[conspire] 1999 called, and wants its backhoe returned

[Rick Moen]

Dispatch from the neighbourhood just uphill from us (Sharon Heights -- a
1960s buildout where they thought it was very clever to put all the
electrical lines underground):


Robin Riddle in Sharon Heights writes:

Pacific Underground Construction was using a backhoe this morning to
start the installation of a replacement water main (12" ductile iron
pipe) along Monte Rosa.  In front of 815 Monte Rosa they hit a PG&E
secondary and shorted one phase to the uninsulated neutral (according to
PG&E).  The result was that the two lines (beyond the transformer)
coming to our house that should have been +120 and -120 became +85 and
-155.   Electronic stuff on the 155v phase (without a surge protector)
are very possibly damaged.  We smell burning insulation around our
desktop computer, for example.

The MP fire department (Alameda/Valparaiso) came around and told
everyone affected to disconnect their *main* breaker...which was very
good advice.  (Kudos to MPFD.)

Also, MP city water services people showed up.  They were useless and
clearly not in good humor.

At this time PG&E thought that the problem had been fixed and told
residents to "contact an electrician" to confirm that they could reset
their breakers.  They never checked the voltages they were delivering to
houses.  (Tsk tsk to PG&E.)

When alerted at about 12:30pm to the fact that the two phases were
delivering different voltages, PG&E realized that the broken line
damaged the local transformer.  They are looking at / removing the
transformer now.  Anybody on this circuit will have lost power now
because PG&E disconnected the transformer lines.  PG&E predicts they
will have the transformer repaired/replaced by midnight, tonight.