Power Line Indicator

Hello
I am looking for an easy and legal way to know if the power has been
restored to my service panel after we have a power outage , we usually have
several brown outs etc. before the power is lost completely , during the
morning hours we can see the neighbors and street lights , after the sun
comes up , the only way I can know if we have line power is to turn on the
Main Breaker and see , in this area it's bad news to leave main on and a lot
of work to turn off all the 20 amp. breakers every time we loose power , any
idea would be appreciated .
Thanks
Phil

I have a surge protector installed in the meter base. It has a couple
of LED's that are on. If they are not on, it means that either I
don't have power or that the surge protector is toast.
--
Jim Rusling
More or Less Retired
Mustang, OK
http://www.rusling.org

I have two neon pilot lights, one for each leg, connected directly to the
incoming
terminals of my main breaker.  Simple and direct.  They're wired with very light
gauge wire.  If something in the pilot light itself ever faults then the wires
act as
fuses.  Since everything is enclosed securely inside the panel, no fire hazard.

The only complication is making the connection to the incoming main.  I have the
proper equipment to work it hot so that's what I did.  I just opened the main to
remove any load, donned my hot gloves and loosened the cable clamps on the main
breaker.  I slid the small wire under the clamps and tightened them back down.
If
you don't have hot gloves then you might want to pull the meter.

The power meter is another option.  If it is the old electro-mechanical type
then you
can hear the hum from the potential coil if you put your ear up to the glass.
If it
is the new electronic type then if the display is visible then the power is on.
The
one exception to this is a fairly rare critter that uses electronic sensing but
drives an odometer-style mechanical dial.  No hum from those.

Many meters, particularly the new self-readers, also contain pilot lights.  If
your
does then that's a perfect indicator.

We have a power outage here at least once a week.  Even when I don't fire off the
generator, I open the main breaker because surges during power restoration are a
way
of life up here in the mountains.  The neon lights let me know when the power is
back
on and stable.

John De Armond
See my website for my current email address
http://www.neon-john.com
http://www.johndearmond.com <-- best little blog on the net!
Tellico Plains, Occupied TN
If we aren't supposed to eat animals, why are they made with meat?

Neon John wrote:

incoming

light

act as

I did almost the identical thing, I just put the indicators in a metal
box connected with an offset nipple instead of in the panel itself. The
22ga wire of the pilot lights should vaporize in milliseconds should a
fault develop and again, all enclosed in metal so no hazard.

the

If

Yep, had the meter pulled. Would do it hot if I had to, after all it's
only 120V and doesn't exactly require hot sticks, but still better to do
it cold.

then you

If it

on. The

your

And go out in the crappy weather to check? Hell no! Going out to fire up
the generator in the crappy weather is enough thank you...

the

a way

is back

For some reason 2-3 second outages have become a regular feature here a
couple times a week. Fortunately the UPSes take care of the important
stuff.