GE Low Voltage Lighting control system was ahead of its time

 In early 1960's General Electric released an advanced  low voltage lighting control system which used a series of   24 VAC  3 wire relays( middle picture )which was years ahead in its design . It allowed the controlling of all lights in the house from one master location or multiple locations which was a great security and energy saving  feature . The parts are still available as far as relays but some of the fancy low voltage switches are no longer available like the master control at top left .
Many electricians throw there hands up in the air when they run across these systems but they are actually very easy to trouble shoot

 if you understand them. While attending OVT Electrical training at South Vocational  we had several boards set up with these controls  which you could wire up several different scenarios.
The systems where expensive to install so you normally only ran across them in high end homes I have run across a dozen in 35 years in the field, but they where used in some commercial buildings as well. One of the largest installs ever done with this system was the now demolished Civic arena in Pittsburgh Pa.
This whole system had  no fancy switching electronics like today's systems  just simple relays. You will also find the name Bryant  on some switches as well which Licensed them thru GE.

At bottom left is a typical rocker low voltage switch you would find next to a standard wall switch you pushed one way light went on pushed other way light went off .

The only parts available are the simple rocker switches and relays very expensive to replace and repair. and only a hand full of us left that work on them.

Phantom Voltage its there but its not?

I had one of those trouble shoots the other day which can drive you nuts if you do not have the proper equipment to check it out.
One of the many buildings I take care of a building maintenance man was having problems getting the remote emergency light heads to work off the main battery packs,
in the hall ways out of frustration he called me and asked if I could check it out for him .

He had a small standard digital meter he was using and he hooked into what he thought was the correct wires as he was reading 12 volts DC  but the lights would not work. Well I hooked in my meter also and had 12 volts but it was not really there. after hooking in my own small independent tester which has a neon bulb in it and it did not light I knew I had something fishy going on. So I them put my tone tracer on the wire followed it back and found he had missed a splice point in the ceiling. I connected the wires and it worked.  Wait a minute how does a wire that is not hooked up still show voltage on it. This is a electrical phenomena known as Phantom voltage. While digital and some analog  meters will pick up and register it as a working voltage it is not really there. Because digital meters are so sensitive what is happening is the wire is receiving transient voltages thru the air from other higher power wires running thru and next to these wires and the wire which is not hooked up acts like an antenna and absorbs it  and looks like it has power. That's why I used the light bulb tester as it draws an actual small current and will tell you if the voltage is real or not. I even see this with 120 and higher voltages I have a solenoid tester meter known as a Wiggy Meter made by Square-D that does the same thing as a light bulb tester  that is very useful in these situations.
when testing motor leads and such. Phantom voltage is only getting worse particularly in office type buildings as the use of  Electronic Ballasts instead of magnetic ballasts are being used and can throw off unwanted transients as Building switch from T-12 to T 5 and T 8 bulbs .
Which is what I suspect was causing the Phantom power in this building.

Remember if you hook up something it does not work you test  and get voltage  and  you test the device and it works elsewhere suspect you may be getting Phantom Voltage. get a proper tester which actually requires  small power draw and check it out. Some time stranded wire can break and only one strand is making thru and can act like phantom power as well .

 

In the days before modern phone systems affluent Home Owners had these fancy intercom phones in there homes

 Since the late 1930's  before we had all the fancy music intercoms and business phone systems and other means of convenience to contact people  in the more affluent homes  they had there own in house private phone systems  to talk to the front door or patio from a bedroom or kitchen etc. Primitive as they where the sound was very good quality and some even interconnected to the individual land line  phone which back then  you had to be affluent to have your own individual phone number and line as most people where on party lines.

This particular unit appears to have been made by Northern Telephone in the 1950's  which is still in business  some systems are still working to this day This particular phone was in the garage of a very large home designed by Frank Loyd Wright in Pittsburgh Pa.

Plastic Lamp Holders Do not waste your money on them

We had a bad wind storm last week in Pittsburgh area and my customer calls me other day after he noticed the Plastic Lamp holders he bought  I installed for him last year had snapped and where dangling.
after he turned on the spot lights and found them not working. When he bought them he did not realize they where plastic but since I was already there I went ahead and installed them.

Now luckily all I had to do was climb up and replace them with metal ones for him but this could have been a bad situation  because had the house been wood or plastic siding and the bulbs still been working there could have been a fire.
With the hot bulbs which where laying against the house.
I have never been a fan of these plastic units but customers insist on buying and installing them because they are much cheaper than metal but as you can see what good are they when there so easy to break.

Honeywells Android Tablet for Total Connect 2 a disapointment

Honeywell recently released for its new Tuxedo  Home controller a Coby  Android Tablet which allows control of the Tux thru a WIFI connection.
What looks like a really good idea is a total disappointment . Thou it works as advertised  and controls the Lynx 5100 or Tux it was released  using old spec Android 2.3 software  sold by Coby and sells for almost $200.00  dealer cost .
Not a very good deal when I can walk into local h.h.Gregg  store and buy a Coby 4.0 Android tablet with camera for $99.00 this week.
 the 2.3 Android does not allow many popular apps to run including I heart Radio etc. so as a wireless controller  keypad its OK but to use it as a functioning tablet forget it . It is more for the lady of the house who wants a controlling keypad in the bedroom or kitchen wants to read a book and listen to very limited music channels.They have a neat wall hanging bracket for it as well but
I do not know what Honeywell was thinking releasing old stock technology  3.0 has been out for at least a year + and 4.0 since June.

I will sell the tablet as a remote controller if customers want to pay the price for it but with its limited use I definitely will not push it as a  Android tablet. The one I bought I have been using for all my panel PDF install manuals  and even that capability is limited there's no zooming up on the documents and tablet surfs web slow and you really have to push down hard to move the menu to get to other items in list.

BUT TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY  COBY WHO MAKES THE TABLET HAS GONE OUT OF BUSINESS AND IF YOU HAD A TABLET GO BAD AND SENT MONEY TO GET IT REPAIRED YOUR NOW SCREWED TWICE

http://consumerist.com/2013/10/18/new-owners-to-coby-electronics-customers-sucks-to-be-you/

Want to control alarm with out monthly fee Viking RC-4 fits the bill

 Want to be able to control your alarm or door locks but do not want to pay a monthly service fee then Viking Electronics  has just what your looking for the RC-4 Network Enabled Relay controller

 

http://www.vikingelectronics.com/products/view_product.php?pid=600

This slick little unit allows you to use your internet browser or smart phone to control and monitor up to 4 different functions with feedback.
While network relay controllers have been around for some time now this puts it all in one place and slicker than other units currently on the market  all for around $400.00  If just the basics is all you need  and you have internet service this fits the bill .

I have been using Viking Products since the day of the AT&T break up in early 80's and have hundreds of there modules in place all over Western Pa. and they work great. Check them out they have all kinds of modules for telecom solutions. 

AT&T 2G Cellular Band Shutdown set for Sept. 2017 and problems it is causing me because a manufacturer took an easy out

AT&T  Cellular has announced it will be shutting down its 2G  Cellular Standard by Sept 2017
with sooner shut downs starting as early as late next year.
With this in mind you would think manufacturer would not be turning out a brand new product using an old standard. especially when it has been known for the last 2 years AT&T was going to do this but you can walk into any alarm supply house and still buy at full regular price a cellular communicator which will no longer work after 2017.
I went thru this horse shit back on 2006 when  Cellular carriers switched from Analog to digital and  I had many units only 1 year old which needed switched. Luckily some company's like Uplink offered reduced priced  $99  trade ins but I still had to tell my customers who where extremely upset over it and had to pay for the upgrades I just charged them for product not the install. They should be upset because this is total and complete horse shit to be selling product you know is going to not work.
You do not just shut down a radio service you must first file with and notify the FCC so that provisions can be made to notify manufacturers and public to be ready for the shut down,  some times you must even petition to be able to do so.
So with this  advanced knowledge you would think manufacturers would get on the new standard and start producing new product instead of shoving unusable product out the door. Wrong.
 Now I realize there are cost involved in retooling a line but really when your making units in the thousands what are the real costs to do a fast change in the line?

In the case with one of my manufacturers when they rolled out the new  series of products this spring  I asked specifically in the product  introduction class will the 2G shut down effect these units I was told NO it would not effect them because I also said in the class if this is the case I will not install product till 3G or 4G units are available. I was not going thru this shit again.

Well it looks like I was lied to. Thinking all the  units I installed where at least on 3G I am now being told they are not there all 2G  . So the unit I just bought last week and installed I now had to tell my  chemical manufacturer and defense supply customers  who had to meet the new guidelines for Homeland Security they need to update before 2017 .Needless to say there pissed and said they will be filing a complaint with FCC and FTC for unfair practices as they should.
  Sure where only talking $300.00 but customers should not be having to do this. After complaining on a company blog about this I went to local supply house who told me they got called about it  corporate wanted to know who the Fuck I am? let me tell you who the Fuck I am Im your customer and when you make me look like a Fucking Ass Hole to my customer  you better believe I am going to make a stink about it I just told them all about this great new product and now I have to change it  how competent does that make me look? That's why I ask the hard questions in class I want answers so I can choose the best products,  not excuses which is all I have gotten.   I was told I would be getting a phone call from corporate that they will have upgrade cards or replacement units for my customers at reduced costs etc. well never got the phone call. 
Well at least Uplink  has stepped up to the plate and now offer a lifetime upgrade program for a few extra dollars so you will always have a working unit  I guess will see if everyone does. I have over 50 units that will need changed  and being a one man company that keeps me from doing  fire/burg  installs  and service I would otherwise be doing.

It is now down to the point if a company keeps pissing me off and lying to me do I continue to sell there product to my 300 plus  Commercial,Institutional  and Industrial customers or go with some one else I have some decisions to make this fall as to a partner of choice.

I work with many manufactures and one of the stand outs is Avaya  Telecommunications products they have made there system backwards compatible so even phones I bought 20 years ago for customers can be used on a new system today now thats engineering .  I can install a new KSU with new and older phones and phase in new phones as needed to keep cost reasonable for customers instead of hitting them with a big cost now thats service and one hell of a fine manufacturer and there one of the few who have such good reversible products. more company's need to follow there lead not piss off there customers.

You can keep fire doors Open and still comply with fire codes with these simple magnets

At left is a Fire Door by code it must be closed at all times but as you can clearly see some one set a brick in front of it to hold it open . A clear and major fire code violation which can get you written up by code enforcement when they inspect your property. But there is an excellent device on the market to prevent this known as a magnetic door holder .
  The unit which  a sample of which can be seen in the bottom left picture shows one style of unit which is mounted on the floor behind the door which holds the door in place using an simple 12 -24 volt DC  or 24-120 Volt AC electromagnet  which a relay in the fire panel releases when the fire alarm activates allowing the door to drop closed. The units draw very little power and can be powered in some cases off of a plug in transformer. The magnet attaches to floor or wall behind door then the  round armature piece attaches to the door.
The units are inexpensive around $150.00  or less plus installation and are easy to wire in and require no maintenance. I have installed hundreds of these units on customers property's to help prevent problems with doors getting propped open especially in apartment buildings. There are also high end units  available where the closer  can be holder and closer in same unit but I tend to avoid them as they are maintenance intensive especially in buildings where people hang on them and force them closed.
Electromagnetic   door holders have been around for many decades now and you may have experienced them if you where ever in a building when fire alarm activated like a hospital and all the doors started closing on there own.
 One word of caution these units must be wired to an independent power supply not the fire panels  power supply to prevent problems of the fire alarm failing to operate during a power failure.

50's era Non electronic card readers put Socail Clubs and there members at risk

I have an all social  club membership access card  it works  in up to 70% of the  social clubs in Pa. and many other states such as American Legion, VFW, Eagles , Elks ,Moose,Fireman's   etc I just walk up slide my all access card in the reader and in I go. It cost me nothing in fact it was free its my Wholesale Club  membership card  Yes thats right for this type of reader it is not a reader at all it has no electronics involved all it does is open a door when you slide any type of card the right size and thickness into it and it closes an electrical switch. typically they are all silver toned metal rectangle  about 4 inches in size with a slot and you have a laminated paper membership card which serves as your entry card some units where flushed into walls or like in picture where surface mounted. I have repaired several of these readers at clubs  when the switches have gone bad in them.

 Most clubs installed them in early 50's  as a way to keep the public out as required by Pa. Liquor Control Board or LCB as we call it ,and they have worked well for years but with the vulnerability of any one from the public or criminal knowing the trick behind them being able to bypass them that can be a problem.

I have several social clubs I provide services to and when I enter I ring a door bell and they let me in this is the way it is suppose to be . Non Members  can not just walk in. For the most part it works well but the fact these card units can not distinguish who or what any member of any club can just walk in and use there card and members who have not paid there dues are a common problem and know this and sneak in and drink till there discovered and made to pay there dues or are booted out the door.  Some clubs can have more than 1500 members thats a lot of members to keep track of. This also does not allow clubs to keep out banned or trouble making members as well and with many clubs staffed only by women by them selves some days this can be a dangerous situation and several clubs have been robbed in broad day light and attendants injured and know one knows because its behind a supposed locked door. Liked happened in Freeport Pa. Eagles Club where attendants where robbed and attacked.

Now you would think The clubs them selves or LCB would make them upgrade to a modern system to keep out non paying members and trouble makers . But no it is not going to happen. Modern card access systems can run into several thousand dollars for these clubs and many just do not have it in there budget to upgrade , but in same breath the money they would make if they enforced dues payments and kept dead beats and trouble makers out  would more than offset the cost.
But with these systems some one has to maintain the data base etc . which is also more than most clubs can handle and yes managed card access is available for these situations but again its the monthly fee that scares the clubs away.
So you have a bunch of old social membership clubs with old outdated door entry systems out there just waiting for the day a determined bad guy decides to target them. Dam shame but clubs do it to them selves all the time and are there own worst enemy some times when it comes to doing whats right.

Pa. Fire depts need to take great care before they sign off on any Day Care or Assisted Living facilty

When the new state Uniform Construction Code  known as the UCC was put in place  one thing happened and it was very quietly done . In the state of Pa. State inspectors no longer perform life safety checks at Assisted Living , Daycare,Group Homes , Some  Rehab Centers and Private Schools  this has been delegated to each and every community and mostly falls on the Fire Depts. them selves to do it.
Just in my community there are over 50 licensed facility's how in the hell was the local fire marshal suppose to inspect all these facility plus do all his other duty's?  That's right he could not  local depts . needed to help him with some .What about community's with out a Fire Marshal  thats also right its up to local fire dept to do it.
But where back to the same old issue who in the fire dept is going to do it? Does the fire dept even have some one qualified to properly do it and is there qualifications enough to meet  state standards? In the case of volunteer depts this means finding some one to do it who is not working during the day a very big problem to get people to take off from work and do this.  What liability is a fire dept facing should one of its members doing an inspection face should he or she do it wrong or just blow it off  and there's a fire and serious damage or loss of life?

Yes there are plenty of questions that need answered before we have a major crisis in this state because some one not properly trained or trained but fails to do proper inspection  causes a problem.
We also have the problem of 
It being  all too easy for a assisted living facility to just sign off on paper work and inspectors who come in and check the paper work have no ideal if fire dept signed off on it or not .
State inspectors may or may not ,make a phone call to local dept. and when no ones there to answer will follow up calls etc be completed to make sure who actually did the inspection?

Before the UCC state inspectors did check exit signs , emergency lights , make sure exits are clear extinguishers serviced, range hoods are cleaned and serviced Fire alarms working  etc. etc.  but they no longer do it. all they do now is sit there and check paper work. They have put the burden on fire depts some of whom are not up to the task.

 It is going to be another case of duck and cover your ass after a serious incident happens in this state after depts and there officers  get sued and is the state going to exempt you?  good question Because you could see firefighters brought up on criminal charges for signing off on inspections they did not do.
Just walk into any of the licensed facility in Allegheny County see how ell there maintained  and then walk into one in  Washington County which is more rural and you will see major horrifying problems allowed to go along because the small depts down there do not have a vigorous program in place to check all places properly. it is just a matter of time till that ticking time bomb goes off and we have another horrifying fire  with deaths like we did in Erie and as usual it will be queitly overlooked and
things normal as usual. how many deaths will it take this time till we do something in this state 12- 22   maybe 3 or 4 of these tragedy's before something happens.

 Just look at the Horse shit thats happened in Pa. because we do not regulate Radiation technologists and one is accused of a major hepatitis out break.

Before any one signs off  from your dept on any of these forms for any of these licensed facility check and make sure there training is adequate your dept. has adequate insurance and if not then make sure it does.

I Do Not Suffer Fools

Amazing as it is with 35+ years in the field as a trouble shooter and installer  and having numerous jobs inspected and passed by every alphabet agency out there and testifying in court on  electrical matters , the number of people I run across who think there code experts when they have no ideal what there talking about they do not even own a code book because when I point things out and they actually open a code book and check it out they find out there wrong. of course they never admit there wrong.

Or like here in Pa. how many people try to say you have to follow this or that in the IFC Fire code but sorry again folks it was not adopted  as part of the state code package.  You use the IFC when it references to it in IBC Construction code but it is otherwise not enforced. Yet there are how many people out there saying you have to follow this and that with the IFC and they are wrong. Call labor & Industry in Harrisburg and find out for yourself before your customers get wise and sue your ass for giving them the wrong information and spending money they do not need to be spending.

Its just like the Dedicated phone lines for fire alarms there is no mention of the word dedicated phone line in the NFPA. In fact they prefer you do not dedicate them.  they want you to use the working numbers in a business under the ownership of the property because  line monitors only can tell you if line has voltage not if it is actually capable of dialing out. Yet there are fools who insist  they must be dedicated can not use a fire alarm on a phone line which has DSL service and every other cock and bull story you can think of.

But when challenged to provide proof  they have nothing to back it up.

 Its just like that Spike TV show "Bar Rescue "with John Tattor he is an expert on bars and when he goes in and try's to tell bar owners there doing things wrong and need to change things some look at him with there goofy ass stupid look and say he is an ass  and knows nothing he is wrong. I love it when    John Tattor always shoots back your such an expert why is your bar failing and not full of people and you called and said you needed me? Some people never learn the bars that listen to him are successful those that do not fail. Just like with Chef Robert Irvine and his Restaurant Impossible show where you see every show the constant mistakes restaurants make because there not properly trained and just assume there right well you know what they say assume stands for make an ass out of you and me. Why would any one try and open a business without having prior experience especially the bar or restaurant trade which are 2 of the hardest ones to work and make a profit in.

Had a guy call me other day insisted his IPGSM communicators where operating properly with out a cross over cable.  Wrong again. if you plug  in the communicator  and register it with out the  internet cable plugged in it will work  but then when you plug in the wrong cat 5 cable it will still look like its working and sending signal over network because lights blink but no it is not its doing it all by cell  you can tell by looking up the communicators status report. But He insisted I was wrong till he looked up the status report and guess what  yea thats right he has a dozen communicators all on cellular  only instead of on internet with cell back up  no wonder his total connect 2 runs so slow its much faster on IP. I sure hope he did not install these in a jewelry store  for a UL system and think he has both features active. Wonder why his cell overage was so high.

So be a fool and make your fool comments anonymously and prove just how stupid  and incompetent you really are on my blog  I check and triple check what I post here and can back it up in a court of law if needed . Can You?

 Real experts do post on here I know who they are if they do not want to use there real name they have contacted me so I know who they are .
I have vetted them. otherwise your comments go in the shit pile.
because you have nothing to contribute but your own ignorance.

Robo Calls to an Elevator Phone not a good Idea

I was working in the lobby of the building in Beaver County today where I am retrofitting out the fire alarm system when all of a sudden I hear the emergency phone ring and then talking in the elevator . OK whats going on is some one trapped? No I push the button open the door and its an advertisement from a credit card company coming from a Robo Caller machine. This number should never be called its unlisted and on the do not call list but with Robo callers you just set up a bank of possible digits and away it goes and in this case it could be catastrophic if some one is having an emergency stuck in the elevator and unable to get help because a Robo caller has the line tied up.
This is something that needs looked into and I will be filing a complaint with FTC to look into this practice and getting it stopped.
Before we have an unneeded tragedy.
 I hate Robo callers I always identify them  call the place back notify them I am on do not call list and then file a complaint with FTC .
Robo callers is one technology which needs to go away period.

Despite numerous safety devices and procedures some truck drivers prove how stupid they are everyday

One of my customers runs several of these mini Storage facility's where you rent a unit to store your unneeded items .  At his one facility 2 times in a months time drivers bringing in trucks to pick up or deliver items have managed to rip apart the gate control system . Each time this has cost the truck drivers over $10,000.00 out of there pockets and in one case the driver took off and was stopped and brought back by police. he faces losing his CDL license  to ever drive trucks again.

Now this gate is equipped with a bumper guard re-tractor on bottom of gate to send it back if it hits a vehicle and there is also a safety beam across as well which retracts  the gate there are also flashing red and yellow strobe's to warn gate is going up or down . There is absolutely no reason any one should hit this gate there timed to allow vehicles thru and prevent exactly what happens . Yet these supposed professional drivers managed to hit and destroy this gate twice now.
It was all caught on video as well so these drivers have no way to deny what happened yet they come up with total bullshit story's .
When the gate come down they should have stopped and put there foot on brake as they have been trained   instead they just kept driving and acting like they never saw a thing. Needless to say Tractor trailer type trucks are no longer permitted on property and now have to stay outside the gate and hand jack the loads into where they go. But this is what happens when trucking company's hire people who are not qualified to be behind the wheel you have to wonder how they got there CDL in the first place. But trucking company's are so desperate to have body's behind the wheel they hire any one
and these are the consequences they deal with every time they have to pay a claim when one of there brain dead drivers causes an incident.
Its a shame because in a recent truckers newspaper I read of a driver who just retired after 3 million miles behind the wheel without a reportable accident.

Employee lucky to be alive after driving forklift where it was not supose to be

It never fails to amaze me the number of brain dead individuals walking around in the world. Employees at my one customers business have been told to never take a forklift down thru a narrow alley way between his main store and warehouse buildings due to tight conditions and electrical wires which supply power running along the wall.
Well one Dumb Ass Lazy employee decided he did not want to use the manual pallet jack and instead decided to take the forklift down thru the path and as a result he hooked into a live 230 volt 100 amp feeder wire for the warehouse. He caused at first a massive surge in store then there was a flash and warehouse lost power . By some lucky miracle he did not electrocute himself as the breaker did not trip and was still on and hot when I got there. Needless to say manager on duty fired his ass on the spot and sent him home for violating company policy. the dumb ass was still trying to pull items out with the fork lift when the manager went out and confronted him as he was totally oblivious to fact he had just caused several thousands dollars in damage as concrete will have to be cut out and wire pulled back thru and replaced.
There are reasons why there are rules in business but too man fail to follow them and then wonder why they find there butts unemployed here is a classic case.

Mulch and discgarded cigarettes a bad combination

I was In Altoona  Pa. this past Saturday working at a customers swimming pool sales store when all of the sudden the stores manager Buck starts yelling
what the hell is going on wheres that smoke smell coming from next thing I hear is FIRE! I run outside to find the mulch used around the store to landscape it on fire and flaming . Luckily he already had a hose hooked up and filling one of the outside display pools and we quickly put out the fire.
After examining the area we found several discarded cigarette butts laying in the mulch this despite the fact there are No Smoking signs posted and buckets filled with sand to dispose of your cigarette butts are at each door.
 The only customer to store at that time had been there approx. 2 hours before I arrived and it took that long till the butt not totally out  heated up from being feed oxygen from the brisk breeze on Saturday.
This could have resulted in the loss of the store had we not been there and it flamed up.
I soaked the hill side down to make sure there where no further problems and we pulled out all of the butts.
The temps where in the high 80's that day and conditions where just right for this fire to happen.
Needless to sat Buck is pulling out the much and replacing it with gravel. to prevent future problems.
Yes mulch is a nice landscaping material but as this fire shows use good judgement where you place it to prevent a flare up if some one drops a discarded butt into it.

Grounded 3 Phase power legs a Dangerous condition which puts service techs in danger everyday

A  newly trained service technician  is called to check on an air handling unit on the roof of a plant he starts by checking to see if he has 480 volts of power coming off  each leg of the 480- 3 wire Delta supplied power from the utility company. He tests with his meter from phase A, B and C to ground A and C show 480 to ground however B shows 0 voltage he assumes the fuse is bad and makes a very bad judgement call of reaching in with his hand instead of a fuse puller to pull the fuse out with out shutting off the switch a rookie mistake made by many over the years that never should be done. As he reaches in he receives a severe shock and burn lucky he survives.
But what went wrong the phase said 0 volts it should be dead right? Wrong  This rookie along with even many experienced electricians who are not familiar with 3 phase delta supplied power  can run into this condition any time they work on one of these services do to the three phase power being supplied by the utility having on of its 3 power legs grounded accidentally some where within the distribution system. This condition exists in 230 volt 3 phase services provided by Duquesne light company in the North side of Pittsburgh  and 480 volt systems in Braddock Pa.
The correct way to test a 3 phase delta system is to make measurements from A to B - B to C and A to C   not to ground  this would have shown the rookie the power was actually working on all 3 phases.
Better yet he should have a Phase Rotation meter many Industrial Electricians and Trouble Shooters like my self carry  around $100-450 dollars these meters show you when all 3 phases are properly working and the rotation of the phases  as you can see in this photo of a Rotation tester made by BEHA now Greenlee  which I was using to test 3 phase power on an overhead crane.

In the case where I was checking a crane the grounded phase threw the maintenance man off  track and they called me in thinking they had a main phase fuse blown in the distribution gear  Bus bar system when in fact it was a small 3 1/2 amp fuse used to supply control voltage to the cranes operating pendant .
I tested and new power was good but to show that it was I brought the rotation meter in and hooked it up and showed it to the maintenance people so they would know in the future they have a grounded phase issue.

Now your saying to your self should equipment not be marked warning about this and should the utility company not be doing something about it? yes they should but again they do not because only properly trained and equipped personnel like my self should be doing this work but  we all know this is not the case and every year techs get hurt and confused by this condition I mark switches  and warn electricians and maintenance people about this all the time because 99% know nothing about this condition.  Duquesne Light  trouble shooters have spent many hours tracing and trying to find the ground to no avail . They should do a better job disseminating this to techs and electricians but they do not  so its proceed with caution which is what you are suppose to be doing in the first place and when a tech hits this strange condition and he and his supervisor can not figure it out they are suppose to call the power company who would send out a trouble shooter who will test and alert them to the issue but as usual they do not.  Its a dangerous world out there and thats why only properly trained personnel are suppose to be doing  this work and any one who proceeds with out the training shame on them.