Disconnect Required?

[cey]

This is the situation. A new service with the service point (over 600V) originating on a customer owned riser pole terminated to the local Utilities provided pigtails. This is a primary metered service. From the riser pole to the customer owned transformer is 800? of 12470V service conductors, again customer owned.

Questions:
Is a disconnecting means (medium voltage fused switch) required by the N.E.C. on the primary service conductors?

If a switch is required, does the switch need to be located the at the riser pole?

What code article, if any, addresses this?

Thanks,
cey

 

[Nick]

Re: Disconnect Required?

Question: Where is the meter located? You say the ?service point? is on the pole but not the physical location of the meter. The meter is usually the point of demarcation between the NESC and the NEC. Not that it should make a difference but who owns each part changes the rule a lot.
The question you ask varies a lot by jurisdiction. You may have to get the utility and the AHJ?s call on this.
I have done systems that were installed by utility standards using utility equipment and then subsequently everything past the primary meter sold to the owner. Makes things clear as mud.

 

[bennie]

Re: Disconnect Required?

Outside wiring, to a premises, should be under the jurisdiction of the NESC. The connection point of the outside, to the inside wiring, is the service point. Primary metering is not an electrical connection.

My home local is a joint local, outside lineman and inside wireman. The lineman will install the medium voltage feeder, and not be subject to an electrical inspector.

NESC procedures are dangerous inside a premises. NEC procedures outside, are dangerous and will create a lot of power outages.

Remember the NESC is a trademark of the IEEE.

 

[arneykaner]

Re: Disconnect Required?

1. What part of installation, or what piece of equipment is the service point is the Utility call. You have to comply with utility rules, because everything upstream of the point of service is owned by utility, and it is up to them
to tell to a customer where the demarcation line is. Usually, if the power is supplied through an overhead line, the service point is a cut out, either fused or not fused, located on the pole.
Again, each utility has their own standard how to arrange that cut out, and there is no way but to comply with them. Note, that such a cut out on the pole shall not be considered the service disconnect, because it is own by utility (even if installed by a contractor at the Owner's expense)

2. Yes, there shall be the main service disconnect. Would it be upstream or downstream
from the meter - depends again on that utility's rules. The best way is to install a 15 kV class
fused switch in wheather proof housing, with a meter and CTs/Pts in a separate compartment.
CTs and PTs are usually provided by utility, but they may require the 15KV switch shop drawings to be sent to them for approval.

3. NEC - see Articles 225.51; 225.52

 

[hurk27]

Re: Disconnect Required?

There is a race track here (Crown Point, Indiana) that has a primary metered service.
The service stops at the easment at which there is a pole disconect rod comming down the pole to allow for the disconection of the primary feeders to the many transformers located across the site.
the disconect is on the utility side of the service and is maintained by them as well as the metering equipment, but after that the track owners have to pay.

 

[charlie]

Re: Disconnect Required?

I hope I am not muddying the waters. The following is how IPL determines whether or not a customer is required to have a service.

Section 230.200 defines the division line between the customer and IPL for primary metered customers who own their own facilities on the load side of the service point.

The IPL overhead primary service includes the dead end clamp, dead end bells and extension links only, the remaining facilities (pole, switch, overcurrent devices, etc.) are all customer owned. The IPL underground primary service includes the cable terminations only. Compare the primary service with a secondary service; the change in ownership is the same, IPL stops at the point of termination. IPL supplies, and makes the final connections.

If the customer does not want to own his own facilities, IPL may set up a billing inventory on a rider 4 (defined in our Rates, Rules, & Regulations that are filed with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission) and rent the facilities to him. The main differences are, IPL will set up services on his buildings the same as if he were metered on a secondary rate (except for the metering facilities) and a main disconnecting means will not be required in front of his primary meter. In this case, IPL maintains exclusive control of all of the outside facilities.