6 disconnect Rule

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Electriman

Senior Member
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TX
Greetings,

This could be a simple question but I was wondering if the 6 disconnect rule for service disconnect can apply for both indoor and outdoor.
My second question is about the disconnect. Does it need to be fused disconnect or just a load disconnect?

Thanks in advance.
 
Electriman said:
Greetings,

This could be a simple question but I was wondering if the 6 disconnect rule for service disconnect can apply for both indoor and outdoor.
My second question is about the disconnect. Does it need to be fused disconnect or just a load disconnect?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
The rule is really called the "6 hand rule", based on a firefighter having no more than 6 swipes of their hand to kill ALL power coming into a facility. Whether those 6 devices are inside or outside, breakers or disconnects is not relevent, but they all must be together, i.e. 6 movements of the hand with zero movement of the feet.

But as Tom said, this is going away in the 2020 NEC, replaced by a requirement for ONE disconnect on the outside of the building that kills all power. Same basic reasoning, less ambiguity on interpreting what is a "hand movement" and access to interior disconnects when they arrive on site. So depending on where you are and what Code cycle you must adhere to, the 6 hand rule may no longer apply. You are in Texas which the NFPA reports is still on the 2017 Code cycle, so you can still get away with the 6 hand rule, but I would be thinking about the future, because the next project someone does there may require adding that single outdoor accessible disconnect.
 
The service disconnect(s) can be at a readily accessible location, either inside or outside of the structure, nearest the point of entrance of the conductors.
If the disconnect does not contain overcurrent protection, that overcurrent protection must be installed imeaditly
 
Jraef said:
...But as Tom said, this is going away in the 2020 NEC, replaced by a requirement for ONE disconnect on the outside of the building that kills all power. ...
Click to expand...
Six service disconnects are still permitted, but they can not be in a common enclosure or compartment.
 
Thanks. So my take away is
we still can have six disconnect in projects other than one and two family dwellings.
Over current protection is expected to be as close as possible to service disconnect.
So if I can install the disconnects indoor, the service line has to be enclosed in a 2" concrete raceway. Is there anything else?
 
Electriman said:
Thanks. So my take away is
we still can have six disconnect in projects other than one and two family dwellings.
Over current protection is expected to be as close as possible to service disconnect.
So if I can install the disconnects indoor, the service line has to be enclosed in a 2" concrete raceway. Is there anything else?
Click to expand...
1) you can have six meas of disconnect for the service in any occupancy. It would be unlikely that you would want to in a one or two family dwelling unit. (230.71(B)). 230.85 provides for more than one "emergency disconnect" at a one or two family dwelling.
2)The service overcurrent protection must be part of the service disconnecting means or installed located immediately adjacent thereto. (230.91)
3) The disconnects must be nearest the point of entry of the service conductors into the building. (230.70(A)(1)). Conduit encased in at least 2" of concrete is considered outside the building, and the point of entrance would be the end of the concrete encasement. (230.6(2)). There are other methods in 230.6 that can be used to keep the conduit "outside of the building".
 
don_resqcapt19 said:
1) you can have six meas of disconnect for the service in any occupancy. It would be unlikely that you would want to in a one or two family dwelling unit. (230.71(B)). 230.85 provides for more than one "emergency disconnect" at a one or two family dwelling.
2)The service overcurrent protection must be part of the service disconnecting means or installed located immediately adjacent thereto. (230.91)
3) The disconnects must be nearest the point of entry of the service conductors into the building. (230.70(A)(1)). Conduit encased in at least 2" of concrete is considered outside the building, and the point of entrance would be the end of the concrete encasement. (230.6(2)). There are other methods in 230.6 that can be used to keep the conduit "outside of the building".
Click to expand...
Thanks
 
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