Loss of electrical power in half of a home traced to electric meter damage:

This article describes the loss of power in one side of an electrical panel due to an overheated connection in the electric meter base.

The electric meter itself burned and parts of its main electrical power connectors melted (photo above) principally because of a poor copper-to-aluminum wire connection in the meter base.

Photo at page top: an electrical utility worker from CFE is removing the electric meter to diagnose why electrical power was lost in one half of the electrical panel for this building.

This article series also discusses the visual inspection of electrical meters & meter bases & explains how to estimate the electrical service size, (or "electrical power" or "service amps") at a building by visual examination of the service entry cables, electric meter and meter base, electrical service panel, main switch, & other details.

Aluminum-to-Copper SEC Connection Leads to Electric Meter Burn-Up Failure

In a case similar to the U.S. electric meter burn damage reported by a California reader at ELECTRIC METER ARC BURN POWER LOSS, below I illustrate a wiring connection overheat that resulted in melting electric meter parts and loss of electrical power in one side of the electrical panel of a home in central Mexico.

A call to the utility company brought service workers who quickly found the problem. Here are the electric meter and electric meter base showing that the meter and meter base connectors had burned and melted.

When electrical power was lost on some of the circuits in the home, a simple digital VOM test in the electrical panel found that all of the power on one side of the electric panel was off.

This electrical panel is supplied by two separate 120VAC electric meters, each providing power to half of the panel and together providing 240VAC power.

The dual-service dual-meter system is used in cities where electric utility rates are set in plateaus of usage. Splitting electrical use across two billing accounts can, in that case, reduce the total electrical utility bill. It also meant that when the meter failed, only half of the home's electricity was lost.

Below my photo shows the burned, melted electric meter base connector parts that were removed from the meter base during repairs.

It appears that the aluminum SEC wire, connected also to a copper wire that ran from the meter base inside to the electrical panel, overheated, leading to arc burning and ultimately melted connections.

CFE workers take care to tighten the electrical connectors but they do not use an anti-oxidant on the freshly-stripped aluminum conductor.

I suspect that the connector joining the aluminum SEC, the copper feed wire between the meter base and the electric panel, and the connector itself all overheated to cause melting and arc-burning until the connection failed completely.

Below: The CFE worker is installing a new meter base connector into the existing meter socket. You can see the second electric meter of the pair at the left in this photo.

Luckily buildings in this local are typically constructed of adobe or concrete. When an electrical connector or wire overheats, the most common experience is a loss of electrical power rather than a catastrophic building fire. In a wood-framed structure or where combustible materials are close to the overheating components, the fire risk would probably be greater.

In any event possible failure and electrical shock hazards remain when electrical components fail.

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

Question: bad lug in the meter pan ?

My electrical company said that there was a bad lug in the meter pan but I didn't actually see it.

Do you have information at InspectApedia.com about how to detect or diagnose a bad electric meter connection that might cause flickering lights or intermittent power loss?

Thanks! [paraphrased by editor] - Anonymous by private email 2020/03/04

Reply:

You might see flickering lights or you might lose power but visual inspection is really what's needed. The electrician will look for a bad connection that's loose, corroded, or otherwise damaged and she may also check for damaged service entry wiring.

Reader follow-up:

Thanks! Is there a good resource where I can find an electrical contractor who specializes in lugs? Or can a general electrician do the job?

Reply:

Any licensed electrician who installs electric meters and panels can do what you need. 

Send me photos of what you find and let me know what you're told and I can comment further. 

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Continue reading  at ELECTRIC METERS & METER BASES - topic home, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• ELECTRIC METERS & METER BASES - home
• ELECTRIC METER ARC BURN POWER LOSS
• ELECTRIC METER OVERHEAT AL to CU WIRING
• ELECTRIC METER RUNS BACKWARDS
• SMART or DIGITAL ELECTRIC METER READINGS
• ELECTRIC POWER LOSS / FLICKERING LIGHTS
• MAIN ELECTRICAL DISCONNECT

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Citations & References

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