Electricity is something that we pay for and expect it to be there every time that we need it. As a firefighter, we responded to the problems caused by electricity. Last night, while watching the news, I saw where Richmond Fire Department had responded to an apartment fire, caused by a faulty electrical system. Again, electricity is a vital part of our lives until, for some reason, we lose it.
Some of you may have read that my wife and I had an electrical problem in our home after the snowstorm. We came home one evening to find that everything electrical was going haywire. Lights were very dim, some appliances had no power, the heat kept trying to come on, but could not, the hot water heater was flashing and nothing in the panel box had tripped. I told my wife that I had seen this before in the commercial setting. It was known as a dropped leg or phase of the electricity coming into our home. I called Jennings Electrical and he confirmed that this was probably the issue. We called Dominion Virginia Power and remarkably, they were at our house in about an hour. The issue was that by losing a leg, we did not have enough power coming into our house.
Though the Dominion representative acted like I had no idea what I was talking about, he later confirmed that we had lost a phase. He called for a piece of equipment that is a temporary fix. The device that is still giving our home electricity takes the one good leg and breaks it into the two good legs that we once had. Once this device was functional, the power was restored and we realized a new problem. The breaker for the utility room receptacles had tripped and would not reset. We again called Jennings Electrical and they came and replaced the faulty breaker, which probably gave way, due to the bigger electrical issue. While they were here, Jerry told me that my electrical panel had been outlawed thirty years ago. The issue is that I have two main wires coming into my panel box, which equates to two main breakers that must be thrown.
A few days later, Dominion returned, attempting to find the bad place in my underground service. The ground was still covered by snow, making this an even harder task. They never did find the bad place in our line, so they told me that the temporary fix would have to remain and that a new line would have to be run.
The equivalent of Miss Utility came and marked every service around our home from Verizon to water, to cable. It is quite the painting. The sub contractors came on Thursday, which if you remember was a rainy day. I now have a driveway covered in muddy runoff. The new line has been run and we are now awaiting Dominion’s return to make the connections at the pole and to our meter. I will have to say that I am very thankful that we will not be billed for this, though I am sure that we all pay for it in some way.
As stated previously, electricity is something that we take for granted. I have been to South America, where power poles were nothing more than small pine trees. I have also been to Africa, where everything is 220 volts. In Africa, you pay forward for your electricity, similar to paying forward for some cell phones. Whatever the case, electricity is a commodity that we have come to expect. All is good until something breaks down in the flow of current, whether it is a faulty breaker, a dropped phase or damage to main lines, due to a storm. I am thankful for those that understand electrical power well enough to keep it flowing when a break occurs.
