On Thu, 14 May 2020 22:14:02 +0000, Skyline137
m wrote:

replying to gfretwell, Skyline137 wrote:
I have a detached garage with a copper water line from my main house separate
electric service and meters in each with as I said 60 foot copper from house
to garage. A tree took out house electric line. Power remained on but neutral
was pulled out inside meter box. It was that way for a month. I left it
because it was buried under tree and snow still connected. When I called power
company they exposed open neutral inside meter box. I never had any idea
everything worked perfectly in the house.

It sounds like you were using the copper water line for the neutral.
Back in the olden days when plumbing was all metal, lots of things
could slip by unnoticed. It wasn't until the 80s that you couldn't
ground an outlet by tagging a cold water line. I know it was still in
the code in 75 but I never tracked down exactly when it changed.
These days with so much plastic plumbing, you can't use a water pipe
as your only ground.