I'm in the process of upgrading my home service from 100A to 200A. As the new service panel is going in the same location as the old, I will need to disconnect the incoming service temporarily. To this end, power company has installed a pigtail, exiting the bottom of the meter can. They did not, as I had expected, cut the little wire seal on the meter ring to allow me to disconnect power by pulling the meter.
This seems to me to be the safer way to disconnect power, as opposed to having to unwrap the eletrical tape they've placed on each of the incoming hot wires and unbolting each of the connecters that appear to be underneath the tape.
As a DIYer, I'm unfamiliar with the ways of the utility. Perhaps someone more experienced can tell me - does KCPL intend for me to disconnect via the pigtail, thus leaving their metering equipment undisturbed but putting me at risk of shock if I'm careless? Or does the installation of a pigtail come with the implicit understanding that I will pull the meter? If so, why bother with a pigtail in the first place instead of just cutting or allowing me to cut the seal?
I don't mind the pigtail as it will give me the few extra inches of SE needed to reach inside the larger new box.
This seems to me to be the safer way to disconnect power, as opposed to having to unwrap the eletrical tape they've placed on each of the incoming hot wires and unbolting each of the connecters that appear to be underneath the tape.
As a DIYer, I'm unfamiliar with the ways of the utility. Perhaps someone more experienced can tell me - does KCPL intend for me to disconnect via the pigtail, thus leaving their metering equipment undisturbed but putting me at risk of shock if I'm careless? Or does the installation of a pigtail come with the implicit understanding that I will pull the meter? If so, why bother with a pigtail in the first place instead of just cutting or allowing me to cut the seal?
I don't mind the pigtail as it will give me the few extra inches of SE needed to reach inside the larger new box.