main disc not on exterior wall

[malachi constant]

Commercial building. Have an existing electrical room in a basement on an exterior wall. Changing out the service. Existing service is in room, on exterior wall. The new service will go on adjacent (interior) wall. Service entrance conduit will have to run about ten feet through the room before getting to main disconnect in new service equipment. We have the ability to cut and trench the floor to get to the new equipment, but would rather go through the ceiling space.

In your experience do service feeders cutting about ten feet across an electrical room need to be 2-hr concrete encased (per 230.6)? Or is 230.70(A)(1) ("disc shall be installed at a readily accessible location...nearest the point of entrance of the service conductors") interpreted generously enough to allow these to be ran w/o concrete encasement? For what it's worth, this is the "nearest readily accessible location" in the room.

I'll ultimately run this by the local inspector, right now am just looking for the experiences of others to start a preliminary design. Thanks!

 

[charlie b]

In my area, you would be fine. Our local limit is 15 feet. I don't know where to find the state or local limits in MN.

 

[malachi constant]

Thanks Charlie. I've designed service upgrades this way probably a half-dozen times without thinking about it before. I haven't had an inspector say anything yet. I guess I have concrete encasement on my brain today - a serious condition indeed - not sure why else I would start thinking about it now.

 

[augie47]

In my experience the distance allowed will vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and sometimes from condition to condition.
Commercial/industrial installations with exposed GRS conduit are at time "cut more slack" than concealed SE cable.

 

[raider1]

In my experience the distance allowed will vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and sometimes from condition to condition.
Commercial/industrial installations with exposed GRS conduit are at time "cut more slack" than concealed SE cable.

I agree 100%.

Chris

 

[John Deere Man]

Inspector

Inspector

In Colorado you would not be allowed to cross the ceiling. Art,225.32 for feeders & Art,230.70(A)(1) Both state that the service equipment shall be located nearest the point of entrance of the service conductors. The un-written rule has been 5' but that was to allow the race way to come up through the floor & the service equipment to be mounted on top & the conductors to come up trough the raceway into the equipment & be terminated.