I know we talk a lot about how things should be, from an installation aspect, but, was curious what you all do in the real world.
Example:
Most of our area was and still is agriculture, meaning, a lot of chicken houses, barns, well pumps etc.
A typical electrical install would be a 100 or 200 amp single phase up/down pole service (Yes line and load in the same riser),(A single meter with either a fused disconnect, or, a single 100 or 200 amp enclosed circuit breaker located underneath the meter).
At the top of the pole the 3 wire FEEDERS would spider web from there in overhead 3 wire triplex's, one to the house, one to the pumphouse, one to the chicken house, one to the garage and so on.
Shutting off that one main would kill the power to all locations, and, it was a roll of the dice whether that main would actually reset after being shut off for the first time in 50 years.
That along with loose connections due to oxidation in the split bolts at the top of the poles over time, which always seem to be on the load side or customer's responsibility.
The 3 wire triplex's are overhead feeders to all of these locations, and , at best, most of the penetrations to these buildings, chicken houses, pump houses etc.. are usually at best just holes drilled through the structure and PVC pipe sleeved with open air wiring to a loadcenter located inside.
No raceway from the panel to outside. If you happen to see a 1 1/2" pvc TA installed in the top of the panel to keep the wires from getting cut into your fortunate.
I'm still at a loss, to how even back then, if the metal siding on a 600 foot chicken house, if happened to get energized by a cut into the overhead feed, would ever clear a fault. I simply don't think it ever would. I don't see any way of 600' of sheet metal on both sides and roof that is, nailed to wooden runners would ever find a path back to clear a fault, should the whole chicken house become energized in any way.
Even modern day 900' houses with a 4 wire system and an EGC pulled to them. If the sheet metal on the wooden runners gets energized,, what clears the fault? I don't see where anything would.
Now, you get the call,,,, I've lost power to half my house, or chicken house or pump house,,,, full of birds, and, it's getting technical.
Is there any grandfather clauses that would allow you to get the power back on as it is?
There was at one time an allowance of being able to bond the neutral to the loadcenter and use it as an EGC when there was only a 3 wire feed to the structure.
Does a repair on a loose connection to an existing 3 wire feed to a structure (that's lost power due to a loose connection) require a complete upgrade of the existing situation?
Remember, we're talking about an accumulation of code violations over the last 50 years.
How far can you go to help them get the power back on, short of being responsible for the whole scenario once you touch it?
Just curious what others do in this situation.
JAP>
Example:
Most of our area was and still is agriculture, meaning, a lot of chicken houses, barns, well pumps etc.
A typical electrical install would be a 100 or 200 amp single phase up/down pole service (Yes line and load in the same riser),(A single meter with either a fused disconnect, or, a single 100 or 200 amp enclosed circuit breaker located underneath the meter).
At the top of the pole the 3 wire FEEDERS would spider web from there in overhead 3 wire triplex's, one to the house, one to the pumphouse, one to the chicken house, one to the garage and so on.
Shutting off that one main would kill the power to all locations, and, it was a roll of the dice whether that main would actually reset after being shut off for the first time in 50 years.
That along with loose connections due to oxidation in the split bolts at the top of the poles over time, which always seem to be on the load side or customer's responsibility.
The 3 wire triplex's are overhead feeders to all of these locations, and , at best, most of the penetrations to these buildings, chicken houses, pump houses etc.. are usually at best just holes drilled through the structure and PVC pipe sleeved with open air wiring to a loadcenter located inside.
No raceway from the panel to outside. If you happen to see a 1 1/2" pvc TA installed in the top of the panel to keep the wires from getting cut into your fortunate.
I'm still at a loss, to how even back then, if the metal siding on a 600 foot chicken house, if happened to get energized by a cut into the overhead feed, would ever clear a fault. I simply don't think it ever would. I don't see any way of 600' of sheet metal on both sides and roof that is, nailed to wooden runners would ever find a path back to clear a fault, should the whole chicken house become energized in any way.
Even modern day 900' houses with a 4 wire system and an EGC pulled to them. If the sheet metal on the wooden runners gets energized,, what clears the fault? I don't see where anything would.
Now, you get the call,,,, I've lost power to half my house, or chicken house or pump house,,,, full of birds, and, it's getting technical.
Is there any grandfather clauses that would allow you to get the power back on as it is?
There was at one time an allowance of being able to bond the neutral to the loadcenter and use it as an EGC when there was only a 3 wire feed to the structure.
Does a repair on a loose connection to an existing 3 wire feed to a structure (that's lost power due to a loose connection) require a complete upgrade of the existing situation?
Remember, we're talking about an accumulation of code violations over the last 50 years.
How far can you go to help them get the power back on, short of being responsible for the whole scenario once you touch it?
Just curious what others do in this situation.
JAP>
