Power Failure Building I
Oncor shut down electrical service to 5156, 5158, 5160, and 5162 Westgrove Drive at approximately 8:30 PM on January 28. The cause was a failure of the upper bus bar (Hot Leg A / L1) in the meter bank closet at 5170 Westgrove. These heavy copper bus bars are subject to repeated heating (expansion) and cooling (contraction) cycles and, during extreme cold weather, can experience metal fatigue that may lead to cracking or failure.
There is also a partial power issue affecting 5164 Westgrove, with the source not yet identified. Units 5164, 5156, 5168, and 5170 are served by a common meter bank, and this issue remains under investigation at this time.
Oncor was contacted after a resident reported irregular power. The Association has an electrician on standby in the event the issue is not transformer-related and not confined to individual residence.
Meter bank repairs can take 3-5 business days, particularly when damaged components are not readily available. Given the age of the electrical system (approximately 40 years), extended repair times are possible.
As a safety precaution, residents should be prepared for the possibility of extended electrical outages, as temperatures are expected to remain below freezing for the next four (4) days. If residents choose to relocate temporarily (family, friends, hotel, etc.), homes should be properly winterized to prevent freeze damage. At a minimum, this includes shutting off the water supply and opening all faucets to drain the water lines.
Update will be posted below.
The photo below shows the damaged area. The arrows indicate a copper bus bar that runs along the top of the meter base and supplies one leg of electrical power to the meters.
Several years ago - probably 10 or 12, our building 5140,42,44,46 had a problem with line going in to meters in the closet here at 5140. It was during horrible weather with snow on the ground. McCullough quickly fixed the problem in the closet. A year or so later, Oncore had to come make repairs to the transformer just north of 5140 . Linnda
ReplyDeleteThanks for that information, Linda. We have used Carl (McCulloch) and Bruce with good results through the years. Unfortunately, their phone has been out of service for 3 weeks..
DeleteThe electrician arrived on site at 8:15 a.m. Unfortunately, the required replacement parts are not readily available. At this point, rebuilding the meter bank and coordinating inspection and service restoration with Oncor will likely extend through Monday or Tuesday (February 2–3).
ReplyDeleteWe understand how disruptive this is and appreciate everyone’s patience as the work moves forward as quickly as possible.
Guidance on how to turn off water to unit is greatly appreciated. Uncertain of when I will leave today.
ReplyDeleteThese are the instructions that were previously posted. If you would like assistance, a board member is currently available to help with winterization. https://www.lakesofbenttree.org/2022/02/take-emergency-freeze-precations.html#more
DeleteAll units winterized and vacated,
DeleteBuilding permit applied for. Pending approval.
ReplyDeleteParts ordered. Expected deliver - Friday afternoon.
ReplyDeleteParts were delivered this morning and the permit was approved. Work has begun to effect repair.
ReplyDeleteThe new meter base panel is scheduled to be completed today. Once the work is finished, a City of Dallas inspection will be requested for permit approval. After the City approves the work, electrical service is typically restored within 24 hours, subject to Oncor’s workload and scheduling.
ReplyDeleteIf the City is able to approve the work today, we expect power to be restored by Saturday. If approval is not obtained until the next business day (Monday), service restoration would likely occur on Tuesday or possibly Wednesday.
We understand how disruptive this outage has been and appreciate everyone’s patience. Unfortunately, the administrative and inspection process for this type of repair is complex and largely outside of the Association’s control, but we are continuing to push the process forward as quickly as possible.
The installation was completed by 4:45 PM and the City was informed.
ReplyDeleteThe last freeze is Sunday night. Starting Monday morning you can contact Dallas Water utilities to turn your water on. Be sure to close all the faucets in your unit. If anything is open, they won't turn your service back on.
ReplyDeleteI’m not sure who that message is for re: Dallas Water? Is that for is us Lucky 4 whose power is off and who winterized by shutting off water? We can’t just turn our own water back on, I take it? If we can’t, do you have a good contact number for DWU please?
DeleteGood question. Yes, this applies to the four homes that winterized by shutting off water at the city meter. You can certainly turn it back on yourself, but it’s not easy — it typically involves pumping 25–30 gallons of water out of a cold meter well, digging through frigid mud to locate the valve, and quickly turning it on as water seeps back in and the mud re-covers the valve. It often takes multiple attempts.
DeleteIt may be easier to contact Dallas Water Utilities at (214) 651-1441 and let them handle the restoration while you sit by the fireplace with Tyson and drink a hot chocolate.
We have a meter wrench and hot chocolate mix that you can borrow.
Ha ha — Yes, I think I will call DWU. Is there any length of time after the power is restored that we should wait before turning the water back on?
DeleteYou don’t need to wait for power to be restored. Once the freeze has passed (Monday morning), you can contact Dallas Water Utilities to request that your water service be turned back on. Calling first thing in the morning may help with same-day service. This should allow everything to be ready so that, when power is restored, your home is fully functional and you’re back to normal as quickly as possible.
DeleteI’m guessing the city did not approve the meter yesterday, so we’re looking at Monday for approval?
ReplyDeleteThe City will approve on their own timetable and they are unpredictable. Neither the City nor Oncor works on weekends - so it might be 4 hours after City approval - might be 24. There is an off chance an “on-call” City inspector will approve the meter base over the weekend and Oncor turns the power on…. we just don’t know.
DeleteThe City has someone on call for emergencies and we applied for emergency review - but that depends on the inspectors discretion. I would estimate Tuesday or Wednesday as a worst case scenario.
Unfortunately, we have no one we can call to get a clue of where this stands. Our management company (SNL) said that, as of 930am Saturday, they had not heard from the City inspector.
The plumber has been on site since 8:00 AM waiting on a City inspector. The inspection is scheduled as a morning inspection.
DeleteThe electric bank repair has just been approved by the City of Dallas and the approval and "turn on" order has been relayed to Oncor.
DeleteI just spoke on the phone with a live human at ONCOR. She told they do have the city permit approval in hand and that we are a “priority reconnect.” She said she thinks they’ll get out today but couldn’t guarantee it. She said to call again around 3:30-4:00 and dispatcher will likely have more specifics. I will make that call if they aren’t here by then.
ReplyDeleteHelpful info. Thanks!
DeleteI just spoke with ONCOR again. They said a technician was assigned our priority request at 1:15 today but they could not give me more specifics and could not guarantee it would be done today.
DeleteOncor says that the "turn on" is scheduled for 10:00 AM.
DeleteJust spoke to WDU again. They hope to have someone out here before 6:00pm today, but couldn’t guarantee it. Who in the Lucky 4 has turned off their faucets (i.e., de-winterized) in prep for the water to be turned back on?
ReplyDeleteA Dallas Water technician just checked all 4 meters.
DeleteWhen I spoke with DWU yesterday morning, they said I didn’t believe not need to be at the condo when they came out to turn the water back on. I will return to the condo later this morning.
DeleteOncor is currently onsite and working on the transformer to re-establish power. Power is estimated to be restored by noon.
ReplyDeleteI couldn’t be happier to report that both power and water are back on!
DeleteYay!!! Thank you for all your help!!!
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