Pole Light Disconnects

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dcsva@aol.com

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Location
Virginia
277V/400 Watt Pole Lights
The contractor wants to install 3-Single Pole circuit breakers to feed 9 pole lights.
Circuit-1 on Phase-A, Circuit-2 on Phase-B and Circuit-3 on Phase-C.
Three lights per phase. Each phase is connected at every third pole.
One conduit extends from the building to all nine lights.
1. By using 3-Single Pole Circuit Breakers, are three sets (H,N) circuit wires required with a common ground? Or can we share the neutral also?
2. If all three circuits enter and then leave each pole light on the daisy chain, is a 3-pole disconnect required at each pole?
These pole lights are about 150FT apart.
 
Re: Pole Light Disconnects

Originally posted by dcsva@aol.com:
1. By using 3-Single Pole Circuit Breakers, are three sets (H,N) circuit wires required with a common ground? Or can we share the neutral also?
Click to expand...
Yes you can use a common neutral and in my opinion it is a better design to use a common neutral for this, voltage drop will be less of an issue.

Originally posted by dcsva@aol.com:
2. If all three circuits enter and then leave each pole light on the daisy chain, is a 3-pole disconnect required at each pole?
These pole lights are about 150FT apart.
Click to expand...
No disconnect at the pole required, 225.32 Exception No. 3.
 
Re: Pole Light Disconnects

Originally posted by petersonra:
just curious - what advantage is there to using 3 single pole breakers over using one 3 pole breaker?
Click to expand...
If you have a short circuit in one circuit you still have two circuits on.

This is a big deal for some of our customers.

Well planned site lighting IMO should alternate circuits so you do not get total darkness in one area with the failure of one circuit.

This is same reason we often have fuses in each pole one ballast shorting out will not take out an entire circuit. :)

JMO
 
Re: Pole Light Disconnects

Originally posted by dcsva@aol.com:
Petersonra,
The owner said that he wants the ability to choose which set of lights he wants to remain on at night.
Click to expand...
so he is planning on using the cb as the light switch? most places have some kind of lighting contactor and timer/PE arrangement so the lights come on and off automatically.
 
Re: Pole Light Disconnects

Petersona,
I didn't mean to imply that the circuit breaker was being used as a light switch. We have a panel with 3 contactors,three Off/On switches and a control power Off/On switch. All pole lights have a built in PE for dusk to dawn operation.
Doug

[ November 18, 2004, 07:50 AM: Message edited by: dcsva@aol.com ]
 
Re: Pole Light Disconnects

Please put a fuse holder in the access hole of each pole take pitty on the service tech who will have to maintain all these lights. Fuse them for 5 to 10 amps each please ;)
 
Re: Pole Light Disconnects

Straps,

If you put a fuse in the hand hole of each light you need a disconnect. see 240.40 Disconnecting Means for Fuses.
A disconnecting means shall be provided on the supply side of all fuses in circuits over 150 volts to ground and cartridge fuses in circuits of any voltage where accessible to other than qualified persons so that each
 
Re: Pole Light Disconnects

gregory,
The code section that you cited only requires a disconenct on the "supply side" of the fuse. The branch circuit circuit breaker can serve as the required disconnect. The code section does not require that the disconnect be in the same location as the fuse.
Don
 
Re: Pole Light Disconnects

Thanks Don this is getting ridiculos. Is everybody turning into a lawyer instead of being good electricans? :confused:
 
Re: Pole Light Disconnects

Straps, the Code is written in legalese so the lawyers can understand it. It is the lawyers that will take all of your money away. :D
 
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