POCO craziness

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GerryB

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Location
woodbridge, ct. USA
Here's a good one. One of the POCO guidelines says "Pull boxes or tap boxes are prohibited except when located next to and installed as part of the service equipment." Another electrician told me the POCO field rep came out to spot a meter location for him and told him he couldn't use an LB to go around a corner of the house. Apparently they consider it a theft issue, (like if you put in a T and ran something into the attic I guess). I don't see how they could enforce that as they do not own anything attached to your house. The electrician said he's never used SEU cable but now thinks he has to.
 
Here just two weeks ago we piped out of a 2000 amp 480v EUSERC section to a 121413 meterbase and had an LB in the run. We were told by the POCO meterman to remove it, someone could steal power. I did not ask why someone would fool around with some #12's feeding a meterbase when they could just as easily clip onto 2000 amp bussbars and steal some real power.

Of course, we repiped it without the LB.

After we redid it, it was mentioned that a guy might be able to find a special LB cover or use different screws through it that a meterman could run his lock through to secure it. I haven't investigated it though.
 
GerryB said:
Here's a good one. One of the POCO guidelines says "Pull boxes or tap boxes are prohibited except when located next to and installed as part of the service equipment." Another electrician told me the POCO field rep came out to spot a meter location for him and told him he couldn't use an LB to go around a corner of the house. Apparently they consider it a theft issue, (like if you put in a T and ran something into the attic I guess). I don't see how they could enforce that as they do not own anything attached to your house. The electrician said he's never used SEU cable but now thinks he has to.
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People who would steal would not put in a T. Of course people who would steal might not be discouraged by the lack of an LB, and just take an angle grinder to it even if it's RMC. But an LB certainly could make their task quite a bit easier.

It does baffle me a bit if SEU is considered more secure against theft.
 
The Poco here will allow us to use a trough or a wire way before the meter as long as the cover is fastened in place with tamperproff screws . It's pretty hard not to have some sort of splice poo t before a meter here since the Poco will only allow you to tap the end box a maximum of 2-3 times depending on it's size

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Find your POCO Guidelines they usually determine the service point in which they control the service conductors -- they do have the right not to energize -- should always check with POCO prior to digging lateral ditch or dig around the home extending the underground run
 
mwm1752 said:
Find your POCO Guidelines they usually determine the service point in which they control the service conductors -- they do have the right not to energize -- should always check with POCO prior to digging lateral ditch or dig around the home extending the underground run
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Those were the POCO guidelines I quoted and from the posts and talking to others I guess not too crazy from their point of view. I did talk to a POCO field guy today and he hemmed and hawed a little and "kinda" indicated it might be a case to case determination. When I said sometimes it an aesthetic thing he bluntly said, "We don't care about aesthetics":D
 
peter d said:
The neutral is tightly wrapped around se cable, it's certain explosion time if you tried to tap into it.
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Strip enough sheath off or even cut the neutral if necessary (best not to do so under load) and splice it together again and it will be much easier then making a tap in a conduit body. But we are not here to help people steal power, so I never said that:D
 
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