Apartment Services

[ADwilson]

I have a utility engineer insisting that apartment electric services must be from one end of the building unless we have a two hour firewall in the building.

The building in question is a 24 unit apartment building. To serve all from one location will require upsizing of the last feeder to the point it won't fit the lugs in the panel.

Anybody run in to this before? How did you disabuse them of this interpretation?

 

[Smart $]

Sounds like you should get the AHJ involved. Can't make the PoCo provide service if you don't adhere to their ways, but the AHJ can confirm the PoCo's assertion and provide a deviation to install services on both ends of the structure.

 

[petersonra]

I have a utility engineer insisting that apartment electric services must be from one end of the building unless we have a two hour firewall in the building.

The building in question is a 24 unit apartment building. To serve all from one location will require upsizing of the last feeder to the point it won't fit the lugs in the panel.

Anybody run in to this before? How did you disabuse them of this interpretation?

If you are just upsizing for voltage drop you can always start out with a few inches of something that fits and then splice in bigger wires.

 

[Ragin Cajun]

We have that issue sometimes. We simply move the service to the middle of the building in the rear. Move a few windows to make space for the service(s) . We use SquareD multi meters with a main. We also put two next to each other to keep the bus size down, two service entrances.

RC

 

[ADwilson]

We have that issue sometimes. We simply move the service to the middle of the building in the rear. Move a few windows to make space for the service(s) . We use SquareD multi meters with a main. We also put two next to each other to keep the bus size down, two service entrances.

RC

Yes, I have done that where it suits the building. But the utility engineer is saying the NEC requires a 2 hour wall if we serve apartments from opposite ends of the building. I have apartment buildings in four states that are served from opposite ends of the building. No one has challenged this before.

 

[GoldDigger]

He is probably asserting the "one service per building" rule and arguing that you do not meet any of the exceptions.
A two hour firewall (with controlled access doors between sections) would allow you to treat it as two buildings.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[Sierrasparky]

how about this.

(B) Special Occupancies. By special permission,
additional services shall be permitted for either of the
following:
(1) Multiple-occupancy buildings where there is no
available space for service equipment accessible to
all occupants
(2) A single building or other structure sufficiently large
to make two or more services necessary