the QO panel has the odds going down the left and evens down the right. breakers 1 and 2 are on the same leg. breakers 3 and 4 are on the same leg. breakers vertically alternate legs.
Her statement:
tends to confirm this. Plugging in the stove (a 250v connection to both lines) somehow allows power to backfeed and get those circuits live again. This is seriously messed up & dangerous. Call an electrician!
If you need to find a reliable one, ask your neighbors, check with the neighborhood association, look online in Angies’s List, etc., or at worst, just get a firm that’s bee in business a long time (is there a label on the box indicating who originally installed it?). But get one soon.
If that is true then a broken line wouldn’t do it.
Do you know if the neutrals all connect to a single bus bar in this panel or if there are separate bus bars for each side?
i don’t find the exact model. a close match on the number is an obsolete 100A 20 space panel. so maybe a single neutral bus.
Note to self: Do not, under any circumstances, follow any advice - on any topic - from Balthisar.
mmm
Such as my current advice: “Everyone pay attention to Mean Mr. Mustard” 
Actually a quick Google search seems to indicate that you guys could be right, and I see a lot of suggestions to call the power company to have them remove the meter. So I’m going to threadjack a bit: “why”?
On no fewer than five occasions I’ve had licensed electricians remove the meter from the can without disconnecting the main service from the transformer. And once it was an actual Edison electrician out there to bridge the main to a second meter (which she did hot, freaking me out a little bit). It was never pulled out while under load. In fact the only time I’ve ever had to call the power company was for a service panel upgrade in my previous house (obviously the source side of the can was still hot), and once when they replaced the main cable from the transformer (which is logical). As a consequence of my observations, I’ve pulled my meter in my current house twice, and each time after the fact, I called Edison to let them know to come back out and replace the seal. The only danger I could possibly foresee is pulling the meter under a heavy load (arcing) or replacing it under a load. Or doing something stupid like touching the hot terminals with the meter off.
Hence I’m genuinely curious: what’s the big deal?
I once watched a doctor perform heart surgery and even read a book on how to do it correctly. I assume most people wouldn’t take issue with me performing heart surgery right?
As simple as pulling a meter socket may be or may seem to be it is something to be left to professionals. Us electricians after spending well over 8000 hours on our licenses just may have learned a thing or two the average homeowner does not.
8000? Rookie.
It’s 10000 in Ohio. 
You don’t already work with electrical systems. Oh, wait, below you say you do; that’s that’s not a good comparison. Well, I do work with power and electrical systems. But doctors that do perform heart surgeries always do it for a first time, and presumably read a lot of books prior to doing so. So that’s a more appropriate comparison.
So, with your 8000 hours, you don’t have an answer, other than you’re better than me so I best shut up? :rolleyes: (On a serious note, I truly don’t doubt that you may have learned a thing or two more than have I, but what’s the point of asking a question if your answer is so stupid and worthless?)
except for the part were I answered the question earlier in the thread?
lol
I think MA is 10000 as well 8000 is the hours working under a licensed electrician then 2000 hours class time in addition to any time spent studying for the test and taking it. I wasn’t sure on the total class time so I went with the low estimate of 8000.
Either way, the professional licensed electrician knows more than an unlicensed amateur. I have considerable experience with low volatage and high voltage electronics, but I won’t stick my hand inside an open electrical service that is hot.
Another note: Whether or not an electrician or the electrical utility company can service a meter is usually up to the utility. My experience in New York and Rhode Island is that the utility doesn’t mind in the case of an emergency. I have a friend working for National Grid, so I haven’t worried about it lately.
Along with possable panel problems with the hot leads I would question the neutrals.
You house may be older that what I am use to but. At my meter is a main when that is turned off the panel for the house should be dead. I said should. I never go in without testing.
NOTE: To all who are concerned about my safety, Thank You, and rest assured I will not put my hands on anything without the power shut off first, by the POCO.
The POCO seems to think it is one line to the main not connected good.
I have not had any luck with getting an electrician out here to look at it. Of the ones that answered the phone, none called me back like they said they would.:smack:
Which is what I said back in post #2. HAH! Suck on that! 
Oh. I didn’t see those as compelling reasons. I thought maybe there was a procedure or safety precaution or something that we average homeowners might not know about. I guess my only response for reasons not to do it are: it’s legal here. Meter cans are free (literally: prior to upgrading my service, I just went to the Edison warehouse, and they just gave it to me.). I suppose if one were careless and broke the meter, the power company may want reimbursement, but that goes for clumsy people breaking anything.
I guess I can see your point that someone who may not want to change his own light switch probably shouldn’t be fiddling with a meter, but no one’s mentioned any above average risks for reasonably skilled, non-journeymen people, either.
For the record, and re-reading my original comment I can understand the confusion, I wasn’t suggesting that the OP take our her meter herself. I was merely commenting on Chefguy’s comment: “Loose main lug connection? … This is not something you want to attempt to correct yourself, as it can’t be shut off by you.” The difference being “can’t be shut off” and “can’t be shut off by you.”
So, my apologies, but if there’s still a reason for me (or similar people) not to remove my meter, then I’d still like to hear them.
**Question:**If one of my power lines going into the main breaker was loose, wouldn’t I be getting lower voltage readings on the breakers this line supplies power to?
All voltage readings are good for all breakers.
I think it’s in my 240V line to my range(has really old wires) and when the power goes out and I plug in my stove the power comes back on(It comes back on every time I do this).
Not if it’s an intermittent open.
you might detect voltage with no load and a marginal connection. the marginal connection might only become evident under a load.
if the neutral line was marginal/intermittent then having the range plugged in might bring power to a bad 118V circuit.
you would have three incoming power wires, two that go to main breaker, one to neutral bus. how you have a grounding wire depends on age and configuration of your system.