Is this Sevice mast legal??

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Ruff-N

Member
Looks cool, BUT is the duct UL approved would that come into question, if not UL approved would the inspector red tag such an install?
 

iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
Looks cool, BUT is the duct UL approved would that come into question, if not UL approved would the inspector red tag such an install?


IMO you would have to use a duct that the AHJ approves for that location. I do not find any specific listing requirement in Article 376.
 

Ruff-N

Member
I bet there is a load of birds nest in there cause the bottom is open and the top is also open.
 

LLSolutions

Senior Member
Location
Long Island, NY
Around Me the poco is stricter than NEC, they alway inspect before connect on anything larger than a 200A 1Phase service, it may be just fine by them if they energized it. I don't know where you would get that setup but I really wanna see how it enters the switchgear.
 

Ruff-N

Member
Around Me the poco is stricter than NEC, they alway inspect before connect on anything larger than a 200A 1Phase service, it may be just fine by them if they energized it. I don't know where you would get that setup but I really wanna see how it enters the switchgear.

I've seen it where the duct may end up in a tap-can and then pipe to the swithgear or the duct goes directly to the gear.
 

norcal

Senior Member
I recall seeing something like that all over Houston when I was there in 2000-01, CT's were inside & KWH meter was close by.
 

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
There's a monstrosity of one behind Pleasants hardware.

Larry, Have you seen that?
If you mean the old store on Broad St. near Hermitage Rd., yes, and I've seen plenty bigger.

If you like, I'll see if I can shoot and post a few pics of several, including the high-leg service most seem to have.
 

iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
I bet there is a load of birds nest in there cause the bottom is open and the top is also open.

There is, I saw birds fly in and out of the bottom.

Article 376 does require the ends to be closed up.:)

When I was still a helper I helped with a 2000 amp service were we used 12 x 12 trough from the main switch to outside. The only real difference from the one I helped with and this one is that the one I worked on was entirely horizontal, we came out of the building high enough that we did not have to go vertical.

We had only had about 3' of trough stubbed out of the building
 

mcclary's electrical

Senior Member
Location
VA
If you mean the old store on Broad St. near Hermitage Rd., yes, and I've seen plenty bigger.

If you like, I'll see if I can shoot and post a few pics of several, including the high-leg service most seem to have.

The Pleasants beside Lee's chicken. And I didn't necassarily mean big,,,,,but really UGLY:D
 

mxslick

Senior Member
Location
SE Idaho
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And people worry about risers in a wall...:roll:

That mess is an explosion waiting to happen. It looks as though the bottom was originally closed at one time but it rusted out, which means there is a lot of water invasion. Add enough moisture with the bird nests and poo that is bound to be built up in there and watch the sparks fly.

I am puzzled as to why it was done in the first place..seems it would have been cheaper to drop a pipe down from the top and have the tie-in to the bus right where it exits the building..which is an install I have seen before.

Good opportunity to sell them a fix before they have an unscheduled outage.

EDIT: And do I see another riser tapped off of this one, the RGC exiting to the right...........?
 
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iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
And people worry about risers in a wall...:roll:

Well 'people' worry about them as in a wood framed wall they will start a fire if they fault.

If this faults while spectacular it will not burn the block building down.


That mess is an explosion waiting to happen.

Really, you can tell that from there?

All I see as an issue is the missing end, as far as we know the conductors are as fine the day they went in.



Add enough moisture with the bird nests and poo that is bound to be built up in there and watch the sparks fly.

The condutors are required to be type W mosture should not be an issue.

Poop .... well not knowing the make up of bird poop I will not comment on that part. :)

I am puzzled as to why it was done in the first place..seems it would have been cheaper to drop a pipe down from the top and have the tie-in to the bus right where it exits the building..which is an install I have seen before.

No derating needed and much easier if you do not have power pulling equipment.


Good opportunity to sell them a fix before they have an unscheduled outage.

Thats funny, do you work in the real world? :grin:

Few people will repair what is working, sure those that have critical loads may but most folks no.
 

mxslick

Senior Member
Location
SE Idaho
All I see as an issue is the missing end, as far as we know the conductors are as fine the day they went in. The condutors are required to be type W mosture should not be an issue.

My conclusions are based on if this is bus duct....but it this simply a duct encasing conductors? If so then I concede it's not that big of a hazard in that case, assuming the conductors aren't damaged by the birds.

Bird poo is conductive..just ask POCO workers who have to deal with cleaning insulators. :grin:


No derating needed and much easier if you do not have power pulling equipment.

Now that makes sense to me. Curious as to why no derating though, as opposed to conduit. The conductors would still be resting close together even in duct, right?


Thats funny, do you work in the real world? :grin:

Few people will repair what is working, sure those that have critical loads may but most folks no.

Yep I do and if I see something that could be a hazard, and in this case if it failed cause an extended unscheduled outage, I will point it out. I have saved a lot of cinemas from outages by pointing out anything that I thought could cause trouble down the road. (A lot of cinemas have their switchgear in or near the projection booths.) I have discovered (by sight or smell) failing breakers, loose connections, overheated transformers and other ills.

Whether they listen and get it fixed is up to them. ;)

A certain amusement park I worked at suffered a major outage of their 12kV switchgear caused by "value engineering" which bit them in the end..I was privy to it because the gear was right by the shop I worked in, the EC installing it expressed his doubts to me and the park engineer who didn't listen to anyone's warnings. It made the news when it blew up.
 
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