Service drop clearence

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Anyone? I have a utility service drop that goes over a roof. I need to know how close to ( a swamp cooler mounted on the roof) it can come to.
 
I don't know if this is a code issue or not, but I would check the power company's specs. I know mine has a diagram showing this exact type of thing, when there is a roof that can be walked on I believe the overhead line has to be at least 8' above it.
 
230.24(A) -- Clearance from equipment on a roof is not addressed unless The area above a roof surface subject to pedestrian or vehicular traffic shall have a vertical clearance from the roof surface in accordance with the clearance requirements of 230.24(B).
 
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I'm just wondering if the entire roof has to be included or an area lets say within 6 feet of equipment. You could say one day a roof will need to be replaced, so maintain 10' across any roof line. I can't find anything in the NEC that addresses this problem.. Thank you for taking the time to help me here.
 
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mwm1752 said:
230.24(A) -- Clearance from equipment on a roof is not addressed unless The area above a roof surface subject to pedestrian or vehicular traffic shall have a vertical clearance from the roof surface in accordance with the clearance requirements of 230.24(B).
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That only applies to conductors on the customers side of the service point.
 
ADV_Rik said:
I'm just wondering if the entire roof has to be included or an area lets say within 6 feet of equipment. You could say one day a roof will need to be replaced, so maintain 10' across any roof line. I can't find anything in the NEC that addresses this problem.. Thank you for taking the time to help me here.
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Like hack has mentioned it will be the utility rules and the NESC that will need to be complied with.
 
iwire said:
That only applies to conductors on the customers side of the service point.
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IMO service point is at the entrance head
Service Drop. The overhead conductors between the utility electric supply system and the service point.
230.24 Clearances
Overhead service conductors shall not be readily accessible and shall comply with 230.24(A) through (E) for Services not over 600 volts, nominal.
 
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mwm1752 said:
IMO service point is at the entrance head
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I agree, that is common. :)

That being the case the overhead span between the pole and the weather head is invisible to to the NEC. The NEC does not apply to it and has no jurisdiction over it.

It really does not mater too much as the NESC has similar clearance requirements. :)
 
mwm1752 said:
Most of the handbook examples refer to the utility side in the clearances. Just a bit misleading
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There are instances where the service point is at the property line. The customer owns and maintains the overhead from that point on.

In those cases the NEC would apply.
 
Where do you provide code the service point is assumed at the property line? The under ground example refer to the service point as when the unfused lateral enters the building. Power company here refers to mast head connection. Are you saying if there code has an 8' clearance the riser point of attachment shall be 8' above the eve?
 
The NEC does not determine the location of the service point. That is determined locally typically by utility commissions and the utility.

For instance if you have a home set back 1,000 from the road the utility service point might be at the road and the home owner could be responsible for the installation and upkeep of the service drop.

The rules and methods of utilities vary greatly from place to place. The NEC is written to cover all possibilities.

I don't understand the 8' eve question.
 
An attempt to clear up what is covered by NEC was made (2008 I think) by adding "service point" to art 100 definitions.

Problem is NEC defines and mentions "service drop" and "service lateral" yet by definition those are both on the utility side of the service point and neither is covered by NEC. This can be a little confusing at times and one must pay close attention to what you have and whether it is covered by NEC. In general if the utility company installs and maintains it, it is not covered by NEC. For a typical service drop type install the owner/contractor often installs the mast/riser and maybe the attachment point, but the utility installs the service drop conductors and attaches to the attachment point. The attachment point & connections to the service drop becomes the "service point" in most instances.
 
kwired said:
An attempt to clear up what is covered by NEC was made (2008 I think) by adding "service point" to art 100 definitions.

Problem is NEC defines and mentions "service drop" and "service lateral" yet by definition those are both on the utility side of the service point and neither is covered by NEC. This can be a little confusing at times and one must pay close attention to what you have and whether it is covered by NEC. In general if the utility company installs and maintains it, it is not covered by NEC. For a typical service drop type install the owner/contractor often installs the mast/riser and maybe the attachment point, but the utility installs the service drop conductors and attaches to the attachment point. The attachment point & connections to the service drop becomes the "service point" in most instances.
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Which is why I commented on the handbook examples as a bit misleading -- NEC 2011 exhibit 100.18 shows service drop conductors as load side transformer feeds, Which also fits within the definitions of service point -- now look at example 230.20 -( identical pole to service mast illistrations ) - now the service point is assumed to be at the transformer connection - Which also fits within the definitions of service point.
If example 230.30(which is in most instances) has a service point defined at the mast head per the utility, and the utility requires 2' clearance above all structures to their 300v or less wiring, Then from the posts within this thread - NEC would not apply and 2' clearance would be acceptable as the utility has juristiction.
 
mwm1752 said:
Which is why I commented on the handbook examples as a bit misleading -- NEC 2011 exhibit 100.18 shows service drop conductors as load side transformer feeds, Which also fits within the definitions of service point -- now look at example 230.20 -( identical pole to service mast illistrations ) - now the service point is assumed to be at the transformer connection - Which also fits within the definitions of service point.
If example 230.30(which is in most instances) has a service point defined at the mast head per the utility, and the utility requires 2' clearance above all structures to their 300v or less wiring, Then from the posts within this thread - NEC would not apply and 2' clearance would be acceptable as the utility has juristiction.
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Most such instances the weatherhead is still the customer side, the service point is where the exposed conductors emerge from said weatherhead. There may also be a secondary service point boundary at the attachment point - it really depends on the utility involved but many times the overhead drop and the conductor splicing method is theirs, but the attachment point, mast and contained conductors are the customers.
 
kwired said:
the service point is where the exposed conductors emerge from said weatherhead.
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I will disagree with that, in my opinion for that type of service the service point is the point where the utility conductors attach to the customer conductors. In other words at the splice.



2011 NEC Article 100
Service Point. The point of connection between the facilities
of the serving utility and the premises wiring.

Informational Note: The service point can be described as
the point of demarcation between where the serving utility
ends and the premises wiring begins. The serving utility
generally specifies the location of the service point based
on the conditions of service.
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iwire said:
I will disagree with that, in my opinion for that type of service the service point is the point where the utility conductors attach to the customer conductors. In other words at the splice.



2011 NEC Article 100
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My example was if the weatherhead itself is considered the service point, but I do find what you mentioned to be more typical. The informational note after that definition does mention that the utility generally specifies this location.

For overhead conductors many times it is the actual connection points where the overhead conductors transition to premises conductors, generally the attachment point or attachment device is also defined by the utility company as to what belongs to them vs the owner. The attachment point may belong to the owner but POCO can refuse to connect to it if it doesn't meet their specifications.
 
kwired said:
My example was if the weatherhead itself is considered the service point,
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I have never heard of anyplace that considers the weatherhead itself as the service point. IMO that contradicts the NEC definition. A weather head is not a 'point of connection' :)
 
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