Below Grade Service

[HotConductor]

I'm at a local church this week troubleshooting a tripping breaker for outside lights and noticed this black rubber boot(see photo) over the two subpanels. I have to investigate so I pull off the boot and it's the 4" spare conduit going out to the POCO xfmr. The electrical room is below grade in the basement. So now I'm guessing the main conduit terminates into the back of the MDP. The MDP is not in the photo but is to the left of the two subpanels.

A disaster waiting to happen...

to be continued sometime in the future...

 

[charlie]

I don't understand

I don't understand

. . . A disaster waiting to happen. . .

Why is this installation a disaster waiting to happen?

 

[mxslick]

I'm thinking that since the service is below grade, he's expecting that cap to fly off under pressure from water building up in the conduit and drenching those panels.

 

[charlie]

Or a flood . . .

 

[Duke E]

I’m curious as to how you determined that the conduit was connected to the xfmr. I would have guessed it was a spare power conduit if it were saddled with the ones being used. Perhaps a spare communications conduit?

If the conduit is connected to the vault and the vault is uphill from the point of building entrance; I would suggest sealing it in a permanently. Hydraulic cement should do the trick…..just be sure you won’t want the conduit next week.

 

[charlie]

I?m curious as to how you determined that the conduit was connected to the xfmr. . .

Me too.

 

[HotConductor]

Conduit

Conduit

I'm not positive it's going to the transformer and it's not that important where it goes. It's a penetration coming through the basement wall over top of these panels. I did shine a flashlight in it and it goes straight out- it's not pitched at all.

 

[cowboyjwc]

I had one where the service wasn't below grade, but it was below the level of the POCO transformer. Went in the power room one day during a big rain and there was a 3' head of water on the pipes coming from the transformer up. I told them they might want to figure out how to take care of that before I released the power.:smile:

 

[HotConductor]

That's what I'm envisioning

That's what I'm envisioning

Doesn't the code now consider underground conduits "wet location"?

For now it's CMB(cover my butt)- when they get my invoice for the work I'm doing, I'll have a notice on it highlighted yellow notifying them of this potential disaster. When it does start leaking, the insurance companies will want to know who has worked there since it was built.

 

[Cow]

Who hangs panels so close together the covers overlap?:roll:

 

[charlie]

Who hangs panels so close together the covers overlap?

I thought they would overlap the first time I put panelboards in adjacent stud spaces.

 

[HotConductor]

Who hangs panels so close together the covers overlap?:roll:

You're very observant...yes they do overlap.

 

[wawireguy]

Fill it up with a couple cans of that spray foam. That should keep the next flood from hitting that place! : )

 

[wireguru]

I?m curious as to how you determined that the conduit was connected to the xfmr.

easy. you feed a steel fish tape down the conduit. If you hear some noise or it vibrates, pull it out. If you dont get back as much fishtape as you put in, the conduit goes to the transformer.

 

[HotConductor]

easy. you feed a steel fish tape down the conduit. If you hear some noise or it vibrates, pull it out. If you dont get back as much fishtape as you put in, the conduit goes to the transformer.

Ha Ha! Maybe your new name should be WiseGuyGuru.