How do you punish neighbors for stealing electricity?

Methods for identifying theft

So, if you are at least well versed in electricity and know what wiring is, then you first need to make sure that electricity theft still exists. Otherwise, the problem will turn out to be different, for example, in the self-propelled gun of your meter, as a result of which relations with neighbors can deteriorate unreasonably. To understand that someone is stealing electricity in an apartment building or a private house can be done using the following method:

1. Check the connection of the meter to the network, as well as the integrity of the seals. If you see that, for example, additional wires to the apartment go to the meter, or wires go around the meter, or the phase and zero are reversed, this means that the neighbors are stealing electricity. The connection diagram of a single-phase meter to the mains is as follows:
2. Check if the light is on when the circuit breakers in the switch are closed. If there is such an opportunity, try turning off the machines and then checking the voltage at all outlets, and also turning on all the lights. If the light comes on in some room or it turns out that there is power in the outlet, then electricity theft is occurring, and perhaps even yours. The fact is that in old prefabricated houses in adjacent rooms, niches were installed between apartments in a through hole. A difficult neighbor could plug into a power socket and steal the electricity you’ll pay for. That’s it. Therefore, if you think that the room is stealing electricity from you, you should review the wiring: mark all the connection boxes and sockets so that there are no unnecessary connections.
3. Check the condition of the radiators. A very common way to disassemble the meter is grounding through the battery jacks. In this case, this will not be displayed on the readings of the electric meter, but a more serious threat will appear – the possibility of electric shock. If you get an electric shock in the bathroom most likely, they unplug the electricity one floor higher or lower. Check the condition of the batteries in these neighbors if possible. For grounding on the riser, it is necessary to clean the paint from it to the metal. Now, if you find such a place, they will most likely steal electricity through it. You can also use an indicator screwdriver to check if there is voltage on the battery to make sure there is a problem.
4. In the private sector, they often use a method of stealing from the state, such as a wire rush. It looks like in the photo below, so it will not be difficult to determine the theft:
5. Another way to calculate is to turn off all electrical appliances in the house from the electrical outlet, and turn off the lights as well. If the meter will wind at the same time, something is wrong and you need to call an electrician to find the problem.

These are all the simplest ways to know that your neighbors are stealing electricity. There is another way to steal – connect a powerful transformer, but only specialists steal electricity, so you are unlikely to be able to catch an attacker in hot pursuit.

Where do I go for help?

If you can find out that someone is involved in theft, the first thing we recommend is to solve this problem using conversation. Stealing proves difficult. The same connection to your outlet can be determined by the fact that the attackers will blame the previous owners of the apartment or another private electrician who allegedly repaired the wiring and could have spoiled something. However, if you call an electrician and he truly discovers the theft, you will need to proceed as follows:

1. Write a statement to the management company so that it conducts checks periodically.
2. Contact Energy Sales.
3. Upon the arrival of a specialist who verifies the fact of the theft, he carries out work, as well as photographing the evidence in the presence of witnesses and collecting signatures from them (it will not hurt, although it does not always help).
4. Contact the court and the prosecutor.

By the way, electricians detect the theft of electricity not only by visual inspection, but also by special devices, such as “Search” or “Go Stork”.

What will the fine be?

That’s all I wanted to tell you about how to find out that neighbors are stealing electricity and what to do in this case. Remember that as a result of someone’s manipulation, you may become a victim of electric shock or you will overpay, because theft at the level of the common house in an apartment building will lead to an increase in the charge for the common needs of the house. Total, the stolen 400 kilowatts will be divided among all neighbors.