Disco before meter?

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G

GG

Senior Member
Location
Ft.Worth, T.X.
Im looking at some blue prints that shows an outdoor 208V - 3 phase - 200A disco. being fed from the landlords electrical room. Then they go out of the top of the disco. into a 3Ph - 200A meter base, and then the meter base feeds a 3Ph - 200A indoor panel. My question is wouldnt it be easier to have the meter base ahead of the disco.? Obviously with my question I dont do as much commercial work as I would like to. Is there a reason why the engineer would want the disco. ahead of the meter base? Thanks.
 
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shocker3218

Senior Member
Re: Disco before meter?

normally we put the meter socket first, then the disconnect. But we have a "new" mall that has gutters set up that we have to tap the conductors and feed a disconnect first, then a meter socket. Best advice to to check with AHJ. On this particular application, they want us to di it live (480 volt). I waited until stores were closed, then had a power outage to do mine, but I know other electricians that in fact made the connections live.
 
G

GG

Senior Member
Location
Ft.Worth, T.X.
Re: Disco before meter?

Hi Todd, well thats why I wanted to ask. I had never seen it done that way, but didnt know why they showed it reversed on the prints. Its going to be easier for me as far as grounding and bonding to have the meter ahead of the service disco.
 
G

GG

Senior Member
Location
Ft.Worth, T.X.
Re: Disco before meter?

Originally posted by shocker3218:
I waited until stores were closed, then had a power outage to do mine, but I know other electricians that in fact made the connections live.
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I commend you on not doing it hot. I use to work for a guy who wanted me to do a panel changeout hot, and he wouldnt call the utilty to pull the meter. He said "just tape up the ends of the wire and quit being a %^$#y." I did it and to this day I wish I had walked of his job and told him what an idiot he was.
 
charlie

charlie

Senior Member
Location
Indianapolis
Re: Disco before meter?

If this is indeed an electric utility owned meter, they will tell you where to stick it! A meter is required to be either hot sequence or cold sequence depending on the rules the electric utility has filed with their utility regulatory commission. I thought this was a sub-meter that was customer owned the way it was worded. :D
 
G

GG

Senior Member
Location
Ft.Worth, T.X.
Re: Disco before meter?

Charlie, this is a little hair salon thats in a strip mall of about 5 - 1000 sq. ft. spaces. Is hot sequence the disco. after the meter, and cold sequence the meter after the disco.?
 
LarryFine

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
Re: Disco before meter?

Originally posted by GG:
I commend you on not doing it hot. I use to work for a guy who wanted me to do a panel changeout hot, and he wouldnt call the utilty to pull the meter. He said "just tape up the ends of the wire and quit being a %^$#y." I did it and to this day I wish I had walked of his job and told him what an idiot he was.
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I have the opposite problem: one of my guys likes working with it hot. He's a walking volt-meter. He says "Ouch!", and then does it again.

It reminds me of the Lion King, when the hyenas shudder at the name of the king, but like it:

"Mufasa!"

"Ooooh! Say it again!"

"Mufasa!"

"Ooooh!"


Originally posted by charlie:
If this is indeed an electric utility owned meter, they will tell you where to stick it! :D
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. . So to speak. :D
 
charlie

charlie

Senior Member
Location
Indianapolis
Re: Disco before meter?

GC, you are correct on the difference between hot and cold sequence. Those terms are widely used in the electric utility industry but nowhere else as far as I know. :D
 
G

GG

Senior Member
Location
Ft.Worth, T.X.
Re: Disco before meter?

So just to sum it up, as far as the NEC is concerned you can have a hot or cold sequence, however the utility may specify hot or cold sequence? Is this a correct statement?
 
physis

physis

Senior Member
Re: Disco before meter?

Is that what that means? :D

I always thought it was something more interesting than that. :D
 
L

luke warmwater

Senior Member
Re: Disco before meter?

Originally posted by physis:
Can we have beer? :cool:

Todd, is that really a picture of you?
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I don't drink beer. But I'll put a hurtin' on a bottle of Wild Turkey.

Yeah, that's me, but I recently cut my hair again.
 
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luke warmwater

Senior Member
Re: Disco before meter?

Sam, here's a newer picture. This was after one of the above mentioned bottles:


TODD2.jpg
 
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