meter lugs burning up

[codeworks]

i've only been down here a year, but i see an awful lot of burned u/out services and meter cans, which is almost unheard of up north (cold! country, vt) any ides as to why ?. i don't get to see them before they are changed out, but i can think that improper torque of bolts on lugs might do it, improper wire sizing for ambient air temperatures ( it gets wicked hot here, south west of austin,tx), lack of noalox on aluminium condutors, expansion and contraction from heat /usage over time can play havock with aluminium also.

 

[Gregg Harris]

I have found that over and under torque both lead to burnt lugs. I have watched individuals in the field pop fuses out of the disconnect with a screwdriver and bend the holder and reinstall a new fuse then return to the unit in a few days for blown a fuse.

 

[chris kennedy]

I would guess the majority of the services your seeing replaced are 40+ yrs old. Thats pretty standard here were it is hot and humid.

 

[Frank]

Another factor is that increased loads have been put on the old services when people added or upsized air conditioning or went to heat pump with electric strips to replace old oil fired furnace.

 

[codeworks]

this particular one was very old, from the 50's i'd quess by the mater can. gut fell out of it when poco pulled the meter!