Hendrix
Senior Member
- Location
- New England
Do laterals have to be in rigid PVC or can they be installed in Sch. 40
I meant sched. 80I thought schedule 40 was rigid.
<H2>Service-entrance conductors
</H2>Each service drop or lateral can supply only one set of service-entrance conductors [230.40]. However, five exceptions apply, which you'll find listed right below 230.40.
Service-entrance conductors can be spliced or tapped per 110.14, 300.5(E), 300.13, and 300.15 [230.46]. While the NEC allows this, maintenance considerations often make this method inadvisable. Remember, the NEC doesn't tell you how to design an optimal installation [90.1].
If your service is 600V or less, you can use any of the 16 wiring methods listed in 230.43. A 17th wiring method (cable tray) is covered separately in 230.44. Cable trays used to support service-entrance conductors can contain only service-entrance conductors, unless a solid fixed barrier separates the service-entrance conductors from other conductors.
If the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) determines that the raceway isn't subject to physical damage, you can use Schedule 40 rigid nonmetallic conduit if you prefer. Otherwise, you must use one of the following:
- Rigid metal conduit,
- Intermediate metal conduit,
- Rigid nonmetallic conduit (Schedule 80),
- Electrical metallic tubing, or
- Other means acceptable to the AHJ.
Around here, in a commercial application, the PC dosen't "own" anything after the service drop. So, if there is an underground run of service conductors from the pole to the meter socket on the building, It is up to the EC to run the cable, and install the conduit.The power companies in my area all require schedule 80 where the conduit emerges from the ground and permit schedule 40 below grade. Conduit properly bedded on sand and covered with sand or equivalent, installed in a ditch at required depth, may be schedule 40. Typically the 90 degree ells and the short piece emerging to the meter service point are schedule 80.