entering the side of a meter pack with main service

Status
Not open for further replies.
F

fittowork11

Member
Location
hayward ca
Occupation
contractor
Hi Guys

I am working on a project that has part of a meter pack installation done and has only the main ridged conduit and conductors to install

My question is the box that was installed before I got to the job does not have a place to attach the meter socket hub on top (im asumming that they ordered this box for an underground service?) does code allow for a conduit body with a water tight connection to come off the side of the panel (The guy that started this install drilled a 2.5 inch hole in the side I guess he thought that a 2 inch conduit would be large enough (I cant find anything in the california electrical code, if thats not possible can a conduit body come off the bottom of the panel

This is a 400 amp 4 meter service
I plan on running a 4 inch ridged conduit with a 600 copper line

Thanks for your help

Brian
 
C

curt swartz

Electrical Contractor - San Jose, CA
Location
San Jose, CA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
Can you post a picture or model number of this 4 meter stack. All of the EUSERC approved units over 2 meters I have seen have the utility termination section in the center with the meters/disconnects on the sides so there is no way to bring the service conductors into the sides.

If a 4 unit modular meter section was purchased along with a main breaker/fused switch or tap box was purchased then the terminations would be on the side.

Also if this is the same small apartments you posted about previously 400 amps is overkill for the service conductors.
 
F

fittowork11

Member
Location
hayward ca
Occupation
contractor
tortuga said:
I did not see his other post but yeah 600 copper is uncommon here for a service entrance.
Click to expand...
so your saying 600 is to large for a 400 amp service or 400 amps is uncommon for a 4 plex (this is a system that im trying to finish I did not start the project and its allready approved for 400 amps with the utility company and city so im stuck)
 
F

fittowork11

Member
Location
hayward ca
Occupation
contractor
curt swartz said:
Can you post a picture or model number of this 4 meter stack. All of the EUSERC approved units over 2 meters I have seen have the utility termination section in the center with the meters/disconnects on the sides so there is no way to bring the service conductors into the sides.

If a 4 unit modular meter section was purchased along with a main breaker/fused switch or tap box was purchased then the terminations would be on the side.

Also if this is the same small apartments you posted about previously 400 amps is overkill for the service conductors.
Click to expand...
yes it was purchased as 4 meters stacked on right side and on the left is the utility termination section and also yes 400 amps is major over kill for this property but it was allready aproved by the city and utilitys company before I got there ( im just trying to fishish this thing up) sorry I wasnt able to download a photo) and no its not the same apartment building it has 4 units but still overkill considering all major utility are gas
 
F

fittowork11

Member
Location
hayward ca
Occupation
contractor
augie47 said:
Keep 312.6 in mind especially using 600 Cu
Click to expand...
ok thanks yes a conduit body will not work but I could go straigt into the utility termination section it is 10 inches wide im sure they desighn that section to accomidate side entrance 10 inch is what the chart shows for 3 600 conductors
 
tortuga

tortuga

Code Historian
Location
Oregon
Occupation
Electrical Design
fittowork11 said:
so your saying 600 is to large for a 400 amp service or 400 amps is uncommon for a 4 plex (this is a system that im trying to finish I did not start the project and its allready approved for 400 amps with the utility company and city so im stuck)
Click to expand...
Large, I typically see paralell 4/0 AL or even 350 AL for a residential 4 pack set up like that, even an all electric apartment.
 
F

fittowork11

Member
Location
hayward ca
Occupation
contractor
tortuga said:
Large, I typically see paralell 4/0 AL or even 350 AL for a residential 4 pack set up like that, even an all electric apartment.
Click to expand...
sorry to be a pain I'v been doing main panel upgrades for years but never anything over 200 amps this is the first multi residential Ive attempted so I have lots of question.

if 600 conductor copper is rated at 420 amps whats the reason for making the conductors smaller and doubling them up (does it have to do with heat. Im in northern california and every large service that ive seen only has 3 conductors or 4 if its 3phase
 
F

fittowork11

Member
Location
hayward ca
Occupation
contractor
fittowork11 said:
sorry to be a pain I'v been doing main panel upgrades for years but never anything over 200 amps this is the first multi residential Ive attempted so I have lots of question.

if 600 conductor copper is rated at 420 amps whats the reason for making the conductors smaller and doubling them up (does it have to do with heat. Im in northern california and every large service that ive seen only has 3 conductors or 4 if its 3phase
Click to expand...
also I forgot to mention that the pull length of this run is only 22 ft so if running the conductors in parallel is to make things easer theres not mutch length to pull
 
Fred B

Fred B

Senior Member
Location
Upstate, NY
Occupation
Electrician
fittowork11 said:
if 600 conductor copper is rated at 420 amps whats the reason for making the conductors smaller and doubling them up (does it have to do with heat. Im in northern california and every large service that ive seen only has 3 conductors or 4 if its 3phase
Click to expand...
Smaller is cheaper sometimes even with the additional conductors. Sometimes also availability factors in, 600 CU harder to get than 250 AL.
 
R

retirede

Senior Member
Location
Illinois
fittowork11 said:
also I forgot to mention that the pull length of this run is only 22 ft so if running the conductors in parallel is to make things easer theres not mutch length to pull
Click to expand...

It’s not just pulling. Other factors come into play such as bending radii, ease of termination, termination lug capacity, etc.
 
tortuga

tortuga

Code Historian
Location
Oregon
Occupation
Electrical Design
fittowork11 said:
sorry to be a pain I'v been doing main panel upgrades for years but never anything over 200 amps this is the first multi residential Ive attempted so I have lots of question.
Click to expand...

For multifamily there is a calculation in article 220.84 ( your units would have to have electric cooking).
For 4 units with gas heat/cooking I would run standard article 220 load calc with all the data for each unit and base the service conductor size on that.
Also for multifamily I am usually going to a dedicated utility transformer, sized by the utility. I make sure my service entrance is at least the rating of the transformer. Which is often surprisingly low and easy to meet.
For a 4 family building for example its not uncommon to see a 50 kva transformer.
 
F

fittowork1

Member
Location
hayward ca
Occupation
contractor
fittowork1 said:
Also when running parallel lined do both line connect to the same terminal or does the box have to be set up with double lugs
fittowork1 said:
Also when running parallel lined do both line connect to the same terminal or does the box have to be set up with double lugs
Click to expand...
Another question I'm forced to install from the bottom of this panel per manufacture specs and was wondering if there is a minimum clearance from grade that the service conduit needs tobe horizontally above grade. ( I have to run out the bottom with a 90 radious and then radio's back up to the weather head
Click to expand...
 
J

jap

Senior Member
Occupation
Electrician
If its a Meter pack, what size lug kit is installed on the buss? or is there yet?

A meterpack generally defaults to a single 600 mcm lug per phase, or, you can get them with parallel lugs.

The lugs are interchangeable.

If the lugs are already installed on the meterpack, that would pretty much determine what size wire I'd feed it with.

What size are the tenant mains in the stack?

JAP>
 
F

fittowork1

Member
Location
hayward ca
Occupation
contractor
jap said:
If its a Meter pack, what size lug kit is installed on the buss? or is there yet?

A meterpack generally defaults to a single 600 mcm lug per phase, or, you can get them with parallel lugs.

The lugs are interchangeable.

If the lugs are already installed on the meterpack, that would pretty much determine what size wire I'd feed it with.

What size are the tenant mains in the stack?

JAP>
Click to expand...
The lugs are single for 600 and the tenant mains are 100 amp ( I like 125 for the he'll of it but this is a system that was done before I started so somthings I can't change)

Really appreciate the help
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top