Feeder through a meter box (can)

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Inspector13

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Evening all,

As an electrical inspector I'm not ashamed to say I don't know all the answers. Well, my sometimers has kicked in today and I can't find chapter and verse to turn down a request I had today. The electrician plans to install a 15 or 17 kw standby generator with automatic switch gear on an existing 100 amp OH service. As currently installed the wiring between the meter and panel goes through a hole in the back of the meter. He wants to go out of the meter to the automatic switch gear, then, he wants to feed back through the meter box and through the hole in the back of the meter box and into the panel.

Are you with me so far? To me what he wants to do is wrong so far as feeding back through the meter box but I can't find the code sections I need to back me up. Any help would be very much appreciated. He wants to do this day after tomorrow so I'm in a time crunch on this one for an answer.

Thanks,

Keith
 
Welcome....
Don't be embarrassed... it won;'t take long here to determine that none of us know all the answers..that's why we are here.

The only problem I can identify would occur if he place the conductors on the load side of the meter going to his ATS in the same nipple (raceway) as the protected conductors going to the panel.
230.7 prohibits service conductors and non-service from occupying the same raceway but there is no restriction on the meter socket.It is possible that there would be a violation of 312.7 or 312.8 on fill but that would depend on a lot of variables such as conductor sizes and cabinet size.
 
The POCO I worked for would not allow it. Not an NEC issue as such, but common utility policy not to allow customer conductors in the same sealed space that is supposed to be under utility control. And yes I know that it's the customer's conductors that exit the load side terminals of the meter socket and are contained within for a few inches or feet.

To be all the way above board I'd recommend consulting with the serving utility, although it sounds like it's "too late" for that here. That way you can develop a plan that works for you, the POCO, and the AHJ. And maybe the utility will allow it, though it seems unlikely to me. Good luck!
 
Feeder through a meter box (can)

Thanks for the replies gentlemen, they are very much appreciated. 230.7 is what I was trying to remember but I just couldn't pick it out. This plus the fact the local utility doesn't want anything other than service conductors in the meter box because they would not be accessible is what I will use.

When I got into inspections several years ago a very wise person told me if you can't back it up in writing you can't enforce it. That has been the way I have always operated since then.

Thanks again,

Keith
 
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