Ever see this before? You should, you've got one.
This ridiculous looking device is a Circuit Breaker box, officially known as a Distribution Board. This is where all of the electric power coming into your home is divided out and sent to the various places that it is going to be used. Before 1965 you would have had a Fuse Box, but here in America everything built since 1965 has one of these lovelies.
This particular box lives on the side of our house and has been there since 1983. However, (you knew there was something coming didn't you?) UDC, the company that built our home was renowned for using the least expensive (read as cheapest please) components it could lay it's hands on in order to increase their profit margin on each sale. (Aren't they lovely folks?) Turns out that the Distribution Boards they chose to use were so cheap that they are universally recognized as some of the worst, most dangerous pieces of garbage to come down the road ever.
How did we discover this you ask? Simple, while you are sitting in our lovely home certain lights will dim when there is ANY draw on the power. Like say, the laser printer warming up, the refrigerator cycling or the A/C cutting on. We called an electrician to look at this problem back in April who told us that the reason for the problem was the "Neutral" line from the transformer and that we should call SRP in to investigate. So we did..
SRP determined that yes indeed there was a problem with the Neutral and that they would have to make a simple repair. The SRP technician was then joined by five of his fellow SRP technicians, (all of whom drove their very own SRP truck) and they began to investigate.
And investigate...
Finally they made a repair to the Neutral line and declared the problem resolved. Fortunately for us our electrician remained for this entire process (off the clock surprisingly enough) and tested SRP's repair.
Nope problem still there. Diagnosis? The Distribution Board! "We're too busy to do the work now, let's try in August".
August, yes indeed, height of the Arizona summer, one whole day without power. Estimate price; $5,500.00. Oh dear gods!
Now comes that however we've been waiting for...
However, in the intervening months SRP, has decided that they hate this sort of Distribution Board so much that if you are unfortunate enough to possess one they are going to make the regulations for replacing it very, very, VERY complicated.
Take it off the wall and replace it? Oh my no. Dig up the ground in front of it, remove the sidewalk next to it, replace the down tubes, meter box, whole schebang. Cannot be recessed into the wall as our is, oh my no. Requires new wider pipes, you bet. SRP fix the sidewalk? No chance in hell. Estimated price; $9,600.00! PLUS the cement contractor to replace the sidewalk. I'm sorry, what?!?!
The option: do nothing. However, risk of failure is high. Result? A smoldering pile of ruin that was once our lovely home.
Solution? We're going to do it...
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