NEMA Article alerting to the serious concern that with the implementation of the Automated metering Infrastructure “AMI”, meter box base jaws may not get inspected but once in ten years , relying solely on over temperature alarm from the smart meter itself is the height of negligence as far as MSMA concerned when the risk of catastrophic fire is involved.
“Smart meters are often installed in pre-existing meter sockets. Meter sockets are expected to operate safely for many years. However, the safe operating life of the meter socket may be reduced by many factors including (but not limited to) excessive moisture, environmental contaminants, frequent changing of meters, excessive electrical load (overload or short circuit), vandalism, ground settling, storm damage, and other conditions.
As utilities move toward two-way communications for meters and remote meter reading, the opportunity for inspection of meter sockets is expected to decline. The interval between site visits by utility personnel could be more than 100 times longer than current monthly schedules”
A meter base that has been in service for decades can easily deteriorate to the point that encourages the Hot Socket condition. 1-Utilities should be polled to pool the intel that they have developed during forensic analysis of these conditions. 2-Smart meters should include sensors (temperature, microarcing, etc.) able to flag pre-fire conditions, and all AMI head ends should include the detection of patterns of anomalous sensor data and outage reports from its meters caused by a failing base.
Mass change-out of meters at rates of thousands of meters per day cannot be done by the experienced meter professionals at the utilities. The migrant meter swappers employed for this work must be compensated in a way to encourage the reporting of suspicious bases rather than being paid by the meter.
Ray Hayes - 10/04/2012 - 06:58
SMART METERS ARE FIRE STARTERS
Question? Why is the Meter base box attached to the premises?
Answer! For the convenience of the Meter reader and the ratepayer.
The meter reading can be taken expediently by the Utility Employee and, verified expediently by the ratepayer.
The existence of the Meter base Box, on the side of the premises has ALWAYS presented the risk of a FIRE HAZARD, due to the HOT SOCKET condition from compromised meter base jaws.
Now that AMI is in place, data is calculated and made available on a utility maintained web portal.
The rate is no longer fixed but calculated based on a variety of pricing schemes in effect. Like Peak Rewards, Time of use "TOU" or whatever other method the utilities can dream up with.
With a Smart meter attached to the premises the ratepayer still needs to log on to the WEB portal to see what he/she/it is being charged.
The reading on the smart meter panel is meaningless regarding the actual cost the ratepayer is being charged! The total Kilowatt hours used is a meaningless reading , in view of the multi-rate structure in effect.
In that regard, the Smart meter attached to my house is nothing but a potential fire hazard to me, and it is remnant of antiquity when there was no other alternative.
With AMI there is an alternative. Multi-service smart meters attached to the Utility Pole or underground Feed transformer. One Multi-service meter can record the power consumption of every premise attached to that transformer.
The only reason, single meters are still attached to the ratepayers premises is that because the Utilities are only looking after their own profitability, at the expense and safety of the ratepayer and nothing else.
So we are told we have and advanced smart grid based on an antiquated method of physical installation.
AMI purports to be the SUPER sonic transport, which is built on a Go-Kart chassis!
Now you understand why I have trouble buying a ticket to ride this contraption.
George Karadimas - 10/04/2012 - 07:04
SMART METERS ARE FIRE STARTERS
Please understand that this phenomon is NOT related to Smart Meters.
This is related to the fact that a very large amount of meters are being changed. This same senerio could/would happen even if you pulled the old meter and then put the same meter back in place.
Utilities deal with overheating jaws/contacts of the customer owned meter "can" all the time.
Some meters do in fact have sensors to determine if this "fot socket" condition is starting. This alram is also used to determine that the customer is drawing more current then their service is designed for. Generally the overheating is caused by 3 things. 1. Bad/worg/deteriorated contacts 2. customer upgraded service and did not upgrade wiring from meter can (code violation) 3. cutomer connections at mete can are loose
Randy dotson - 10/04/2012 - 07:16
Really George?
"The only reason, single meters are still attached to the ratepayers premises is that because the Utilities are only looking after their own profitability, at the expense and safety of the ratepayer and nothing else. "
How else do you suggest we deterine the individual users usage, therfore billing, George?
BTW - that has nothing to do with the article subject matter.
Jaw problem in meter sockets is as old as the industry. The "made in China/Mexico/India" problem certainly makes it more likely to happen since I feel that industry testing & certification is not keeping pace with the amount of manufacturing that has been off0shored in the last 20 years.
Out of 10,000 meters my utility has installed, we have only had a few problems like this(less than 10.
My meters are ALL being changed out by our experienced employees.Larger utilities that are employing contract installers may have a larger problem due to the lack of experienced workers doing their changeouts.
Jay Anderson - 10/04/2012 - 07:47
nice comments - but George, you missed one point
George's last comment suggesting a multi-meter configuration up on the pole or in a neighborhood distribution point is very interesting and I concur with the benefits. The problem is your meter has a new purpose, besides of AMI, and that is to act as a wireless portal into your home for ZigBee or 802.11 transmission to your PCT, IHD, BAS, or infividual load devices. By removing the outside, wall mounted meter, you loose the proximity for the utility to reach "beyond the glass" and access your home's demand side management, unless getting in some other way, like Internet access. My point brings fourth the statement smart meters are not causing fires, but corrosion of mounting hardware very well is more the risk. When a 30 or so year meter is replaced, so should the mounting - or as Ray Hayes suggests, at least be professionally inspected.
Gary Sorkin - 10/04/2012 - 08:18
Not a Bad Idea
Mr Karadimas' idea in his longer post above would have advantages for the utility:
1.) Metering could be mounted in a secondary pedestal NOT located inside the customers' "sic 'em Fido" zones.
2.) The utility could more easily off-load responsibility for installing and maintaining the conductor run to the customers' buildings onto developers, builders, and the customers themselves.
3.) The utility would no longer be eating the losses in the service ahead of the meter.
By the way George, your other post about RF effects is just so much pseudo-engineering gibberish. The RF power levels are too low for those kinds of physical effects. If you can't see that, maybe you should wear a tinfoil hat!
Dave Gilmer - 10/04/2012 - 11:39
smart meters and fires
It would be very useful for the rating agencies (i.e. - UL) who badges these meters to do some testing of the meters on sockets in various conditions and establish a performance metric based on their testing. Given the number of meters to be installed in the next decade, this could be very useful.
Matt Lampe - 10/04/2012 - 17:21
SMART METERS ARE FIRE STARTERS
In Re: "Really George?" I would not expect any thing less from an Industry Shill! Yes You are all doing such a perfect job, so much so that the world is up in arms against the smart meter roll out!
http://emfsafetynetwork.org/?page_id=1280
And according to you, the events accounted at the link above is made up fiction, by a burning up world that has got it in for the utilities!
George Karadimas - 10/04/2012 - 18:56
SMART METERS ARE FIRE STARTERS
In RE: "Not a Bad Idea" Keep the tinfoil to yourself!
and spend the time to research the subject of RF induced corrosion. Happy to see you can spell the word "pseudo" correctly! Question? are you one of them "pseudo-engineering gibberish... purveyors?
"Even Toronto’s manhole covers are corroding much faster than engineering specs anticipated under a growing onslaught of continuous microwave radiation."
George Karadimas - 10/04/2012 - 19:10
SMART METERS ARE FIRE STARTERS
In RE: "nice comments - but George, you missed one point" NOT Interested in Zigbee.
Get some education here that matters.
Electromagnetic fields:
High-level microwave technology concerns
http://media.withtank.com/42391c31ef.pdf
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Wireless Tower Antennas, Routers and Smart meter safety
Neurosurgeon Shows How Low Levels of Radiation Such As Wi-Fi, Smart Meters And Cell Phones Cause The Blood Brain Barrier To Leak
Neurosurgeon and researcher Dr. Leif Salford has conducted many studies on radio frequency radiation and its effects on the brain. Dr. Salford called the potential implications of some of his research "terrifying." Some of the most concerning conclusions result from the fact that the weakest exposure levels to wireless radiation caused the greatest effect in causing the blood brain barrier to leak...
An argument is sometimes made (not necessarily accurately) to those who express concern about radiation from "smart" meters, Wi Fi, etc, that the radiation emitted from these devices is at such a low level that the public needn't worry about it. However Dr. Salford's studies showed opening up of the blood brain barrier from very low levels of radiation. In fact, Cindy Sage and Dr. David Carpenter write in a 2008 paper (Public Health Implications of Wireless Technologies) it was "the weakest exposure level [which] showed the greatest effect in opening up the BBB [blood brain barrier]."
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