Privately Owned Summer Cabins Distribution

[jsinclair]

I have a local cabin owners association wishing to make much needed repairs to their customer owned distribution system. The local PoCo delivers 7.2kv to their meter pole and it is then customer owned from there.

Here is the setup:

Cabins are only used for about 4 months out of each year. Most of them are lights and receptacles only. Some have AC and electric ranges. The current distribution system consists of a single 100 KVA pole mount stepping down to 120/240 singe phase that is the distributed through the cabins overhead. The overhead wiring consists of randonly sized triplex and tri-wire installations. All of which needs replaced.

I am trying to get away from utilizing NEC 2005, 220 for the service calculations. I would like to utilize 550 instead. The cabins do not meet teh definition of a dwelling unit in my opinion, but they are also not mobile or manufactured homes either.

Has anyone else ran into this situation before? Can you reference the code you followed or any input from inspectors? (My local AHJ won't take a stance on the question at this point.)

Installation per article 220 will result in the escalation of the costs to the point the project will not be feasible and cost will trump safety.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Thanks All

 

[480sparky]

Without any cooking facilities, I'd say they're not dwellings. But if there's a stove, then you're very close to the definition of a dwelling. Install a toilet, and you've got one.

Dwelling Unit. A single unit, providing complete and independent living facilities for one or more persons, including permanent provisions for living, sleeping, cooking, and sanitation.

 

[mikeames]

I think more info is needed. If you don't consider these a dwelling unit then what are they? Ar ethey non insulated shacks? What do they consist of electrically .... 100 amp service??? How far apart are they from each other and the POCO service?

 

[jsinclair]

Most of the cabins I would define as a "non insulated shack". Picture your favorite hunting cabin.

Cabins are grouped in rows and are about 25 to 30 feet apart. There are 91 buildings altogether.

All cabins supposedly have 100A services and panels in them. (Not confirmed however.)

The POCO stops at the property line about 500 feet from the cabins. Everything on the property is customer owned.

 

[480sparky]

Most of the cabins I would define as a "non insulated shack". Picture your favorite hunting cabin.

Cabins are grouped in rows and are about 25 to 30 feet apart. There are 91 buildings altogether.

All cabins supposedly have 100A services and panels in them. (Not confirmed however.)

The POCO stops at the property line about 500 feet from the cabins. Everything on the property is customer owned.

None of this information has anything to do with whether they're dwellings or not.

 

[SAC]

"Dwelling Unit. A single unit, providing complete and independent living facilities for one or more persons, including permanent provisions for living, sleeping, cooking, and sanitation."

Do they qualify?

 

[Jim W in Tampa]

First step is we need your local ahj to say what they are. Then we go from there. Lived in PA on a lake, my room was off a cottage but back then nobody even knowed what nec was.

 

[jsinclair]

As stated, the cabins/cottages do not meet the definition of a "dwelling unit" as defined in Article 100 nor do they meet the definition of a "mobile home or manufactured house" as defined in Article 550. They fall under a seasonal use building (forgive my lack of correct terminology) when it comes to the IBC. (Such a building in my area is not required to follow code.)

As stated, the AHJ does not have an opinion on this situation and has opted to not take a stance in what should be followed.

I am looking for input on what others have done with a similiar situation, if any. This appears to fall in a grey area of the NEC in my opinion (and the other PE's working on the job). Just looking for some other experience to draw on.

Thanks.

 

[steve66]

If the AHJ isn't going to enforce dwelling requirements, and there isn't permenant provisions for cooking (you seem to be avoiding this question), I would do a load calculation, leaving plently of capacity for lights and receptacles.

I would probably install a minimum 60A feeder to each cabin per 225.39(D)

 

[480sparky]

....... and there isn't permenant provisions for cooking (you seem to be avoiding this question), .......

The 'sanitation' portion of a dwelling definition needs to be addressed as well. What exactly is 'sanitation'? Are there bathrooms in the cabins, or is there a one-holer out back? If there's no toilet and/or bathtub/shower, does a sink alone constitute 'sanitation'?