Linemen for North West Rural Electric Cooperative (REC) of Orange City, Iowa, no longer spend hours installing voltage transformers (VTs) on a utility pole along with the other metering equipment. With a device called the VT Pack, from Two Sockets-Two Meters Inc. (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), they are able to save time and increase efficiency during meter installation.

By using this technology, linemen lessen the possibility of incorrectly wiring the system or making metering errors. Also, they can install and perform maintenance on the meters at a lower voltage, which increases the level of safety on the job.

When meters are installed directly across 480-V potential, linemen and others can be exposed to unnecessary risk. Equipment can be more volatile and susceptible to failure.

To protect line crews and improve productivity in the field, North West REC invested in its first VT Pack 10 years ago. Since that time, the utility has installed hundreds of the devices throughout its distribution system.

Ease of Installation

While the utility originally invested in the VT Pack as a way to protect the meter from lightning surges, the product also has helped to shave off installation time. Linemen now save at least an hour per meter installation when using the VT Pack.

To install the product, linemen simply mount the VT Pack inside the socket. They use three thumb nuts to hold it in place. The wiring connection is made with a connector plug, and the connector can only be plugged in one way.

North West REC's linemen like the VT Pack because everything is ready to go when they bring a transformer out. All they have to do is set the transformer and program the electric meter, and then the job is completed. This product especially saves time when it comes to a service upgrade or a transformer changeout. URD transformer changeouts usually take about an hour to be energized. If crews weren't using the VT Pack, the installation time could be doubled or tripled.

Compact Package

Without the product, the line crews would have separate VTs for each phase mounted on the pole. This approach doesn't look nearly as clean, and the components are exposed to the elements. The VT Pack also helps save time because everything is contained inside the meter socket.

Another advantage is the lower weight of the VT Packs. Individual VTs can total 50 lbs to 100 lbs, but the unit that fits into the socket weighs less than 15 lbs, making it easier for linemen to handle and to get the job done more efficiently.

Meter Maintenance and Troubleshooting

Linemen say the best part about the product is the ease of meter installation and removal. After the meter has been installed, linemen simply remove the socket cover. They then raise a handle, which shorts out the metering current transformers and releases the jaws holding the meter in place. Reversing this process is all that is required to reinsert a meter.

With the use of self-drilling screws, linemen can easily fasten the socket to the padmount transformer. After mounting, linemen simply drill a hole and install a bushing for the meter wires to pass through to the transformer interior.

Some of the linemen worried the product would have a negative effect on automatic meter reading (AMR). However, the line crews have discovered that the VT Pack allows for a clean transfer of signal for an accurate reading by the AMR system.

The utility now has a couple hundred VT Packs in the field, with one designated for each three-phase 480-V account. The utility used to buy them five or six at a time, but the product has evolved to become a current warehouse stocking item.

---

Gaylen Schneider has been the member service and metering advisor for North West Rural Electric Cooperative for 10 years. gschneider@nwrec.coop.com

Derrick Haak is the operations field supervisor and has been with North West REC for the past five years. dhaak@nwrec.coop