2nd time you get terminated for cause.

 

[MPHSystems]

Nice red line. I'd start with turning the blade around genius

So the blade orbits on the down stroke? SMFH You still won’t get all the way the through the lock before bottoming out the saw and damaging the crap out of their stucco and the service high likelihood of damaging the meter. I will say this, I am impressed with your commitment to stupidity.

 

[CLdrinker]

Just go off grid.

 

[JUSTWANNARACE]

So the blade orbits on the down stroke? SMFH You still won’t get all the way the through the lock before bottoming out the saw and damaging the crap out of their stucco and the service high likelihood of damaging the meter. I will say this, I am impressed with your commitment to stupidity.

I am impressed at your lack of ability to use a sawzall. Should I just bow to you now? Lol

And if you belive all sawzalls are "orbital" then I'm impressed at your lack of knowledge of the tool! If so you are buying cheap shit

 

[MPHSystems]

Put the blade in backwards

This you?

Still won’t work

 

[sprintcvx]

If you've used a sawsall over many years, you can practically do surgery with it.. Not sure why I'm still reading this thread..

 

[Bigbore500r]

Classic RDP style in the flip fops

600V rated....so long as they aren't wet

 

[MPHSystems]

If you've used a sawsall over many years, you can practically do surgery with it.. Not sure why I'm still reading this thread..

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Generally sawzall is for cutting rough building materials and seldom is it for finish materials. It is designed for fast rough cuts. I don’t know if you have ever cut one of these locking rings but they slide around the collar. You would need some way of securing the ring to the service to keep it from moving. Without the shoe engage, it’s pure mussel to keep the blade from pulling the saw toward the service or stucco on the up stroke and bouncing off. I can plunge cut into CDX with ease and probably could get the ring off with a sawzall. But I wouldn’t.

 

[oldman]

If the only cutting tool you have in your garage is a Sawzall you don't have much of a garage.
If your on a jobsite and that's all you brought.
Then use it.
Grinder is the preferred tool.

But some guys work harder than smarter.

 

[hallett21]

lol my morning find

 

[Orange Juice]

lol my morning find

View attachment 1505766

“Sorry, I dropped a few screws. Not sure what I did with the blank. It didn’t have a hole for the breaker.”

 

[hallett21]

“Sorry, I dropped a few screws. Not sure what I did with the blank. It didn’t have a hole for the breaker.”

The amount of anger and force this took vs just removing it lol.

 

[oldman]

The amount of anger and force this took vs just removing it lol. View attachment 1505768 View attachment 1505769

Tweakers?

 

[WYRD]

Tweakers?

Yep looks pretty tweaked to me

 

[hallett21]

Tweakers?

It’s on a horse property pretty far from the street. I only found it because the excavator installing drains hit a different line in the same cabinet.

All the guys who work the property say “it’s been like that for a long time” lol.

Gotta go find the other end of it sometime today

 

[LazyLavey]

This being Sparkles

 

[Nordie]

Electrical threads are still way more entertaining than Union threads

Reciprocating saw...

 

[rivermobster]

Replaceed every breaker in there. Won't happen again in my lifetime!

 

[oldman]

Replaceed every breaker in there. Won't happen again in my lifetime!



View attachment 1505987

Don't be so sure, It's still all the same old buss work behind those new breakers.

 

[oldman]

I should be more clear, If any of the breakers were burnt, and compromised the buss in any way, that buss will smoke the new breakers you installed in that location, Usually if the buss has pits, move to a new vacant location.

 

[rivermobster]

Don't be so sure, It's still all the same old buss work behind those new breakers.

Dude...

Scotch-Brite and dialectic grease for the win.



Did I mention that I had a friend who's a lineman?

 

[oldman]

Dude...

Scotch-Brite and dialectic grease for the win.



Did I mention that I had a friend who's a lineman?

dielectric grease is not conductive; it is an electrical insulator designed to protect connections from moisture and corrosion. It should be applied to the outside of electrical connections, not between them, to ensure good conductivity.

 

[oldman]

You should have used conductive grease.

your Lineman friend should know better

40 years experience.

 

[rivermobster]

dielectric grease is not conductive; it is an electrical insulator designed to protect connections from moisture and corrosion. It should be applied to the outside of electrical connections, not between them, to ensure good conductivity.

Isn't that the whole point, to keep this from happening again? No corrosion, no issues.

Like I said, this will definitely last longer than me.

 

[rivermobster]

You should have used conductive grease.

your Lineman friend should know better

40 years experience.

He wasn't here when I replaced em all.

The 100amp one went in dry, and it's staying that way!

 

[hallett21]

Isn't that the whole point, to keep this from happening again? No corrosion, no issues.

Like I said, this will definitely last longer than me.

The bussbars/breaker connection can begin to fail from corrosion or from arcing between the two devices (typically a melted breaker or worn out forks). Non conductive grease in theory inhibits the connection between the two.

We can now argue the legitimacy of that over the next 4 hours.

Side note on my journey today I made a friend. Now on the search for the junction box between Captain Ron’s excavating and this transformer. H1,H2,H3 to each other all have zero volts. Individually to ground I’m at 285.

 

[oldman]

He wasn't here when I replaced em all.

The 100amp one went in dry, and it's staying that way!

Seriously you should be fine. I'm horrible about worst case scenarios

 

[Taboma]

Dude...

Scotch-Brite and dialectic grease for the win.



Did I mention that I had a friend who's a lineman?

Dieelectric grease or Nolox that is or was typically used for aluminum connections ? Nolox is what's commonly used and is conductive and protective.

 

[rivermobster]

Seriously you should be fine. I'm horrible about worst case scenarios

Dieelectric grease or Nolox that is or was typically used for aluminum connections ? Nolox is what's commonly used and is conductive and protective.

Back when cars had plug wires...

The manufacturer Required DG in both end of the wires, for all the obvious reasons.

Never saw any issues steming from that, so I made an executive decision to put a touch at the buss bar connections.

I'm pretty sure I'll be fine.

 

[oldman]

Back when cars had plug wires...

The manufacturer Required DG in both end of the wires, for all the obvious reasons.

Never saw any issues steming from that, so I made an executive decision to put a touch at the buss bar connections.

I'm pretty I'll be fine.

The call for DG was to seal the boot to the plug or cap for water intrusion under the hood, We use DG in under ground components as a sealant not for conductivity. All of The conductive lugs are filled with a gritty NOLOX type grease, same with overhead conductors. The utility also buys wheel bearing grease in 5 gallon buckets, the guys carry in little jars with a brush.

Scotchbrite and a new breaker should last you a long time.

 

[Taboma]

Back when cars had plug wires...

The manufacturer Required DG in both end of the wires, for all the obvious reasons.

Never saw any issues steming from that, so I made an executive decision to put a touch at the buss bar connections.

I'm pretty I'll be fine.

Post that shit on MikeHolt.com and that could generate 50 pages of sparkys expounding on why mechanics should stay in their own lane.
Now you've got an ole lineman schooling yo-ass, so my job here is done. Next time use Nolox, that's what it's made for as it serves both purposes --- but DO NOT use it on spark plug boots because where it goes, so does electricity.
I'm pretty sure you'll be fine too.

 

[rivermobster]

Post that shit on MikeHolt.com and that could generate 50 pages of sparkys expounding on why mechanics should stay in their own lane.
Now you've got an ole lineman schooling yo-ass, so my job here is done. Next time use Nolox, that's what it's made for as it serves both purposes --- but DO NOT use it on spark plug boots because where it goes, so does electricity.
I'm pretty sure you'll be fine too.

It's definitely two different worlds.

I know enough to get myself in trouble when it comes to AC. But I'm also not afraid to ask (Stoopid) questions.

 

[Taboma]

It's definitely two different worlds.

I know enough to get myself in trouble when it comes to AC. But I'm also not afraid to ask (Stoopid) questions.

If you think us RDP boaters argue, step into the Wide World of Sparky forums, which makes various religious faiths and denominations arguing over holy manuscripts seem like a big kumbaya love festival.

 

[wishiknew]

Replaceed every breaker in there. Won't happen again in my lifetime!



View attachment 1505987

What happened to the lock ring??? And where is the screw that holds the panel breaker cover on ???

 

[Kachina26]

What happened to the lock ring??? And where is the screw that holds the panel breaker cover on ???

Legend has it, a sawzall took care of it.