Everything that has been said in this thread is reasonable but I've found that unfortunately many things in NJ defy logic and reasonableness. It is a beautiful state but, generally speaking, the administrative ineptitude/incompetency/corruption is mind boggling. Rant over!
I'm with @Eddie_T that you should contest that bill because that is tantamount to robbery in my book. They don't get to make the rules as they go.
Coming back to the original topic: Since it seems that they don't let you address the issue, does this issue put your house/property at risk of damage because of the water or increased hazard of fire (water+electricity is risky...)? If so, I'd document the issue and report it to the electric company, your insurance company and town. Since they don't let you fix, I would think that either they need to fix or are liable for damages if they happen. I'd contact a lawyer to double check that too.
I actually thought about that also. The water is not going to have much affect on the coated conductors. I think he also has a ground in there by the looks of it that it might not be good for. But then who wants a bucket sitting under your main panel. It is something that shouldn't be that big of a deal. Where I live the first guy that came out would have sealed it up.This sounds goofy but I would make a small drip hole in the cable sheath at its lowest point in the basement.
I have done some work hot myself in my younger days, but I would never advise anyone on here to do such. On giving forum advice it is seldom the poster gives us enough clues to even advise working behind the panel.It's not only the PoCo, the electricians in NJ sound a bit high and mighty too. In the south where they are not unionized I can find a good old boy that would do it for a couple of hundred (or less) if I furnish the parts. I hired an electrician to replace my panel since I needed it done in one day. The cost parts and labor was $600 and he wired it hot so I didn't chance a reinspection.
This box doesn't have a ground wire, so no intentional holes other than the four screw holes fr a conduit plate on the bottom that aren't used since its got regular SE cable and a clamp.My meter box has no drain per se but could drain around the ground wire which exits the bottom.
I don’t think I like the lack of LOTO protection with someone across the state having the ability to fire the power back on while I’m working on it at my end. Something comforting knowing the meter is pulled to me.One cool thing with the Smart meters I can call the electric company and have them kill the power to my house remotely, do the work, and then have them restore the power remotely. No need to pull the meter or dispatch a tech. When I added my new sub panel circuit and EV circuit I put the breakers in place before I pulled the wires into the panel so the bus bars were all concealed. Newer panels would have a main shut off to kill the power to the bus bars. Not required when my house was built in 1999. Pretty common here to have a main panel as part of the meter panel, and then a sub panel in the garage with most of the circuits. The main has my AC units' breakers, my garage sub, my range breaker (currently unused) and now my basement sub and EV circuit.
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