Define "provided"

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74sparks

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Pennsylvania
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Electrical Engineer
Came across an interesting note in the catalog for a type-CH outdoor lugs load center CH6L125R:

"Suitable for use as service equipment when not more than two service disconnecting mains are provided or when not more than six service disconnecting mains are provided and when not used as a lighting and appliance panelboard."

In this context, what is meant by "provided"?

For context, this panel was selected for a residential install, and will be the seventh load center on this property. It is to be used in the "Panel G" location, configured as follows:

sub panel G.jpg
Panel A is a mains panel, all other are lugs only, and labeled according to their upstream breaker size. Many of the loads on these panels are seasonal (HVAC, pool heat, etc.), so the multiple high-capacity loads actually work out, eg. Panel E and G will not see peak loading at the same times of year. The cumulative mains usage is rarely above 120A, and more often hovers 50 - 60A.
 
Must be an old reference. I've not see L&A panelboard terminology in ages....
Since you are going to be adding it as a sub-panel and not a service panel the notation seems irrelevant.
 
Thanks, Augie! Confusing term. It's in the current Eaton online catalog, bottom of page 8 for CH6L125R:


Short of providing an interim junction box to transition wire size, is there a method to use a panel with lugs labeled AWG-6 to 1/0 on an AWG-8 feeder? I was planning to run 100 feet of of AWG-8 THWN-2 feeder to this panel, and the CH6L125R is fine with that, but I just learned that panel 2.5x more expensive and twice as hard to find as the larger CH8L125R. Unfortunately, the lugs on the CH8 aren't labeled for AWG-8. :rolleyes:

I've seen guys literally fold over the end of a smaller feeder to use in a larger lug, but I'm not sure how my AHJ will look at that, and this will be getting inspection.
 
Moderator question:
Your profile indicates "electrical engineer"... are you also a licensed electrician/contractor ??
 
I'm an electrical engineer, not an electrician. BSEE Drexel University, MSEE Lehigh University, Ph.D. 75% completed. Working in industrial high power electronics 30 years, residential is not my normal area of work.
 
To the OP, have you discussed your concerns with your EC?
 
roger said:
To the OP, have you discussed your concerns with your EC?
Click to expand...
Once the township engineer learned I was an EE, I was approved as the EC on the permit for this small job. Pretty simple: breaker -> NM-B -> Polaris multitaps in PVC box -> THWN-2 in sch.40 PVC -> lugs panel w/GFCI breakers -> THHN in liquid tight -> load. Not rocket surgery, despite some confusing or outdated language in the lugs panel catalog.
 
Most areas will allow a homeowner to pull an electrical permit. Does that mean you are an EC and can bid on jobs? Probably not. The question about EC was asked as you posts indicate DIY work.
 
Yes, of course. I never claimed to be a contractor bidding on jobs. I claimed to be an electrical engineer. Don’t worry, I’m not bidding jobs, this work is happening on property I own.

But the forum rules indicates it is open to all contractors AND electrical engineers, so I’m not understanding your line of questioning. Have I broken some forum rule? I certainly did not intend to do so.

If you're referring to my question in post #3 above as sounding "DIY", do note that question has come up in more than one thread in this forum's history, and many of the licensed EC's posting to those threads have disagreed with one-another about the solution.
 
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74sparks said:
Yes, of course. I never claimed to be a contractor bidding on jobs. I claimed to be an electrical engineer. Don’t worry, I’m not bidding jobs, this work is happening on property I own.

But the forum rules indicates it is open to all contractors AND electrical engineers, so I’m not understanding your line of questioning. Have I broken some forum rule? I certainly did not intend to do so.

If you're referring to my question in post #3 above as sounding "DIY", do note that question has come up in more than one thread in this forum's history, and many of the licensed EC's posting to those threads have disagreed with one-another about the solution.
Click to expand...
The forum is intended to assist electricians, electrical contractors, inspectors, engineers, and other members of the electrical industry in the performance of our job-related tasks.
 
don_resqcapt19 said:
The forum is intended to assist electricians, electrical contractors, inspectors, engineers, and other members of the electrical industry in the performance of our job-related tasks.
Click to expand...
Got it. In that case, I do apologize.

On a brighter note, my daily work involves a lot of calculating temperature rise in large conductors (think 1.5" to 6" diameter stuff), as well as voltage breakdown (mostly ionization, but also sometimes multipaction). So hopefully I can be of some use to the forum in that aspect, whether it be interpreting the reasoning behind some code provisions or helping with autopsy when things go wrong. I will try to stay in my lane, and reserve my posts to those areas, in the future.
 
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