Underground Conduit Installation

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An underground service conduit is rounted from the pole at the street down the hill to a meter box mounted on the side of the residence. The conduit start a few feet from the base of the pole. Water flows up the conduit at the residence and into the meterbox causing damage. Is this a NEC code violation (where in code?) or a contructability issue? Is there a good product on the market to seal the conduit, but I don't like to seal the conduit because seals fail.

Augie19
 
An underground service conduit is rounted from the pole at the street down the hill to a meter box mounted on the side of the residence. The conduit start a few feet from the base of the pole. Water flows up the conduit at the residence and into the meterbox causing damage. Is this a NEC code violation (where in code?) or a contructability issue? Is there a good product on the market to seal the conduit, but I don't like to seal the conduit because seals fail.

Augie19

The conduit stops before the pole? Then what? Does the utility have it run up the pole with U guard? Sounds like a quintessential example of an install that should have had continuous pipe with careful joint preparation with primer to keep the water out....
 

Hv&Lv

Senior Member
Location
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Occupation
Engineer/Technician
The conduit stops before the pole? Then what? Does the utility have it run up the pole with U guard? Sounds like a quintessential example of an install that should have had continuous pipe with careful joint preparation with primer to keep the water out....

I have never seen a dry pipe. Not to say there isn't one, but if it is outside moisture will get in no matter what you do.
 

jap

Senior Member
Occupation
Electrician
If its direct burial cable and the conduit is just for supplementary protection, the conduit could be opened prior to it reaching the meter
to allow for drainage.
 

John120/240

Senior Member
Location
Olathe, Kansas
An underground service conduit is rounted from the pole at the street down the hill to a meter box mounted on the side of the residence. The conduit start a few feet from the base of the pole. Water flows up the conduit at the residence and into the meterbox causing damage. Is this a NEC code violation (where in code?) or a contructability issue? Is there a good product on the market to seal the conduit, but I don't like to seal the conduit because seals fail.

Augie19

Dig the conduit up at the meter. Excavate around the last elbow before it turns up to the meter. On the bottom side of the elbow make
some weep holes to let water out. Install Pea gravel around the elbow for drainage.
 
I have never seen a dry pipe. Not to say there isn't one, but if it is outside moisture will get in no matter what you do.

moisture is fine and even water from condensation which will inevitably happen is fine. We just dont want a stream running through our conduits. Another solution would be to use a slip riser up to the meter as it should have one anyway then the water would exit thru that.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
moisture is fine and even water from condensation which will inevitably happen is fine. We just dont want a stream running through our conduits. Another solution would be to use a slip riser up to the meter as it should have one anyway then the water would exit thru that.

Kind of the impression I got was that the supplied structure was downhill from the pole and there possibly is more than just condensation running through this raceway. If the pole is in a drainage area and the end of raceway is near grade level, guess where some of the water drains to?
 

newservice

Senior Member
Here the POCO distributes a spec book for installs, and they always require a loop at the meter base. Your poco probly has one online or for free. True its not the NEC, but, still shows how they like to see it. I've done 200 foot URD installs with pipe starting after the pole riser and going to the meter loop, slope was down to the house, never had a prob in fact this never occurred to me but I suppose it could happen.
 
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