Help me identify a mobile home pedestal

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MAC702

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So I go meet my real estate agent/client to see this mobile home he purchased to fix and flip. I don't do mobile homes, but we just wanted to give it a look over. One obvious need is a pedestal that is between the service connection on the street (which is also a pedestal with the meter and main breaker) and the panel on the actual mobile home itself. This pedestal is near the mobile home's panel, and contains no breakers, but just a connection point for the underground feed from the meter to a flex that goes inside the mobile home wall to its panel.

In addition to its door falling off (maybe repairable), it's rusted apart at ground level and probably needs replaced. But I can't even find what this thing is called to check availability to give him any suggestions yet. I don't know how to attach a photo from my phone.

Everything I find in searches has meters and/or breakers in it.
 
If the pedestal at the road is meter and main breaker, then all you need is a disconnect on the closer pedestal, no breakers... right? But if the main breaker is within a certain distance then you don’t even need the second pedestal... or it can just be what it currently is, a splice box... as the main breaker at the meter can be used to shut it off for servicing..
At least, that is what I was taught about mobile homes back in the ages of me working in the USA..lol..
 
2014 NEC 550.32(D)

2014 NEC 550.32(D)

2014 NEC 550.32(D)

You need to have breaker spaces available at the disconnect or add a sub panel off the mobile homes panel.

You will need to replace the disconnect with a feed through main breaker panel or another disconnect only and add a sub panel on the exterior fed from the mobile home panel.
 
masterinbama said:
Replace it with a quazite box....
Click to expand...

What keeps those from filling with water? Seems the pedestal keeps the connections well above any water level. It seems handy for not having something in front of the driveway that one knocks things into, which is probably one of the reasons this existing one is broken.
 
cpinetree said:
2014 NEC 550.32(D)

You need to have breaker spaces available at the disconnect or add a sub panel off the mobile homes panel.

You will need to replace the disconnect with a feed through main breaker panel or another disconnect only and add a sub panel on the exterior fed from the mobile home panel.
Click to expand...

I don't understand the relevance, sorry. This is nothing more than a splice between the meter/disconnect at the street and the panel of breakers on the mobile home. Why would he need to do more than replace the corroded and broken enclosure?
 
MAC702 said:
What keeps those from filling with water? Seems the pedestal keeps the connections well above any water level. It seems handy for not having something in front of the driveway that one knocks things into, which is probably one of the reasons this existing one is broken.
Click to expand...
What keeps underground conduit from filling with water? Rubber tape and super 88+ makes a good watertight splice.

Sent from my LGL157BL using Tapatalk
 
masterinbama said:
What keeps underground conduit from filling with water? Rubber tape and super 88+ makes a good watertight splice...
Click to expand...

Well, there aren't usually connections inside the underground conduit, so I didn't know if it mattered if the connections were in a common pool of water. I haven't done "underground" since I was an apprentice, and all of that was in concrete well above the actual ground level, so I've no experience in making a connection itself watertight. I'm liking this idea, though, I think.
 
Adamjamma said:
If the pedestal at the road is meter and main breaker, then all you need is a disconnect on the closer pedestal, no breakers... right? But if the main breaker is within a certain distance then you don’t even need the second pedestal... or it can just be what it currently is, a splice box... as the main breaker at the meter can be used to shut it off for servicing..
At least, that is what I was taught about mobile homes back in the ages of me working in the USA..lol..
Click to expand...

I think 550.11 (A) disagrees with you, and for the OP, he needs overcurrent protection near the mobile or manufactured home near the entrance of the conductors per this code. I would just stick a fused disconnect or and ECB on a 4x4 pressure treated post. per this section.

Edit: I haven't done motor home feeds that weren't engineered, but I read this section. If I am interpreting wrong someone please point it out. Someone could also cut and paste the wording of 550.11 here for reference.
 
It definitely looks to me like an AHJ Call. The following Code sections have been in effect for a number of Code cycles and the install does not seem to meet those requirements. Repairs that include an alteration that does not address these sections would be a AHJ call.


550.32 Service Equipment.
(A) Mobile Home Service Equipment. The mobile home service equipment shall be located adjacent to the mobile home
and not mounted in or on the mobile home. The service equipment shall be located in sight from and not more than
9.0 m (30 ft) from the exterior wall of the mobile home it serves. The service equipment shall be permitted to be located elsewhere on the premises, if a disconnecting means suitable for use as service equipment is located within sight from and
not more than 9.0 m (30 ft) from the exterior wall of the mobile home it serves and is rated not less than that required
for service equipment in accordance with 550.32(C). Grounding at the disconnecting means shall be in accordance with
250.32.
(D) Additional Outside Electrical Equipment. Means for connecting a mobile home accessory building or structure or
additional electrical equipment located outside a mobile home by a fixed wiring method shall be provided in either the mobile
home service equipment or the local external disconnecting
means permitted in 550.32(A).
 
augie47 said:
It definitely looks to me like an AHJ Call. The following Code sections have been in effect for a number of Code cycles and the install does not seem to meet those requirements. Repairs that include an alteration that does not address these sections would be a AHJ call.


550.32 Service Equipment.
(A) Mobile Home Service Equipment. The mobile home service equipment shall be located adjacent to the mobile home
and not mounted in or on the mobile home. The service equipment shall be located in sight from and not more than
9.0 m (30 ft) from the exterior wall of the mobile home it serves. The service equipment shall be permitted to be located elsewhere on the premises, if a disconnecting means suitable for use as service equipment is located within sight from and
not more than 9.0 m (30 ft) from the exterior wall of the mobile home it serves and is rated not less than that required
for service equipment in accordance with 550.32(C). Grounding at the disconnecting means shall be in accordance with
250.32.
(D) Additional Outside Electrical Equipment. Means for connecting a mobile home accessory building or structure or
additional electrical equipment located outside a mobile home by a fixed wiring method shall be provided in either the mobile
home service equipment or the local external disconnecting
means permitted in 550.32(A).
Click to expand...

so the requirement for the disconnect to be near the home is "newer" In relation to to code?
 
Strathead said:
so the requirement for the disconnect to be near the home is "newer" In relation to to code?
Click to expand...

Thank you for questioning. It may be a case of my OLD brain playing tricks. I was thinking more of the "extra space" requirement which was not always in the Code but, looking back, the disconnect within 30 ft has been a requirement for a least two decades. If this install does not meet that requirement, I would definitely discuss any work with my inspector.
 
MAC702 said:
So I go meet my real estate agent/client to see this mobile home he purchased to fix and flip. I don't do mobile homes, but we just wanted to give it a look over. One obvious need is a pedestal that is between the service connection on the street (which is also a pedestal with the meter and main breaker) and the panel on the actual mobile home itself. This pedestal is near the mobile home's panel, and contains no breakers, but just a connection point for the underground feed from the meter to a flex that goes inside the mobile home wall to its panel.

In addition to its door falling off (maybe repairable), it's rusted apart at ground level and probably needs replaced. But I can't even find what this thing is called to check availability to give him any suggestions yet. I don't know how to attach a photo from my phone.
Click to expand...

Adamjamma said:
If the pedestal at the road is meter and main breaker, then all you need is a disconnect on the closer pedestal, no breakers... right? But if the main breaker is within a certain distance then you don’t even need the second pedestal... or it can just be what it currently is, a splice box... as the main breaker at the meter can be used to shut it off for servicing..
Click to expand...


I kind of wonder at the age of the mobile home and the size of the service.

I have kind of seen a set up like this. Years ago some of the mobile homes were cord and plug connect ( 50 AMP 240V plug and receptacle, normally located between disconnect and the mobile home). Some of time when the older home was removed and a new home parked there they would use the housing of the weather proof 50 Amp receptacle ( fairly large ) as a splice box. These things were above ground and had a cover that could be closed.
 
Help me identify a mobile home pedestal

MAC702 said:
What keeps those from filling with water? Seems the pedestal keeps the connections well above any water level. It seems handy for not having something in front of the driveway that one knocks things into, which is probably one of the reasons this existing one is broken.
Click to expand...

Plenty of drainage rock for the base. I use them all the time.

But a PVC pedestal is going to be a lot cheaper. You don’t have to worry about anyone running over a quazite box though.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
MAC702 said:
What keeps those from filling with water? Seems the pedestal keeps the connections well above any water level. It seems handy for not having something in front of the driveway that one knocks things into, which is probably one of the reasons this existing one is broken.
Click to expand...

You don't keep them from filling up with water. Just use a splice approved for wet locations if you need to splice. They have Polaris with gell, but they also sell kits that have a mechanical butt splice and a piece of heat shrink with sealant on the inside you just screw it together and heat it up.
 
IIRC (it was dark and I wasn't looking at everything), it is a 200A service disconnect/main breaker at the street. This is probably a bit further than 30 feet from the mobile home's panel, but it's in that ballpark, if it makes a difference. It's just the length of the driveway. I think it's a 100A main breaker (backfed) in that panel. It appears to be 100A wires spliced to 200A wires in the pedestal near the mobile home panel.

Replacing the enclosure doesn't seem a big deal. Replacing it with a disconnecting means does.
 
Strathead said:
I think 550.11 (A) disagrees with you, and for the OP, he needs overcurrent protection near the mobile or manufactured home near the entrance of the conductors per this code. I would just stick a fused disconnect or and ECB on a 4x4 pressure treated post. per this section.

Edit: I haven't done motor home feeds that weren't engineered, but I read this section. If I am interpreting wrong someone please point it out. Someone could also cut and paste the wording of 550.11 here for reference.
Click to expand...

If he already has the main disconnect at the meter, then if this is within so far of the mobile home it covers the disconnect requirement. If the distance is over this, then a disconnect is needed on a pedestal but, overcurrent is already covered at the meter disconnect so..
Are you proposing that it is required to have an overcurrent device at the Meter, the Pedestal and the Main disconnect of the panel?
Or, is one overcurrent device all that is required? The other positions only have to be disconnects, not required to be breakers or fuses..
 
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