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Consumers Almost Burned My House Down.what Should I Do?

wozerdozer

By wozerdozer
in Caregiver Issues

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wozerdozer Advanced Member

wozerdozer

Posted
Posted

My girl and I left the house to go to the hydro shop tonight. When I got home I walked into my house and imidiately smelled smoke. I ran to my back room where my power panel is located and it was smoking and sizzleing. I also saw lights flashing from my back yard through the back window where my power poles run. I hit the main breaker with a stick and I still heard electricity buzzing. I pulled the cover off and the ground wire was red hot. I grabbed my wire cutters from the drawer and ran out to the back yard where my meter is located and cut the lock and pulled the meter to disconect all power.

I went back into the house and I heard a humming comeing from my back room. When I walked into the back room the ground was still glowing red hot and not cooling down. Then sparks started jumping off a metal conduit pipe that is there for the electric plug for my washing machine. The copper water line also runs through there and it was touching the elctric conduit. And it was arking out. I grabbed a rag and pulled the conduit from the wall so I could get the metal conduit away from the copper pipe. And it quit arking.

I run through the house looking to see if anything else was hot. When I got upstairs I opened the furnace door and the wireing was melting so I cut them and with protective wire cutters of course. Then I heard my girl yell fire so I run downstairs. And there was smoke comeing from my ceiling tiles. I ripped the ceiling tiles down and the electric wire to the furnace is in a flexible metal conduit going to the furnace. It was touching the gas line that feeds the furnace and it was glowing red hot almost to the point of burning my ceiling.

I grabbed the stick again and pushed the wire off the gas line and it quit arking. I went outside to the meter to see why my house was still powered when the meter was out. I noticed the consumers pole was arking at the pole. So I called consumers. They come out and turned the grid off. They said the power is back feeding through my ground in the house. So now im without power till they fix the power wires. But I also have to get an electrician in my house to make sure my wireing isnt burned throughout. I dont know what to do I have no heat and my lights are suppose to be on at 8:40 in the morning. And my bubble buckets are running without air now. I asked the consumers guy that come out to look at the pole what I was suppose to do about my fried wires and he said that I would have to take it up with my insurance company that they wouldnt be responsible. And of course due to my loss this past summer I wasnt financially able to keep up my insurance. So I guess I need advice on what I should do now. Because I am so frustrated I cant even think.

 

Maybe I should change my screen name to BADLUCKCHUCK):

 

 

 

Thanks

Wozer

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drtarzanmd Advanced Member

drtarzanmd

Posted
Posted

HOLY CHIT " wozerdozer "

 

You Need to Move to Northern Michigan Brother ....

 

That Chit Just Happened to me ...

 

ask MiBrains ....

 

It Cost Me $1000 for a Master Electrician ...

 

I have a Generator ....

 

I Have Friends on Stand By for Emergency's like that ...

 

All Growers Need to Prepare for Chit like this ....

 

When it Rains , It Pour " wozerdozer "

 

Man ... send me your Address again ....

 

I 'll send you out $50 ....

 

I know it is'nt much ...

But its the Best i can do for Now .... :bighug:

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pic book Advanced Member

pic book

Posted
Posted

Others will have more learned, professionally schooled ressponses than I'm able to give. I wire grow rooms and often find houses wired with old, small wires where the load has been upgraded but not the wiring. Also where the power company is not aware of the rewire someone accomplished w/o permit or expertise or the benefit of code compliance on the supply pole (especially where elec has been stolen with a bypass). So the pole is carrying a load for which the wires are not rated (or designed for). Or possibly Consumers behaved as do some homeowners, and neglected to upgrade the source wires to your house while the laod was increased (maybe) due to your addition of an electric stove, elecric dryer, and HID's that had no safety trip. The wires wore out, burned off the insulation and continued to feed power to your house over 'hot' wires.

 

This is a situation where u neeed a good buddy who will serve as a foster parent. Your plants have to get out to another space, and after Consumeres has been out and corrected their supply problem you need an inspection/quote/ tearout/rewire of the entire house and appliances.

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mayorherb Advanced Member

+mayorherb

Posted
Posted

Wow does anyone have a house for rent or land contract. This sucks!!!

 

 

 

Thanksin papaer here are a few..3bedroom/2bath 500.00 down and 500.00 a omth..but there are others..lots of land contracts around here..

 

Plus ihae a friend who sells houses..

Wozer

 

 

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Green-Nubie Advanced Member

Green-Nubie

Posted
Posted

I feel ya Bro, same thing happens here with a ice storm last winter.. except mine was a broken neutral. Sparks everywhere. Burned most all things electric up, all apliances,grow stuff, lights,tv's all of it.. + 1000's of dollars of wiring work. Luckly I paid my insurance..... But was still a huge pain in the donkey.. lost a grow also.insurance didn't cover the plants or the equipment.. but they did cover the camera's and alarm equipment.

 

One quistion thoe... Your ground wire goes from your pannel to a outside rod in the ground, how is that much voltage back fed from the earth.. what most think is there ground is the neutral... Fyi..

 

Pulling the meter only kills the hot wires, neutral is still connected..

 

Oh another thing my insurance sued consumers for the damage, I'm think u could.

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mayorherb Advanced Member

+mayorherb

Posted
Posted

I feel ya Bro, same thing happens here with a ice storm last winter.. except mine was a broken neutral. Sparks everywhere. Burned most all things electric up, all apliances,grow stuff, lights,tv's all of it.. + 1000's of dollars of wiring work. Luckly I paid my insurance..... But was still a huge pain in the donkey.. lost a grow also.insurance didn't cover the plants or the equipment.. but they did cover the camera's and alarm equipment.

 

One quistion thoe... Your ground wire goes from your pannel to a outside rod in the ground, how is that much voltage back fed from the earth.. what most think is there ground is the neutral... Fyi..

 

Pulling the meter only kills the hot wires, neutral is still connected..

 

Oh another thing my insurance sued consumers for the damage, I'm think u could.

 

 

Sounds like you need a good Attorney...Electric Company is way out of hand any more..Rates are so HIGH..My as well get some back from them thiefs..

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Bisharoo Advanced Member

Bisharoo

Posted
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I wish I could send some money like our friend DrT, but all I can do is send my thoughts your way that things will work out for the best when this is all over. I do want your days to get better WozerD! May your days improve, WozerD!

Peace to you this day...

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SparklyBuds Advanced Member

SparklyBuds

Posted
Posted

Not the advice I wanted to hear guys. Not sure what I'm gonna do. Any electritions out there that are willing to trade some Trainwreck to help save my home

 

Thanks

Wozer

 

 

Holy Crap! I'm really glad you & your girl are okay!!

 

I suggest putting this up as a separate thread, the request for an Electrician / trade. Need to get an Electrician to find out if it was Consumer's fault.

 

#2 call a lawyer, preferably a mmj friendly one like Michael Komorn or Neil Rocklind (?)

 

I wish I could be of more help.

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Kevin Advanced Member

Kevin

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Posted

Woz, the main thing is that you & your girl were not seriously injured. Could have been so much worse.

 

I lost my things in a fire some years ago and learned the hard way that best things in life are not things. Loss of things do not compare to loss of life. One can be replaced, one can not.

 

Sounds like Consumers is at fault. I would contact an attorney.

 

 

 

Peace & Health to You & Yours. :rock:

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rhinoman Advanced Member

rhinoman

Posted
Posted

Hey Wozerdozer. Sounds to me as your Main panel doesnt have a ground rod, why i say this is older houses did not have to have them. When you lose your common wire(netrual) it will find its own path to ground. This is also important for the people who use contactors for there lights. the contactor is a magnet and when you lose your netrual it will pull in the coil to find ground causing your contor to heat up and burn. Glad no one got hurt. were u located maybe we could put a crew together and get u fixed up. ok take care. oh ps guess them guys need some company to trash your thread like this. and another thing its not consumers falt sorry to have to say that.

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jayt Advanced Member

jayt

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Posted

The employee from Consumers misled you. They are responsible. A similar issue occurred at my uncle's house a few years ago, the difference was that it burned his house down. DTE's insurance paid for all of the costs to rebuild the house. If need be you need to speak to an attorney. A failure in their system caused this not a failure in your home and it's their responsibility not yours.

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