On Jun 9, 8:49*pm, bob haller wrote:
On Jun 9, 7:45*pm, "TomR" wrote:





TomR wrote:
DerbyDad03 wrote:
"TomR" wrote:
DerbyDad03 wrote:
"TomR" wrote:
I'll spare everyone the details, but my question is if anyone can
help me figure out a way to open the lock on an outside electric
meter box so I can look inside and see if water is getting into
that box.

I think that water is getting into the outside meter box and then
running down INSIDE the feed wire from there into my main service
panel in the basement . . . ,

This won't answer your question about getting into the box, but
I'll tell you how I dealt with water that was getting my service
cable and then into my panel.

I found the lowest spot on my service cable after the meter. It was
nothing more than a small dip in the cable. I took a utility knife
and cut a tiny slit in the outside jacket at the bottom of the dip..
Water dripped out slowly for a while then eventually stopped.

I definitely wanted to do that since the idea makes sense to me.
Unfortunately, from the meter down into the service panel is all a
downhill slope of the feed wire. *The is no "low spot" or drip loop.
If there was, I would have tried your trick to drain the water out
of the line. *Instead, the only "low spot" is inside the main panel
where it is dripping out of the feed cable.

If it's a downhill slope, an opening in the jacket might still let
the water flow out.

I did think about that, and I guess it is still a possibility as I
think more about it. *I knew I couldn't/shouldn't do that on the
outside of the house because that could give rain water a new way to
get inside the feed wire. *The only other place would be the two feet
or so inside the house from where it enters the house to the top of
the main service panel. *It would have to be in a part of the run
that is not above the main panel so it wouldn't drip onto the panel
-- and that location is pretty hard to get to. I'm sure I'll want to
try other options first, since keeping the water from getting inside
the feed wire in the first place would be the best solution.
But, if I do end up trying this, maybe I could put a tiny slit along
the bottom and put a small piece of cloth tape (or tie a small piece
of cloth) there to cause the water to drip there and not run down the
outside of the feed and into the main panel. *Or, maybe do the slit
idea and wrap a little Ductseal around the feed below that point to
create a drip point.
I do know all of the above is a little hokey to do or try, and I
think that finding the source of the problem would be better. *But,
while it was pouring rain outside and the problem was active and
dangerous, and I couldn't get the utility company to come out there,
doing one of the above tricks may have worked or helped -- at least
temporarily.
Perhaps you could force a drip loop (it wouldn't need much) along the
run to coax the water to flow to the slit.
I did look when the problem was happening, as well as afterward, and
there just is zero slack or ability to create a drip loop in the line
itself. . . . ,

Okay, I looked again today, and it turns out that there is about a 2-foot
horizontal run of the service cable from where it comes into the house to
the top of the main service panel. *I tried pulling down on that run in the
middle and I was able to get it to bow down just a little in the middle of
that run. *So, I did that, and I went a head and put a tiny slit in the
insulation in the bottom of the bow. *I did it as a "just-in-case-it-helps"
maneuver thinking that maybe that will create a new drip point before the
main service panel if I don't get the real cause of the problem solved.

Meanwhile, I caulked the heck out of the top and sides of the meter box and
all of the entrance fittings on top etc. using clear 100% silicone caulk.
The next time we have a heavy rain, I'll see if any of these ideas worked.

try using a garden hose, beging down low to find out where the leak is- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The hose idea just popped into my mind, also, when I read what the OP
wrote about the rain having stopped. The trick will be to go upward
very slowly because it will take some time for the water to reach
visibility from wherever it actually enters, and if the OP goes too
fast, he will come up with the wrong location for the water to be
coming in.