• We will be performing upgrades on the forums and server over the weekend. The forums may be unavailable multiple times for up to an hour each. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to make the forums even better.

One building , two main electrical rooms.

Merry Christmas

Deno4

Member
A builder is planning to build a residential, 3-story apartment building, which will be around 450 ft long. They want two main electrical rooms at each end of the building and two pad-mount transformers outside for power. Is it possible to have two services for one continuous building?
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Occupation
EC
230.2 (B) or (C) could possibly be used to allow this.

Fire wall in the center could also be used to effectively consider it to be two buildings per building codes

Another way to get similar effectiveness may be to place an electrical room at center instead of one at each end of the structure.
 

ggunn

PE (Electrical), NABCEP certified
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Occupation
Consulting Electrical Engineer - Photovoltaic Systems
A builder is planning to build a residential, 3-story apartment building, which will be around 450 ft long. They want two main electrical rooms at each end of the building and two pad-mount transformers outside for power. Is it possible to have two services for one continuous building?
Apparently so; I have seen it done several times. I know of a large multifamily building that has ~7 services.
 

ggunn

PE (Electrical), NABCEP certified
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Occupation
Consulting Electrical Engineer - Photovoltaic Systems
Apparently so; I have seen it done several times. I know of a large multifamily building that has ~7 services.
To clarify, in that case there are ~7 pad mounted transformers surrounding the building.
I am in a 40 unit Condo complex. Each of the 40 units have their own service. two layers of 5/8 sheet rock between the condos.
They could be all fed by the same transformer; that is different from what the OP was saying. The double sheetrock may be for acoustic insulation.
 

Eddie702

Licensed Electrician
Location
Western Massachusetts
Occupation
Electrician
To clarify, in that case there are ~7 pad mounted transformers surrounding the building.

They could be all fed by the same transformer; that is different from what the OP was saying. The double sheetrock may be for acoustic insulation.
Definitely not feed off the same transformer. High voltage overhead on poles down the parking lot. They drop down the pole high voltage and go underground toward building and stub up to a pad mounted transformer. There are sever pad mounted transformers. From the transformers they go underground to the building and rise up to the meter sockets.
 

JoeStillman

Senior Member
Location
West Chester, PA
A builder is planning to build a residential, 3-story apartment building, which will be around 450 ft long. They want two main electrical rooms at each end of the building and two pad-mount transformers outside for power. Is it possible to have two services for one continuous building?
We do this kind of thing all the time in PA and NJ. Usually, you need to tell the POCO that there is a 2hr fire break somewhere in between the services. You already have firewalls between the apartments. Often, it's as easy as adding a 2hr rated door in the middle of the corridor. Check with your Architect. They might want Fire Alarm hold-opens for the doors.
 

Deno4

Member
Thanks to all of you for the input. They want two main electrical rooms at each end of the building. There is no space for this purpose somewhere in the middle of the building.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Occupation
EC
Thanks to all of you for the input. They want two main electrical rooms at each end of the building. There is no space for this purpose somewhere in the middle of the building.
I'd probably be running this information through AHJ before starting with it, just in case they have different ideas, even though I believe NEC would allow it.
 
Top