Panel cover attachment; meter location questions

Status
Not open for further replies.

tonype

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
Panel not flush, due to ceramic tile - I am calling this out as a problem. Is there any specific reference?

Also, current transformer and all main equipment in the basement of a home - front. However, meter is about 50 feet away on the rear wall of a garage. A photo shows the conduit coming from the basement through the garage to the meter. Is there typically any reason for this, other than not wanting the "visual" of having a meter on the front wall of the home.

DSCF4272.jpg DSCF4127.jpg
 

infinity

Moderator
Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
The cover needs to flush to the panel enclosure, also there needs to be an OCPD next to the meter on the outside.
 

infinity

Moderator
Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
For just the CT wiring to the meter?

If I'm understanding the installation the SEC's enter the garage and run into the basemnet.

As far as the panel and the tile I would guess that either or both of these sections may apply:

312.3 Position in Wall. In walls of concrete, tile, or other
noncombustible material, cabinets shall be installed so that
the front edge of the cabinet is not set back of the finished
surface more than 6 mm (1⁄4 in.). In walls constructed of
wood or other combustible material, cabinets shall be flush
with the finished surface or project therefrom.
312.4 Repairing Noncombustible Surfaces. Noncombus-
tible surfaces that are broken or incomplete shall be re-
paired so there will be no gaps or open spaces greater than
3 mm (1⁄8 in.) at the edge of the cabinet or cutout box
employing a flush-type cover
 

Strummed

Senior Member
Location
NJ
If I'm understanding the installation the SEC's enter the garage and run into the basemnet.

There's a CT cabinet in the basement. I'm not sure where the SECs are running but the pipe going through the garage is just for the CT wiring:

"current transformer and all main equipment in the basement of a home - front. However, meter is about 50 feet away on the rear wall of a garage."




I agree that it's odd, I've never seen such a long run like that. Why not put the meter wherever the SECs enter the home? How would you bring the SECs into a house that had the CT cabinet in the basement? Pipe it directly inside with no box outside?
 

infinity

Moderator
Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
From the photo's I see no reason why this would have CT's. Tony will need to check back in with some clarification before this thread goes sideways. Right now we're just guessing. :roll:
 

Strummed

Senior Member
Location
NJ
From the photo's I see no reason why this would have CT's. Tony will need to check back in with some clarification before this thread goes sideways. Right now we're just guessing. :roll:

I'm just going off of what he said, not guessing. So roll your eyes elsewhere.

Again:

current transformer and all main equipment in the basement of a home - front. However, meter is about 50 feet away on the rear wall of a garage.


The pipe you see going through the garage is not housing the service conductors, just the wiring from the CT cabinet to the meter.


 

tonype

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
From the photo's I see no reason why this would have CT's. Tony will need to check back in with some clarification before this thread goes sideways. Right now we're just guessing. :roll:

My thinking is that HO did not want unsightly meter on front wall (this is in Saddle River, NJ) and had meter locatewd to the back. Makes reading a hassle. Does this make sense?
 

infinity

Moderator
Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
My thinking is that HO did not want unsightly meter on front wall (this is in Saddle River, NJ) and had meter locatewd to the back. Makes reading a hassle. Does this make sense?

Yes, that makes sense. When you said that "all main equipment in the basement of a home" I assumed that you meant the equipment in the photo.

Does anyone see a problem with the meter wiring running for 50' through the house?
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Yes, that makes sense. When you said that "all main equipment in the basement of a home" I assumed that you meant the equipment in the photo.

Does anyone see a problem with the meter wiring running for 50' through the house?
Chances are those conductors belong to the POCO and this muddies the water a little as to whether or not the NEC applies to them.

I personally have no problem with it as long as they have overcurrent protection - which I think they generally do have fuses on their CT meter wiring.

As far as being a pain to read, many places have or are switching to meters that are capable of remote reading anyway and it may as well have been placed in the basement where/near the CT's are located. JMO.

The panel with the gap behind the cover, forget code for a moment, it just looks like hack work anyway, why didn't tile guy either drop his tile elevation where the panel is, or tile all the way around the panel somehow?
 

tonype

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
Yes, that makes sense. When you said that "all main equipment in the basement of a home" I assumed that you meant the equipment in the photo.

Does anyone see a problem with the meter wiring running for 50' through the house?

Actually no. Panel in other photo is in the laundry room of the cabana. The main equipment (current transformer and and (2) 200-amp feeds from it, along with some other service equipment, are in the basement.
 

tonype

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
The panel with the gap behind the cover, forget code for a moment, it just looks like hack work anyway, why didn't tile guy either drop his tile elevation where the panel is, or tile all the way around the panel somehow?

Panel is a mess anyway - mice activity (some gnawing and poop and nesting material); unclamped wire penetrations into it; open slots; corrosion; doubled neutrals; oversized breakers; etc). General workmanship in entire recent rehab is shoddy.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Panel is a mess anyway - mice activity (some gnawing and poop and nesting material); unclamped wire penetrations into it; open slots; corrosion; doubled neutrals; oversized breakers; etc). General workmanship in entire recent rehab is shoddy.
Not surprising. A lot of house flippers do exactly that. Cover everything up and all the untrained eye sees is the final layer. They are good at making that final layer look nice, except the poorly fitting panel cover in your case.
 

Strummed

Senior Member
Location
NJ
Not surprising. A lot of house flippers do exactly that. Cover everything up and all the untrained eye sees is the final layer. They are good at making that final layer look nice, except the poorly fitting panel cover in your case.

Like they did on a condo that I bought. They "renovated" the bathroom by putting up normal drywall and then tiling over it with mastic- even in the shower. A few months after I bought it the tiles were just falling off the wall after the mastic got wet. The drywall was soaked, water was leaking downstairs, etc. I had to re-de everything.
 

infinity

Moderator
Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
Like they did on a condo that I bought. They "renovated" the bathroom by putting up normal drywall and then tiling over it with mastic- even in the shower. A few months after I bought it the tiles were just falling off the wall after the mastic got wet. The drywall was soaked, water was leaking downstairs, etc. I had to re-de everything.

Sounds like you needed Tony to inspect before you made the purchase. ;)
 

Strummed

Senior Member
Location
NJ
Sounds like you needed Tony to inspect before you made the purchase. ;)
I had an inspection performed before the sale by a reputable guy. I never called him on it because I don't know if there would have been a way to tell without removing a tile.
 

tonype

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
I had an inspection performed before the sale by a reputable guy. I never called him on it because I don't know if there would have been a way to tell without removing a tile.

I use a non-destructive surface moisture to detect water behind tiles (as long as the bathroom and home have been rregularly used at the inspection).
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top