Comments welcome.
My neighbor recently asked my help because he couldn't figure out how to turn off the power to his pool sub-panel. The pool panel itself has no main breaker. Turns out he was right, there is no way to turn it off because this panel is wired directly to the meter base on the house! My first thought was "crazy to do it that way", but after digging here on the forum it seems like it may have originally been OK as far as code....
There are actually 4 panels wired to the meter base, 2 200A panels inside the house, the pool panel, and a small 2-breaker panel on the outside wall of the house.
The pool panel originally contained 6 breakers, so I assume that per the "6 throw" rule a main breaker wasn't needed. Somewhere long the line more breakers were added so now it's not in compliance. Still seems insane to me that it would be setup that way, basically having a panel with no OCP on the conductors feeding it, so no way to safely work in that panel.
In my research here I came across the requirement that pool panel EGCs be insulated. His isn't, but it seems like even that may be OK because if I'm understanding it right the wires feeding this panel would be considered to be SE and not feeders because there is no upstream OCPD.
That got me looking at my own setup. I have a separate pool house/garage structure that was originally just a small pool house with 2 circuits going to it, 240V for the pool pump and 120V for receptacles and lighting. Isn't that a violation of the "1 circuit to a structure" rule? At some point the pool house was expanded by adding garage space and a sub-panel was installed in the pool house. Now everything is fed from that sub-panel, but the EGC to that sub-panel is not insulated. There was an electrical inspection when the last part of the garage was built but I don't know if the inspector even looked at this panel.
I have read so many posts here re pool panel feeders and I still don't understand the rules/exceptions/errata, etc. And if my setup isn't right (re insulated ground), how can it be made right? To run a new feeder to the pool house panel would require going through some concrete. Would installing a transformer be an option, to create a SDS?
It just seems crazy to me that me neighbor's setup, bizarre as it is, might be better than my own.
Sorry, long and a lot of questions....
My neighbor recently asked my help because he couldn't figure out how to turn off the power to his pool sub-panel. The pool panel itself has no main breaker. Turns out he was right, there is no way to turn it off because this panel is wired directly to the meter base on the house! My first thought was "crazy to do it that way", but after digging here on the forum it seems like it may have originally been OK as far as code....
There are actually 4 panels wired to the meter base, 2 200A panels inside the house, the pool panel, and a small 2-breaker panel on the outside wall of the house.
The pool panel originally contained 6 breakers, so I assume that per the "6 throw" rule a main breaker wasn't needed. Somewhere long the line more breakers were added so now it's not in compliance. Still seems insane to me that it would be setup that way, basically having a panel with no OCP on the conductors feeding it, so no way to safely work in that panel.
In my research here I came across the requirement that pool panel EGCs be insulated. His isn't, but it seems like even that may be OK because if I'm understanding it right the wires feeding this panel would be considered to be SE and not feeders because there is no upstream OCPD.
That got me looking at my own setup. I have a separate pool house/garage structure that was originally just a small pool house with 2 circuits going to it, 240V for the pool pump and 120V for receptacles and lighting. Isn't that a violation of the "1 circuit to a structure" rule? At some point the pool house was expanded by adding garage space and a sub-panel was installed in the pool house. Now everything is fed from that sub-panel, but the EGC to that sub-panel is not insulated. There was an electrical inspection when the last part of the garage was built but I don't know if the inspector even looked at this panel.
I have read so many posts here re pool panel feeders and I still don't understand the rules/exceptions/errata, etc. And if my setup isn't right (re insulated ground), how can it be made right? To run a new feeder to the pool house panel would require going through some concrete. Would installing a transformer be an option, to create a SDS?
It just seems crazy to me that me neighbor's setup, bizarre as it is, might be better than my own.
Sorry, long and a lot of questions....
