jph320
Member
- Location
- Cinnaminson nj
- Occupation
- Electrician
can i run the ground wire from the rod into the meter socket instead of into the panel?
ground wire
- Thread starter jph320
- Start date
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Then what?
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
Many POCO's don't allow the connection in their metering enclosures.
- Location
- Illinois
- Occupation
- retired electrician
...and some utilities require it in the meter enclosure. The NEC permits the GEC connection to the grounded conductor to be at any point from the load end of the service drop or lateral to the inside of the service disconnect enclosure.
RICK NAPIER
Senior Member
- Location
- New Jersey
Single gang meters usually does not have a spot to land this but mutiple meter sockets do.
Rick, I have never seen any meter that does not have provisions for the GEC.
Roger
electricguy61
Senior Member
I recently failed a City of San Jose inspection for this. Inspector said he was following PG&E's greenbook.
Tried fruitlessly to reason with him.
Tried fruitlessly to reason with him.
- Location
- Bremerton, Washington
And I have never seen a meter that has a lug for a GEC.
Our state rules do not allow bonding GEC in meter socket.
As Don points out the NEC allows the connection between the service drop and service equipment enclosure. Its most commonly done in the service enclosure as thats the easiest location to make the connection.
The AHJ would likely wonder whats up if it was done at the service drop. This violates the "don't confuse the inspector" rule.
Our state rules do not allow bonding GEC in meter socket.
As Don points out the NEC allows the connection between the service drop and service equipment enclosure. Its most commonly done in the service enclosure as thats the easiest location to make the connection.
The AHJ would likely wonder whats up if it was done at the service drop. This violates the "don't confuse the inspector" rule.
Hendrix
Senior Member
- Location
- New England
Neither have I :happyno: Maybe an East coast West coast thing. I think that the termination has to be "accessable" and with a seal on the meter socket, maybe it be considered non accessable.
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Hendrix
Senior Member
- Location
- New England
That is the way it is done in NH 99% of the time.
To my point in my post #3 re "can i run the ground wire from the rod into the meter socket instead of into the panel?
" So you run the EGC to the meter socket and then what do yo do with it? If there was a grounding lug does that mean that you have to run a separate EGC and neutral to your main load center from the meter?
" So you run the EGC to the meter socket and then what do yo do with it? If there was a grounding lug does that mean that you have to run a separate EGC and neutral to your main load center from the meter?
curt swartz
Electrical Contractor - San Jose, CA
- Location
- San Jose, CA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
The inspector was correct.
From the Green Book:
Applicants must locate the terminations (e.g., ground bus) for their
grounding electrode conductors outside of any section that PG&E
seals.
No you would not, the Grounded Conductor serves as the fault clearing conductor on the line side of the service disconnect.
Roger
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
The connection point must be accessible, the meter enclosure is locked by the POCO. Doesn't sound accessible to me. 
The GEC can be run to the Meter Socket or the 1st means of disconnect around here.
I guess one could argue that the termination in the meter base would be accessible if the power company came and took the lock off.
Besides, why do you need to access it? How often to you go around tightening the grounding electrode conductor after its originally inatalled ?
I rather prefer it being terminated in the meter base, that way no body messes with it.
Most of the time your only going to be messing with that termination is if you have the power company out there troubleshooting something wrong with the Service anyway.
I guess one could argue that the termination in the meter base would be accessible if the power company came and took the lock off.
Besides, why do you need to access it? How often to you go around tightening the grounding electrode conductor after its originally inatalled ?
I rather prefer it being terminated in the meter base, that way no body messes with it.
Most of the time your only going to be messing with that termination is if you have the power company out there troubleshooting something wrong with the Service anyway.
And the other connectioms do not need to be accessible? Are locked electrical rooms accessible?The connection point must be accessible, the meter enclosure is locked by the POCO. Doesn't sound accessible to me.
Along with Jap's point, how many times have any of us been out in the middle of the night to fix a loose GEC connection?
Roger
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- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
Am I remiss in thinking that the aforementioned accessibility is a requirement?
electricguy61
Senior Member
- Location
- Illinois
- Occupation
- retired electrician
It only has to be "accessible", not "readily accessible". I see the connection in the sealed meter enclosure as being accessible.
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