EUSERC required Test Bypass Facility (TBF) and Physical Size Options

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brycenesbitt

Senior Member
Location
United States
I'm in the EUSERC utility area, which requires a hefty size test bypass meter socket for all multifamily construction.
For anyone else under in EUSERC area, does your local POCO actually require these, and have you found a way to either get a smaller version, or bypass (so to speak) the requirement?

There are several bypass types in the USA that I'm aware of:
  1. Horn bypass
  2. Cotter pin bypass
  3. Lever bypass
  4. Test bypass disconnect (also seemingly called TBF)
The local POCO rules are:

PG&E Green Book 6.2.2. Test-Bypass Facilities
For single-phase residential installations, test-bypass facilities may be provided, but are not required. However, test-bypass facilities are required for any of the following installations:
  1. Single-family residential Service Class 320 meter, or residential meter panels that are larger than 225 amp, 120/240 volt, single phase, 3-wire.
  2. Live-work homes, housing, or buildings.
  3. Residential meter panels of any size or phase that supply power to elevators.
NOTE: Single-family homes may be exempt if the elevator system has integrated safety features with a backup battery system acting as an emergency power supply.
  1. All common and tenant area meter panels of any size or phase, at multi-residential and live-work buildings with 2 to 5 units, that supply power to fire alarms or equipment, security alarms, laundry rooms, or significant interior lighting. Significant interior lighting is for hallways, storage rooms or areas, and garage areas.
  2. All common and tenant area meters at multi-residential and live-work buildings with 6 or more units.
Click to expand...
Which pretty much means all multifamily: I can't think of one that does not have a laundry room or something on the OR list.

This means a new meter stack can't just have a regular meter.
I now have to use something like Eaton 35SS120RAB which is wide and expensive.
And I must say, ugly. Sorry Eaton.

The POCO says that test bypass is required no matter what. I've tried to write to the POCO saying that the common loads are all non-critical: the laundry machines restart the cycle automatically, the security cameras are on battery backup, there are no critical common loads. But so far I just get word back that their hands are tied by EUSERC. Is that true? The POCO will fail a job, and refuse to hook up, unless a TBF is fitted, and of course the job won't plan check.

Is his a holdover from rule of six days.... maybe before disconnects? Or is still a relevant need for the POCO?
 

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No look for a waiver as it a mandate test bypass for all multifamily dwellings common meters for continuity service and tester safety, look for smaller, compliant bypass equipment
 
The test bypass requirements have been around for a long time. I see no reason to fight it.

The utilities want to be able to pull the meter without interrupting power.
 
Deltaforce said:
No look for a waiver as it a mandate test bypass for all multifamily dwellings common meters for continuity service and tester safety, look for smaller, compliant bypass equipment
Click to expand...
Horn bypass meets that definition, and lever bypass.
But not the type of bypass PG&E / EUSERC requires.
Where this bites is on insurance driven replacements of panels, where the existing space is not not something one can make bigger.

But hey, the bypass is a handy place to steal unmetered power from (yes, that's a thing).
 
brycenesbitt said:
Horn bypass meets that definition, and lever bypass.
But not the type of bypass PG&E / EUSERC requires.
Where this bites is on insurance driven replacements of panels, where the existing space is not not something one can make bigger.

But hey, the bypass is a handy place to steal unmetered power from (yes, that's a thing).
Click to expand...
brycenesbitt said:
Why just the common meter then? The common loads are often predicable. But the per apartment loads are not: you could have a day trader, or a medical device, or servers in an individual unit.
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What does the bold mean?

Individual dwellings services 200 amps and less have never required bypass. Above 200 amps (class 320) do. Business have always required bypass even though some slip through. Also the load on business and house panels my be larger so the bypass allows the meter to be pulled without load.

If you are using equipment in a dwelling that could be impacted by a power interruption you should have some type of backup.

House panels may feed equipment that could be impacted by a power interruption and require landlord/management intervention. You mention laundry equipment. Some equipment may restart after power is restored but some will not.
 
curt swartz said:
What does the bold mean?
Click to expand...
The bold means that the physical size of the locally required test bypass facility means it can't be in the same meter cluster,
but has to be it's own unit. No horn bypass is required.

The situation I have is an owner with NO critical loads who wants to WAIVE the test bypass requirement to avoid about doubling the installation cost. The local POCO requires test bypass when a multifamily building has a common laundry load, which this does. There's a shutoff requirement also, so the meter load if pulled would always be zero. With test bypass of course the POCO could switch the meter without interruption.

Except of course, they don't. But whatever. The meters are switched out every decade or so, not going to worry about a once a decade power outage, in an area that has more frequent outages without explicit utility involvement.
 
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