Bill Gill wrote:
On 4/28/2010 6:02 AM, HeyBub wrote:
Metspitzer wrote:
This seems unlikely. I would like to hear more details.

http://abcnews.go.com/WaterCooler/wireStory?id=10489334

BERLIN (Reuters) - German police are investigating a man for theft
after he siphoned electricity off a high-voltage overhead transmission
line for one month with the help of an ordinary meat hook, authorities
said on Tuesday.


[...]

Sure. I used to work for a company that did meter inventories for Rural
Electric Cooperatives.

About once a year they'd find somebody who had tapped into the
primaries and
fed his own transformer (probably stolen).

More often, they'd find meters upside down (they run backwards) and
meters
bypassed altogether.


I knew a man once who told us that he periodically went out and
reversed his meter. I didn't ask him how he justified stealing.

Bill

I looked up the specs on the newer electronic meter I have. It mentions
that it counts forward even if it is reversed. I also don't have a
meter reader, they can read my meter from the office. I'm certain just
removing the meter for even a second or so throws a flag for them to
check it. Probably the easiest way to cheat would be to add a shorted
winding or so the the current transformer. It's just a toroid with a
few hand wired wires running through it. But I'm not that stupid,
besides being dishonest, it would be way too easy for them to catch me.
With the new meters they monitor usage and would certainly notice a
sudden 50% reduction in my usage.