Pole Light fuses?

[olc]

Are fuses for pole lighting installed at the pole base? (or up at the fixture?)

Is there a fuse package available that could go in the pole (hand hole) or a ground hand hole adjacent to the pole?

 

[Hv&Lv]

1

 

[dpcarls1598]

I use the Eaton or Little Fuse holders installed in the base of the pole just inside the hand hole. Never seen them at the top.

 

[GoldDigger]

Are either of those holder types rated for load breaking, or are they just no-load disconnects?

 

[Hv&Lv]

Are either of those holder types rated for load breaking, or are they just no-load disconnects?

They aren’t disconnects. They are fuse holders. The disconnects should be ahead of them at the service point.

 

[GoldDigger]

They aren’t disconnects. They are fuse holders. The disconnects should be ahead of them at the service point.

The product in post #2 is described as fuse holder if you put a fuse in it and a disconnect if you don't. Presumably some will expect to use the fuse holder as a disconnect too.

 

[olc]

Thanks for the replies.
Disconnect is a good question.
The application is a public park where the power for the lighting is un-metered direct underground from the utility. There are existing poles which we are replacing.
Presumably the utility has a disconnect and perhaps circuit protection in their manhole. I don't know.
Anyway - I would think fuse protection and a disconnect at the poles would be prudent.

 

[kwired]

Thanks for the replies.
Disconnect is a good question.
The application is a public park where the power for the lighting is un-metered direct underground from the utility. There are existing poles which we are replacing.
Presumably the utility has a disconnect and perhaps circuit protection in their manhole. I don't know.
Anyway - I would think fuse protection and a disconnect at the poles would be prudent.

Some those kind of situations you might want to make sure there is EGC's run. Municipal power companies (city owned POCO) I have been around are POCO linemen and don't know NEC, yet they often do wiring on city grounds, especially parks and similar. Seen many NEC violations over the years in those applications. Such lighting like OP is dealing with is common to not have proper overcurrent protection and to use the grounded conductor for equipment grounding. If they do it at top of wood poles for area lights, maybe still wrong, but the general public is not going to come in contact with that fixture arm if it is energized like they can with a metal light pole.

If you want to make some modifications to something existing, take everything that might be wrong with it into consideration and maybe even say if we don't change this list of issues I don't want the liability for anything I might do.

 

[Hv&Lv]

Thanks for the replies.
Disconnect is a good question.
The application is a public park where the power for the lighting is un-metered direct underground from the utility. There are existing poles which we are replacing.
Presumably the utility has a disconnect and perhaps circuit protection in their manhole. I don't know.
Anyway - I would think fuse protection and a disconnect at the poles would be prudent.

The power company SHOULD have one of these at the top of the pole. We run our smaller runs with 10/3 wg. Fuse at the top of the pole with a 30, fuse in the hand hole with a 5. Keeps the light wires from staying hit when a car runs over them....
larger runs get larger wires and we fuse for load mostly.

kwired is right, most lineman don’t know NEC. They wrongly assume NEC doesn’t apply to any utility installations.

 

[olc]

Photo attached. 3 wires. One white so I assume no ground. I thought this would be the point of service connection but the wires go straight through.
I don't know if the wiring was originally installed by the utility or the city. The city did add receptacles on some of the poles later.
I'll be calling the utility today.
(The utility is not a municipal electric co.)