6 throw rule still allowed for dwellings?

[wyreman]

In belief, man can do anything

 

[jxofaltrds]

I have never come across something like this in a new home and thus I am lead to believe its not complaint. The home in question has a main panel right after the meter, but no main breaker. It only has 6 double pole breakers, and my understanding is these are supposed to meet the 6 throw rule in a way the main can be eliminated?

230.71 Maximum Number of Disconnects.
(A) General. The service disconnecting means for each service
permitted by 230.2, or for each set of service-entrance
conductors permitted by 230.40, Exception No. 1, 3, 4, or 5,
shall consist of not more than six switches or sets of circuit
breakers, or a combination of not more than six switches and
sets of circuit breakers, mounted in a single enclosure, in a
group of separate enclosures, or in or on a switchboard. There
shall be not more than six sets of disconnects per service
grouped in any one location.

 

[suemarkp]

Under the old rules, when Lighting and Appliance panelboard was defined, you could have a 12 slot panel with 6 double pole breakers as follows and be code compliant:

A feeder breaker greater than 30A to another panel serving the 120V loads (120/240V feeder).
A 40A circuit to an electric range (120/240V circuit w/neutral).
A 30A circuit to a water heater (no neutral).
A 30A circuit to an air conditioning compressor (no neutral).
Two 20A circuits to 240V baseboard heaters (no neutral).

This panel would be a power panel and not a lighting and appliance panelboard, so it could be your "main disconnect" panel using the 6 handle rule and not violate the lighting & appliance panelboard restriction.

 

[kwired]

Under the old rules, when Lighting and Appliance panelboard was defined, you could have a 12 slot panel with 6 double pole breakers as follows and be code compliant:

A feeder breaker greater than 30A to another panel serving the 120V loads (120/240V feeder).
A 40A circuit to an electric range (120/240V circuit w/neutral).
A 30A circuit to a water heater (no neutral).
A 30A circuit to an air conditioning compressor (no neutral).
Two 20A circuits to 240V baseboard heaters (no neutral).

This panel would be a power panel and not a lighting and appliance panelboard, so it could be your "main disconnect" panel using the 6 handle rule and not violate the lighting & appliance panelboard restriction.

A common application where under old rules people would get in trouble is with baseball field lighting. Five mains for feeders to five lighting poles, then someone says it would be nice to have a 120 volt receptacle.... now you needed a main in the panel. But the best solution to that was to put in a small feeder to an additional panel then feed your 120 volt receptacle.