outdoor temporary panel

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jociha

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I have a 4in pvc stubbed out a elect. room to the center of a paver courtrard. it is buried and capped. customer wants a box or somthing in the ground flush when not in use that can handle car or snow plow traffic, connected to the conduit that can open up so that a temporary 200a panel can be connected and used for special events. does anyone make a pop up box or anything that i could plug in a 200a panel. any idea's anyone? john
 
At a fair ground near me they installed regular street type, iron man hole covers on a small concrete enclosures, When not in use it looks like any round metal man hole and can take truck traffic.

When they need power at a specific location they pull the lid and pull out a set of portable power cables with cam locs. Than in place of the normal cover a custom cover drops into place, the cables come up through hole in the center. Welded to this cover is a uni-strut rack that holds a NEMA 3R enclosure with a 225 amp three phase panel.

The portable power cables plug into cam locs installed on the panel, they have some wood trim that goes on the strut from the panel bottom down to the man hole lid that conceal the cables and cam locks.

It looked like a pretty good set up, I do not know how the portable power cables where connected down in the under ground enclosure.
 
I don't know of anything made for that type of installation. This sounds like a really bad idea. The only suggestion I could make would be to down size the panel and use the raceway to pull a 4/4 SO cord thru it when the panel would be installed. Then remove the panel and the cord when not in use. Remember that a permit and inspection would be required each time this would be installed.
 
marcb said:
All electrical installations require permits and inspections.
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even for temp. connections via fixed, already approved outlets?
I'm thinking connectoing a power distro this way doesn't require a permit.

I'd love to have some more feedback on this. Makes ya' wonder how the festival guys do it
 
marcb said:
Remember that a permit and inspection would be required each time this would be installed.
All electrical installations require permits and inspections.
Click to expand...
This would be tantamount to running an extension cord, and is not a permanent installation.
 
RayS said:
even for temp. connections via fixed, already approved outlets?
I'm thinking connectoing a power distro this way doesn't require a permit.

I'd love to have some more feedback on this. Makes ya' wonder how the festival guys do it
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525.1 Scope
This article covers the installation of portable wiring and equipment for carnivals, circuses, fairs, and similar functions, including wiring in or on all structures.
90.2 Scope
(A) Covered This Code covers the installation of electrical conductors, equipment, and raceways; signaling and communications conductors, equipment, and raceways; and optical fiber cables and raceways for the following:
(1) Public and private premises, including buildings, structures, mobile homes, recreational vehicles, and floating buildings
(2) Yards, lots, parking lots, carnivals, and industrial substations
 
590.2 All Wiring Installations
(A) Other Articles Except as specifically modified in this article, all other requirements of this Code for permanent wiring shall apply to temporary wiring installations.
Temporary installations of electrical equipment must be installed in accordance with all applicable permanent installation requirements except as modified by the rules in this article. For example, the requirements of 300.15 specify that a box or other enclosure must be used where splices are made. This rule is amended by 590.4(G), which, for construction sites, permits splices to be made in multiconductor cords and cables without the use of a box.
(B) Approval Temporary wiring methods shall be acceptable only if approved based on the conditions of use and any special requirements of the temporary installation.
The provisions of 590.2(B) require that all temporary wiring methods be approved based on criteria such as length of time in service, severity of physical abuse, exposure to weather, and other special requirements. Special requirements may range from tunnel construction projects and tent cities constructed after a natural disaster to flammable hazardous material reclamation projects.
590.3 Time Constraints
(A) During the Period of Construction Temporary electrical power and lighting installations shall be permitted during the period of construction, remodeling, maintenance, repair, or demolition of buildings, structures, equipment, or similar activities.
(B) 90 Days Temporary electrical power and lighting installations shall be permitted for a period not to exceed 90 days for holiday decorative lighting and similar purposes



So as you can clearly see an inspection is required as well as a permit.
 
LarryFine said:
This would be tantamount to running an extension cord, and is not a permanent installation.
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I agree. Does this mean that I need a permit and inspection every time I hook up my portable generator when the power goes out?
 
infinity said:
I agree. Does this mean that I need a permit and inspection every time I hook up my portable generator when the power goes out?
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I would think so. Beacause the homeowner or an untrained individual may do something way out there. Depending on what they do, they may energize the utility's grid.
 
RayS said:
even for temp. connections via fixed, already approved outlets?
I'm thinking connectoing a power distro this way doesn't require a permit.

I'd love to have some more feedback on this. Makes ya' wonder how the festival guys do it
Click to expand...

You probably do not need a permit to hook up cord and plug connected equipment.

I say probably as the requirements for licenses, inspections and permits are decided on a local basis not a national one. Those issues are not covered at all in the NEC.

So when someone here says 'All installations require electrical permits' they really are basing that only on their experience in their local area.

I really doubt that many areas require a permit for cord and plug connected equipment.

In this area I would make the permanent part of the installation have that inspected and that would be the end of it.

How do festivals do it?

There is a multitude of temp power distribution equipment, it's expensive but necessary for large temporary situations.

At another forum I go to an EC there had to install about 150 generators for a PGA event. They had to provide power for temporary HVAC equipment in tents and press / media power.
 
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