What we have is everything has to be arc fault with that exception. For pipe. Almost everything we do is pipe. My complaint is, we install a whole branch circuit in emt and have a 3’ whip on one pipe for say, a furnace or a wafer light fixture and now we need a arc fault breaker.
I can’t figure out how you could make an installation comply with that.
You could have say 6 grouped safety switches or enclosed circuit breakers as your service disconnects.
How would you feed them? Would you have to get a meter box with 6 lugs per phase on the load side? Then run 6 conduits to six separate switch boxes?
Say you have the service enter the building on the left, then a ct meter box. 12” for the brick wall, 12” for space to open the door, 30” (or more) for the ct box. You are at 5’ now. To line up 6 separate disconnects would be a violation of the 5’ rule. Even if you enter from the rear of the ct box, it’s going to be hard to stay within 5’. You know what I mean?
What's the 5' rule?
5' rule is likely a local rule for you. Guessing it is how far you can enter building with service conductor, you possibly can have those disconnects outside though and not be concerned with the 5 foot rule. Or even put splice/tap box on outside and make multiple entries to the disconnects yet keep each one under 5 feet and it likely is fine.
You could just come off the CT cabinet with multiple sets, or right off the transformer with multiple sets if they do metering at the spades. Other options would be a wireway or a bussed gutter to split to the multiple meters or disconnects. Essentially you will be using 230.40 exception #2
The disconnect has to be located within 5' of the point of entry. measured from the outside of the building.
That is the 5' rule. Though I thought it was national too. We can not have the disconnects outside. I don't know why, maybe because people would mess with it. Almost everything thing here is overhead.
Yet some places the meter, main, and all the branch breakers are typically in an all in one unit on the outside - particularly the west coast.
This is Chicago. I know this, but no I don’t know where it is in the book. I’ve worked here all my life. I will try to find it when I have a minute. I know that the NEC 2020 requires it. Ours is 17 modified
The suburbs around here ha
Here too. It’s 50/50 if there on the first floor. We can even get an exception two locate one on the second floor. The times I did that, it was for two flats.
Thanks
That is one of the things that changed when the 2018 Chicago Electrical Code was adopted.
Thanks. Good to know that.
