Question about service upgrade

[palmertie@charter.net]

I plan to upgrade my meter base and wiring to my breaker box that is located 60 feet away inside the house from a 60 amp to a 200 amp service. I am also going to add a transfer switch to act as a main disconect,since my breaker box is 60 feet away. The question is does the feed to the breaker box need to be changed to a 4 wire system?

Any help would be much appreciated

Thanks in advance
JF

 

[robert]

Re: Question about service upgrade

Are you setting this up for a generator? First you have to have the appropratly sized over current protection device protecting your cond. and equitment. In other words you have to use a fused 200a disconnect. Yes you have to use a 4 wire cable to feed the panel. You have to put your main bonding jumper in your fused disconnect. you then have to make sure the panel board is 200a rated and that you isolate the neutral from the grounds in your panel.

 

[goldstar]

Re: Question about service upgrade



JF,

Robert is exactly right in his response. You will need a 200 amp main breaker in front of the transfer switch. If I understand your installation correctly you will need a 200 amp SEU cable (3-wire) riser from the meter pan to the service drop (unless you're using PVC), then nipple into right or left for the 200 amp main disconnect, out of the disconnect with SER cable(4-wire) to the transfer switch common terminals and out of the top with SER cable to the 200 amp main lug panel. Remember the neutrals and EGS have to be separated (i.e. don't put the green ground bonding screw theough the neutral buss bar and install a separate ground buss into the backbox for the EGC's).

Check with the generator manufacturer and ask whether they recommend grounding the neutral. If they do then you can just bug the neutral through and use a 2 pole transfer switch. If they recommend that it floats then you'll need a 3-pole transfer switch. In either case you'll have to bond the EGC's to the transfer switch cabinet.

Finally, as Robert mentioned the main breaker is now adjacent to the meter and you'll have to run your cold water main ground and ground rod connections to it and not the main lug panel.

Hope this was helpful.

 

[dan19403]

Re: Question about service upgrade

you may want to look into Generac's new transfer switch (200A) They have received UL approval to bring the service wire directly into the transfer switch/panel -- eliminating the need for a seperate sub panel, transfer switch, ect.

they went into production this month.

when i was out at the Generac plant in WI. they showed us this unit (they were still waiting for UL approval) and it was a really neat set up.

i am currently waiting for the specs.