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Our members are the most
important part of our business. We work hard to deliver
consistent and uninterrupted service 365 days a year.
When storms or other circumstances cause an outage,
Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative's staff takes immediate
action to restore your service.
What should you
do if an outage occurs? |
- Check
your breaker panel or fuse box to be sure a circuit
has not been tripped or a fuse blown.
- Check
to see if your neighbors have power. This will
determine how widespread the outage is.
- Call
Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative's outage reporting
system at: 1-877-632-5688
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*Be prepared to leave a message on our Outage Reporting
System where your information will be fed immediately
into an outage analysis system. Dispatchers will use
this information and direct crews to the source of the
problem immediately. It is very important that we have
your correct phone number in our records, if the system
asks you to leave a message, please be sure to give your
name, address, account number and especially the phone
number of the location where the outage has occurred. |
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Your
call is important!!! We record your outage and any damage you
report. This information, along with information received from
other members, is entered into our computer system. The
information is compiled and then summarized to establish the
outage pattern. This helps our personnel pinpoint the trouble
areas so they can be dispatched to the affected area quickly.
Our restoration plan is to
make repairs that will restore service to the most members in
the least amount of time. The power must be restored according
to the cooperative's electrical system. Which means a certain
sequence must be followed-first, transmission lines-second,
substations- third, main distribution lines- fourth, tap lines
and finally, individual services.
Individuals who depend on electricity to operate life support
systems should notify Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative before an
emergency strikes. These consumers will be given a critical
status; however, these individuals should make plans for
alternate sources of power or lodging in the event of a
widespread electrical outage.
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Service
Restoration Priorities |
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Transmission lines —
These are high-voltage lines that move bulk electricity from
a generating plant to a substation or between substations.
Substations —
Substations are electrical facilities that contain equipment
for switching or regulating the voltage of electricity.
Main distribution lines —
These are the 7,200-volt lines that you see along the
roadways.
Tap lines —
Tap lines are electric feeder lines with limited capacity
that run from a main distribution line to a few consumers.
Individual service —
This is a line that runs from the transformer to your meter.
Our electric distribution system is constructed with
protective devices such as fuses and circuit breakers. These
confine the outage to specific areas, limiting the number of
consumers affected by the power interruption. For example,
if a tree falls on a tap line only that line would be
without service. Other consumers serviced from the main
distribution line would still service, although their lights
may blink momentarily. |
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Safety tips to keep
in mind... |
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Read the
owners manual thoroughly!! When a generator is not
installed properly, it can "backfeed" through the
transformer and produce an output of 7,200 volts on the
distribution line. This could injure you, your neighbors or
utility crews working on the line.
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Isolate
your generator from the co-op's power lines---connect
appliances, etc… directly to the generator with the
appropriate sized cords.
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If you
connect the generator directly through your home's wiring,
be sure a double-throw or transfer switch has been installed
to separate it from the co-op's system. The switch must be
equal to the size of the service, not the rating of the
generator (i.e. if the service is 200 amps, the switch must
be 200 amps).
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Never try
to refuel the generator while it is operating.
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Provide
adequate ventilation and air-cooling to prevent overheating
and the accumulation of toxic exhaust fumes.
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Do not
install the generator in a basement, attached garage, or any
closed area. The exhaust gases from the generator contain
carbon monoxide, an invisible, odorless, poisonous gas.
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