A massive explosion of a bank of smart meters in Forest, Ontario resulting from a power surge.
It was pure luck that no one was badly injured or worse. It will happen here. This article will be published in the local newspaper later this week.
Hydro Outage-Forest-11-07-13
Headline: Surge Blows Smart Meters, Leaves Neighbourhood Without Hydro
by Eric Nixon
Families on Eureka Street in Forest found out the Hydro One Smart Meters they have installed on their homes aren’t quite as smart as they were led to believe. A power surge blew out between 60 and 70 of the meters on the street and led to hydro being shut off for more than a day, starting about 1:00 pm on Halloween.
Don Plowright, who lives with his wife in the Fairview Court Apartments, says the meters sustained a lot of damage. “Some of them blew right off and hit one of the windows,” he remarks. “Ours was all blackened. The people next to us, the meter was blown right off and the wires were sticking out.”
That led to Hydro One taking immediate action to prevent anyone from getting injured. “They cut all the wires leading into the apartment building, so that no one could get electrocuted,” says Plowright.
Apparently, this was a totally new experience for the Hydro One crews. “They were really surprised. They said that they’d never had anything like this happen before. There’s safety things that they have that if anything happens, it will short everything out. But, for some reason, it didn’t. That’s why all the things blew,” Plowright recounts.
Hydro One employee Ron Core, one of the crew members onsite, says the surge was caused when a 16,000 volt line landed on a 2,000 volt line during the high winds last Thursday, blowing one transformer and destroying the Smart Meters.
Plowright was surprised how quickly workers managed to restore power. “One of the guys that came around first said that it wouldn’t be done until Monday or Tuesday,” he says. On Friday, a large number of Hydro One crews were onsite, along with electricians from private companies. “They were really working hard. They got everything done,” says Plowright.
The Eureka Street resident says he’s not impressed by the so-called Smart Meters – and he’s not the only one. When they were installed at his former residence, Plowright says, “The guy that looked after that said they’re not very good. Most of the old ones were made in Canada. These are made in China and they’re not made to stand up to real rough weather. He didn’t think much of them.” The meters are manufactured by a company called Landis + Gyr, which is headquartered in Switzerland, but was bought by Toshiba Corporation of Japan in 2011.
One Eureka Street resident wondered how Hydro One was going to calculate hydro bills for residents, since the new meters were zeroed when they were installed. A Hydro One representative said off the record that he expected the residents’ bills would be pro-rated based on their normal previous and current usage.
In addition to the Eureka Street outages, approximately 2,700 local Hydro One customers lost power on Halloween afternoon, but most had service restored by 4:00 the same day. For Plowright, he says the outage did not cause any damage in his house, other than water in the basement caused when the apartment’s sump pump was shut down. “They had to have people come into each apartment to check that the wiring was okay,” he says. As well, people were given papers by Hydro One representatives to report any damage that might have been caused by the outage.
In addition to the quick service by the workers, Plowright was grateful to Christ Church in Forest where he’s a member of the congregation. “We had a lot of food that was in the freezer and they allowed us to put it in the freezer at the basement,” he says.
Combined with the relatively mild temperatures for this time of year, the outage and the potential for danger caused by the blown Smart Meters ended up being more of an unwelcome inconvenience for the Eureka Street residents, one that was largely mitigated due to the speedy, professional efforts of the Hydro One crews involved.
Hydro Outage-Forest-11-07-13
Headline: Surge Blows Smart Meters, Leaves Neighbourhood Without Hydro
by Eric Nixon
Families on Eureka Street in Forest found out the Hydro One Smart Meters they have installed on their homes aren’t quite as smart as they were led to believe. A power surge blew out between 60 and 70 of the meters on the street and led to hydro being shut off for more than a day, starting about 1:00 pm on Halloween.
Don Plowright, who lives with his wife in the Fairview Court Apartments, says the meters sustained a lot of damage. “Some of them blew right off and hit one of the windows,” he remarks. “Ours was all blackened. The people next to us, the meter was blown right off and the wires were sticking out.”
That led to Hydro One taking immediate action to prevent anyone from getting injured. “They cut all the wires leading into the apartment building, so that no one could get electrocuted,” says Plowright.
Apparently, this was a totally new experience for the Hydro One crews. “They were really surprised. They said that they’d never had anything like this happen before. There’s safety things that they have that if anything happens, it will short everything out. But, for some reason, it didn’t. That’s why all the things blew,” Plowright recounts.
Hydro One employee Ron Core, one of the crew members onsite, says the surge was caused when a 16,000 volt line landed on a 2,000 volt line during the high winds last Thursday, blowing one transformer and destroying the Smart Meters.
Plowright was surprised how quickly workers managed to restore power. “One of the guys that came around first said that it wouldn’t be done until Monday or Tuesday,” he says. On Friday, a large number of Hydro One crews were onsite, along with electricians from private companies. “They were really working hard. They got everything done,” says Plowright.
The Eureka Street resident says he’s not impressed by the so-called Smart Meters – and he’s not the only one. When they were installed at his former residence, Plowright says, “The guy that looked after that said they’re not very good. Most of the old ones were made in Canada. These are made in China and they’re not made to stand up to real rough weather. He didn’t think much of them.” The meters are manufactured by a company called Landis + Gyr, which is headquartered in Switzerland, but was bought by Toshiba Corporation of Japan in 2011.
One Eureka Street resident wondered how Hydro One was going to calculate hydro bills for residents, since the new meters were zeroed when they were installed. A Hydro One representative said off the record that he expected the residents’ bills would be pro-rated based on their normal previous and current usage.
In addition to the Eureka Street outages, approximately 2,700 local Hydro One customers lost power on Halloween afternoon, but most had service restored by 4:00 the same day. For Plowright, he says the outage did not cause any damage in his house, other than water in the basement caused when the apartment’s sump pump was shut down. “They had to have people come into each apartment to check that the wiring was okay,” he says. As well, people were given papers by Hydro One representatives to report any damage that might have been caused by the outage.
In addition to the quick service by the workers, Plowright was grateful to Christ Church in Forest where he’s a member of the congregation. “We had a lot of food that was in the freezer and they allowed us to put it in the freezer at the basement,” he says.
Combined with the relatively mild temperatures for this time of year, the outage and the potential for danger caused by the blown Smart Meters ended up being more of an unwelcome inconvenience for the Eureka Street residents, one that was largely mitigated due to the speedy, professional efforts of the Hydro One crews involved.
https://www.facebook.com/
Power surge in Sherwood leaves thousands without electricity
By KATU.com Staff Published: May 22, 2013 at 12:23 PM PST Last Updated: May 22, 2013 at 3:14 PM PST
A PGE worker surveys a home where an electrical box exploded after a power surge in Sherwood.
SHERWOOD, Ore. -- Thousands of customers are without electricity in Washington County after a tree limb fell, causing a power surge.
Crews with Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue responded Wednesday to multiple reports of outages. A tree limb apparently fell in the area of Southwest Pacific Highway and Cipole in Sherwood, causing a power surge affecting nearly 15,000 of homes, said PGE spokesman Steve Corson.
By 3:40 p.m., power had been restored to all but 3,000 customers. PGE estimate having power restored to everyone sometime in the early evening.
Fire crews have fielded as many as 51 calls for help. There have been several reports of problems with electrical equipment at homes, including a Sherwood home where an electrical meter was blown off the side of the house.
Other residents have reported blown meters, the smell of smoke in their homes and inoperable traffic lights.
"There was a power surge that is causing all kinds of havoc in Sherwood," said Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue spokeswoman Casandra Ulven.
No injuries have been reported, nor have there been any fires. Fire officials say the numerous calls to 911 are taxing firefighters, fire investigators and other staff.
Until power is restored, officials advise people to do the following:
- Treat intersections without a working traffic signal as a four-way stop.
- Don't touch exposed electrical meters or wiring. Instead, call 911.
- Check on your elderly neighbors until power is restored.
- Don't use candles, as they are a fire hazard. Use flashlights and light sticks to light your home.
The Sherwood School District announced that Sherwood High School students were released from school at 2 p.m. due to the outage. The district said school buses would take students home at the normal time.
Middleton Elementary School, also without power, will release students at the normal time, district spokewoman Corey Thompson said.
All other schools in the Sherwood School District have power.
Those living in western Washington County who don't have power should contact PGE at 503-464-7777.
http://www.katu.com/news/
From Naperville smart meters awareness:
Crews with Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue responded Wednesday to multiple reports of outages. A tree limb apparently fell in the area of Southwest Pacific Highway and Cipole in Sherwood, causing a power surge affecting nearly 15,000 of homes, said PGE spokesman Steve Corson.
By 3:40 p.m., power had been restored to all but 3,000 customers. PGE estimate having power restored to everyone sometime in the early evening.
Fire crews have fielded as many as 51 calls for help. There have been several reports of problems with electrical equipment at homes, including a Sherwood home where an electrical meter was blown off the side of the house.
Other residents have reported blown meters, the smell of smoke in their homes and inoperable traffic lights.
"There was a power surge that is causing all kinds of havoc in Sherwood," said Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue spokeswoman Casandra Ulven.
No injuries have been reported, nor have there been any fires. Fire officials say the numerous calls to 911 are taxing firefighters, fire investigators and other staff.
Until power is restored, officials advise people to do the following:
- Treat intersections without a working traffic signal as a four-way stop.
- Don't touch exposed electrical meters or wiring. Instead, call 911.
- Check on your elderly neighbors until power is restored.
- Don't use candles, as they are a fire hazard. Use flashlights and light sticks to light your home.
Middleton Elementary School, also without power, will release students at the normal time, district spokewoman Corey Thompson said.
All other schools in the Sherwood School District have power.
Those living in western Washington County who don't have power should contact PGE at 503-464-7777.
http://www.katu.com/news/
From Naperville smart meters awareness:
Corporation Commission gets an earful over smart meters
with videohttp://kfor.com/2013/08/14/
OKLAHOMA CITY — Supporters and protesters plead with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission over smart meters. The courtroom was packed and the lines were clearly drawn between those who say they’re affected by smart meters, and those who dismiss their claims.
“Its like you’re living in a microwave with pulsing, pulsing, pulsing and you can’t get away,” said Monique Smith.
She is one of two dozen Oklahomans speaking before the Corporation Commission asking them to take a critical look at smart meters.
“I’m in too much pain. It may not affect you, part of me wishes all of you were affected so you would know how we feels. It’s not like we would make this up. I can’t even live in my beautiful home anymore,” she said tearfully.
Smith and her doctors believe she became sick after the smart meter was installed on her home.
But this hearing was actually called to hear Sherry Lamb’s case. She has the same story. Lamb’s attorney’s argued on her behalf.
“I have clients from eight different counties and all of them have been impacted by smart meters from different providers,” said Don Powers.
Their side references studies that shows 3 percent of the population is hypersensitive to smart meters and 30 percent will be in the future. OG&E disagrees with that science.
“The federal communications commission has promulgated regulations that set maximum exposure limits for any device emitting radio frequency radiation,” said attorney Kimber Shoop.
The Public Utility Division of the Corporation Commission has been investigating – and right now – agrees with OG&E.
But customers who’ve watched their love ones health deteriorate continue to plead. “I spent 23 years in the military,” said Billy Smith. “I served our nation very proudly and I stand before you and plead that you consider this sir my wife is sick”
The judge ultimately decides to request more information – from both sides.
“I’m a little bit disappointed that I didn’t get a chance to speak but I was pleased with most of the people that spoke for me,: said Sherry Lam. “I’m just very hopeful and confident things will move forward.”
“I think the judge took the right approach. He’s asking for additional information to weigh over the next several weeks and we’ll come back together for a new hearing,” said Brian Alford with OG&E
Those against smart meters at least want the opportunity to opt out in Oklahoma. So far, 11 states have an opt out clause. Some companies make customers pay a slightly higher fee –others waive it.
http://kfor.com/2013/08/14/
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