Meter loop grounding in local POCO

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11bgrunt

Pragmatist
Location
TEXAS
Occupation
Electric Utility Reliability Coordinator
In the local POCO service area for the last 35 years I know of, every meter loop installed on a wooden meter pole required an unbroken #6 cu. bare conductor stapled to the pole, connected to the POCO service neutral above the weatherhead and down to a copper ground rod at the bottom of the pole. A bare #6 cu.jumper was run from the neutral buss in service panel to that #6 cu. attached to the pole.
Today, questions are coming up that this creates a parallel neutral path with one inside the conduit and one outside stapled to the pole.
It was suggested that in the event of a bad connection there could be a potential difference between bare pole ground and the meter loop. I have not seen this happen and the original thought was a parallel path would prevent large voltage fluctuations if the service neutral connection was lost at the weatherhead, in the meter socket or neutral buss in service panel.
Is there any reason to change what has been SOP for at least the last 50 years with no recorded issue?
is this a NEC violation?

Danke,
 

iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
Sounds like a standard POCO butt ground with a service on the pole. I have always tied a GEC to it.

Why would you tie the GEC to it? To do so, IMO clearly violates the rules for parallel conductors found in article 300.

Can you explain the set up more clearly? We don't seem to use the term 'meter loop' here and we have nothing to do with the grounding of utility poles. :?
 

electricalist

Senior Member
Location
dallas tx
It reads to me like a #6 connected at the service point grounded conductor. Then runs down the pole to a ground rod and where that bare #6 passes by the service panel there is another #6 from the neutral/ ground bus connected to it ,,probably with a split bolt. So the grounded and grounding conductor is bonded 1 time in the service panel and again at the service point.
Which from the service point to the service disconnect it common for a parallel path to happen especially with electrically connected methods.
The only thing I ever wondered is why not make the e.g. bonding of service panels to meter enclosures be the same size as the grounded conductor.
 

11bgrunt

Pragmatist
Location
TEXAS
Occupation
Electric Utility Reliability Coordinator
It reads to me like a #6 connected at the service point grounded conductor. Then runs down the pole to a ground rod and where that bare #6 passes by the service panel there is another #6 from the neutral/ ground bus connected to it ,,probably with a split bolt. So the grounded and grounding conductor is bonded 1 time in the service panel and again at the service point.
Which from the service point to the service disconnect it common for a parallel path to happen especially with electrically connected methods.
The only thing I ever wondered is why not make the e.g. bonding of service panels to meter enclosures be the same size as the grounded conductor.


electricalist has translated my post correctly.
We always felt two connections would have to fail for the customer to suffer drastic voltage fluctuations on the neutral. We were never concerned with parallel paths until it was brought up recently.
 

electricalist

Senior Member
Location
dallas tx
I think until they make meter enclosures out of a plastic material there will always be a parallel path.
Just for fun. The neutral is connected from the meter to the service bus, that's 1 path, then the ground from the bus that's connected to the ground going up to the neutral is 2 nd path, then the metal service disconnect that is bonded by the screw at the neutral/ ground bus is connected to a metal offset nipple that's connected to a metal meter base that's bonded makes 3 times and depending on how the poco connects to the riser, if their grounded conductor isn't isolated at the point of attachment then there is 4.
And that's only a power pole. Just imagine 6 parallel runs.
Its the biggest don't that is done
 

iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
But what about the e.g. for the meter enclosure?

That is already grounded by bonding it to the neutral conductor. Meter sockets in my area have the neutral factory bonded to the enclosures other meter enclosures may require installing a bonding jumper to do this.
 

electricalist

Senior Member
Location
dallas tx
I'll have to check one at our shop Monday.
In Odessa the inspector wanted a grounding bushing on the meter side with the bonding jumper from it to the grounding lug next to the grounded lug. Said he straightened out those guys at the poco.
 

electricalist

Senior Member
Location
dallas tx
Yes they are one for the grounded and the smaller, the grounding in that case. I often wondered why the smaller lug with the flat head screw is there.
 
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