Now, again, I am a newbie to the codes and trying to learn from those more experienced than I, but, correct me please:I will be getting with the utility engineer myself later, but I am fairly certain that they & the city will want fused disconnect at the utility pole before it changes to underground. Thanks
If you have a meter on a pole, just a meter, mind you, and no disconnect into an underground conduit system for a normal home, or even most businesses, there are no fuses to regulate anything until you get to the main panel, where your service disconnect is. This is allowed to be derated, etc and so forth.
There are arguments that a firemans disconnect may be needed, but nothing concrete in most places at this time.
Above there was an argument that if a simple disconnect is used, non-fused, that this would not affect the service rating of the underground feed. This is similar to what has been used forever in Rural Farms and in many apartment complexes, where a pole mounted disconnect that is accessible only by fire poles and utility poles can reach it to disconnect the services at the top of the pole.
Why then would they require it to be fused? Because it is 600 amps rather than 400 or 200 or 100 amps? Just trying to understand not start more fuss... Because I really cannot see the difference here. Personally, would prefer to see a definition in the code to keep it as service until it hits main disconnect at panel, and keep any firefighter or other service related disconnects as service only but having trouble seeing why there is such a difference, or, is it that we are going to be seeing a future shift from three wire service entrance to a four wire service entrance with no derating and they are trying to do it step by step?
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