Second supply line to relay

[drewh]

Hi,

Have a general question here that's not in any way a loaded one, more out of curiosity as I always like to learn how things work. Such a thing would actually be impossible now because the switchboards are locked by the electrical company as well.

The builder of the house we live in now, in the 70s, did something where the amount of power used was more than what was recorded at the meter. Come 2005, the energy company knocked and gave us a letter saying a secondary live supply cable to the relay had been detected and been removed. This was about the time the meters were changed from the old dials spinning ones to digital.

Question is, how did this cable stop electricity use from being recorded - did it have to do with slowing the spinning of the discs down because of added resistance & this recorded less usage then? I've always been curious to know but obviously the builder died some time ago and so could never ask.


Cheers
Andrew

 

[mechelec]

Impossible to say. It could have been a second supply breached off the existing supply cable or any number of other bypasses and fiddles that are possible.
i would hope no one would give ways to fraudulently obtain electricity on an open forum.

 

[drewh]

Thanks mech, and that's exactly why I said at the start it's not a loaded question & is no longer possible with the digital meters and locked meter boxes. I was just curious as to how it would have effected that. Even if it were possible, I have no intentions to ever attempt it.

 

[mechelec]

Thanks mech, and that's exactly why I said at the start it's not a loaded question & is no longer possible with the digital meters and locked meter boxes. I was just curious as to how it would have effected that. Even if it were possible, I have no intentions to ever attempt it.

It is still possible, believe me I have seen it.

 

[drewh]

Really. Well I'm not an electrician nor was asking beyond being very curious as to how it happened, that's all.

 

[UKMeterman]

My MSc Disseration was on how to fiddle meters, there are vaious ways it can be done and prevented against. In your case someone bypassed the meter so some current went through the meter but not all of it..