6 disconnect per service rule

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SmithBuilt

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This is an existing quadraplex. Each panel started with one 2 pole common trip breaker to feed sub panels in each unit. A few more circuits have been added over time.

Is it permissible to have up to 6 disconnects in each panel.

Starting with 230.40 ex #1. Then 230.71.
 
you can only have 6 disconnects for a service. that means you can have 6 panels with main breakers with as many circuits you want in each panel. or you can have one big disconnect to disconnect the entire service at once and have as many meters and panels as you want. pretty much you can only have a maximum of 6 breakers to shut down all the power to the building.
 
SmithBuilt said:
Is it permissible to have up to 6 disconnects in each panel.

Starting with 230.40 ex #1. Then 230.71.
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I believe you would have 36 breaker to disconnect the building. You need 6 total. Now you could have a main breaker that feed all the meters then you could have as many as you like.
 
Charlie's Rule

Charlie's Rule

You can have 6 disconnects per occupancy or group of occupancies. Read the whole thing again. (wish I could find the thread where we [dis]cussed this before)
 
jerm said:
You can have 6 disconnects per occupancy or group of occupancies. Read the whole thing again. (wish I could find the thread where we [dis]cussed this before)
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I agree with sir jerm.. The code said that you can have a maximum of six disconnect per service or six disconnect per service entrance conductors (per occupancy)..
 
I do have 4 occupants and one house panel.

From what I read is one service per occupant and 6 disconnects per service.

Dennis I have never seen this applied in NC and understand may have a problem convincing the inspection department.

Jeremy I remember that post but cannot find it.

Joe this panel has only one breaker in it supplying a sub panel inside each unit and I do not consider it a lighting and appliance panel.
 
In that other thread, I think some terms were being minced. One building is one occupancy. Ten dwelling units in a single building is not 10 occupancies. It is ten dwelling units in the same multi-family occupancy. A retail store with 8 apartments above is not 9 occupancies. It is 9 uses of a mixed use occupancy. Occupancy=building.
 
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Marc,
Ten dwelling units in a single building is not 10 occupancies. It is ten dwelling units in the same multi-family occupancy. A retail store with 8 apartments above is not 9 occupancies. It is 9 uses of a mixed use occupancy. Occupancy=building.
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It can mean building, but it can also mean each unit. If the unit has its own meter, there is no question that it is permitted to have its own set of service entrance conductors and each set of service entrance conductors is permitted to have up to six disconnects.
Don
 
don_resqcapt19 said:
Marc,

It can mean building, but it can also mean each unit. If the unit has its own meter, there is no question that it is permitted to have its own set of service entrance conductors and each set of service entrance conductors is permitted to have up to six disconnects.
Don
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That's how they interpet it around here. For what that's worth....:-?
 
That's the post Don thanks.


M.D. put it into words better than I can.

M. D. said:
I think it is a little clearer if you start at 230.71 first sentence

" The service disconnecting means for each service permitted by 230.2, or for each set of service entrance conductors permitted by 230.40, Exceptions 1,3,4,0r 5, shall consist of not more than six switches or sets of circuit breakers........."

So if you have five sets of service entrance conductors , one to each occupancy, you could have 30 disconnects but not more than six grouped in any one location.

I think some confusion comes from the fact that they dropped the

"or for each set of service entrance conductors "

from the second sentence of 230.71

" There shall be not more than six sets of disconnects per service "(or for each set of service entrance conductors) grouped in any one location. "
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mdshunk said:
In that other thread, I think some terms were being minced. One building is one occupancy. Ten dwelling units in a single building is not 10 occupancies. It is ten dwelling units in the same multi-family occupancy. A retail store with 8 apartments above is not 9 occupancies. It is 9 uses of a mixed use occupancy. Occupancy=building.
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Marc I'm going to disagree with you on that one. If we were talking about the building code I would agree, but the NEC (to my knowledge) does not define occupancy. Look at any of the exhibits 230.5 and others in the NECHB.
 
230.71 permits service entrance conductors to be run to each occupancy or group of occupancies. At each one of these locations there are permitted to be a maximum of six disconnects. In no case are there permitted to me more than six disconnects grouped at any one location. I substantiate this by the sentance: "There shall not be more than six sets of disconnects per service grouped at any one location." This limits the number of service disconnects at any one location. The term "sets of disconnects" was added to the code to allow the use of handle ties on circuit breakers breakers. Thus, if a building is permitted to have a single service, only six service disconnects are permitted to be grouped at any one location. Now we can argue what "grouped" means.
 
RB1 said:
Now we can argue what "grouped" means.
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Trust me they will. :grin: I am with you on this one. If the inspectors let it go the other way that is there business but it makes absolutely no sense to me to allow more than 6 discos total for each group of meters.
 
I agree, grouping will probably not allow the installation I posted. It's a shame the last electrician didn't use main breaker panels, I'm really puzzled why he didn't.

I need to see if I can install a back fed MB in each panel. Move the sec's from the lugs to the breaker if long enough. That would solve the problem.
 
Install a 1200 amp disconnect switch on the service entrance and add as many sub-panels as you want. I have seen this type of installation in numerous apartment complexes. The main switch will disconnect all the meter/breaker combinations that feed to a subpanel located in their apartment. As long as all the power can be shut down at one location by not more than 6 switches, it will be acceptable by code.
 
inspector 102 said:
Install a 1200 amp disconnect switch on the service entrance and add as many sub-panels as you want. I have seen this type of installation in numerous apartment complexes. The main switch will disconnect all the meter/breaker combinations that feed to a subpanel located in their apartment. As long as all the power can be shut down at one location by not more than 6 switches, it will be acceptable by code.
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I agree. I have some older building in town that had the six disconnects and now they find that they want to split up the units because they can make more money if they have twelve. The POCO won't supply them with another service, since they follow the six disconnect rule too, so they've had to add mains or do full change outs.
 
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