adesw:...I think you need to rewire it so that it bypasses the counter/meter and goes straight where its wanted...
That's about the most basic explanation but in essence, that's what most people try - and it's usually spotted once the house has been razed to the ground! 6mm Earth cable bridged across 16mm mains cable doesn't make for a safe electrical installation! ![Big Smile [:D]](/emoticons/emotion-2.gif)
adesw: ...But its also supposed to be quite easy to spot, as if someones recorded energy usage suddenly plummets for a long time then investigation is needed...
It's not always easy to spot... There are some very sophisticated methods for bypassing the meter and they can be incredibly difficult to detect. Our systems (along with all other utilities' systems) are geared up to flag up any sudden drops (and increases) in energy consumption. In most cases, it's either a change of lifestyle or a change in the occupancy of the property that causes it.
I was told of one instance where a fiddle was suspected but we couldn't prove it. There used to be a little box of tricks that was available to make or buy (even assembling the components is illegal now) that would reduce the speed a meter registered by increasing the resistance on the load... In other words, the more you used, the slower the meter would turn until it eventually started running backwards!
Two of the RPU guys went to the house on a repeat visit. One was under the stairs looking very carefully at the meter installation and the other was stood in the hallway. This guy spotted what looked like an old-fashioned telephone (with the separate mouthpiece and receiver) sitting by the front door. Out of curiousity, he lifted the receiver to see if it was working 'cos he'd never seen a phone like that before. At that point his colleague under the stairs noticed that the meter had started running backwards. After a few attempts to figure out what was going on, they realised that the phone in the hallway was actually a 'dummy' and was in fact a 'black box' for fiddling the meter.
It transpired that everytime someone came to the front door, the occupiers would put the dummy phone 'on the hook' which would disconnect the black box from the meter and all would look normal. They were also careful enough to adjust their energy consumption slowly so that it wouldn't get flagged but something (or someone) alerted us to the potential problem. It seems that the house had been decorated recently and all of the cabling for the 'black box' was hidden behind the meter position and was also concealed behind the wall and under the floorboards... It's no wonder we didn't spot it!
Not only did they get prosecuted but they also had to repay what I think was about 3 years worth of electricity.
matty6380: Congratulations on the promotion!
In my line of work, I have encountered a few folks in what will be your new role and I can honestly say that I wouldn't want to do it. At least with my job I get a baton and pepper spray to defend myself with if needed.....all credit to you...
Thanks for the congrats Matt... I'm looking forward to getting started. We do get issued with a kind of pepper spray made with what smells like clove oil called 'Bite Back Spray' - it's supposed to be a dog deterrent. Apparently it works on people too and according to my local community copper, I would have defence in law if I used it if I felt threatened. Because it operates on a similar principle to a deodorant can, it's not classed as a Section 5 weapon either (obviously).
Si
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