Running SER from Metered Disconnect

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drjr1977

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East Granby, CT
I've had my E-1 for about 4 or 5 years now and surprisingly have not ran across this scenario yet. My question is: Upgrade from 100A to 200A service, load center is located approximately 20 feet from meter currently. Obviously this needs to have a metered disconnect which it does already. What is the normal practice for getting the feeder from the disconnect outside to the load center. I know I have seen SER ran through a LB stubbed in through the sill plate in the past with a strain connector at the end of the stub which doesn't seem the prettiest. Is this normal practice or will this fail inspection? Since it is a multi conductor assembly running through conduit is this acceptable? I haven't had much experience with the metered disconnect variety of service installs. Any tips would be helpful

TY
 
drjr1977 said:
I know I have seen SER ran through a LB stubbed in through the sill plate in the past with a strain connector at the end of the stub which doesn't seem the prettiest. Is this normal practice or will this fail inspection? Since it is a multi conductor assembly running through conduit is this acceptable? I haven't had much experience with the metered disconnect variety of service installs. Any tips would be helpful

TY
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Sure you can do it that way.

As a tip I would suggest if you are going to use an LB then oversize it to say 2 1/2" and use reducers to joint to the 2 " conduit. Makes it much easier to get the SER into the LB.
 
If you use an LB then you must have a minimum inner bend radius of 5X the diameter of the cable where it enters the 90° portion. I would use an elbow.

338.24 Bending Radius. Bends in Types USE and SE cable
shall be so made that the cable will not be damaged. The
radius of the curve of the inner edge of any bend, during or
after installation, shall not be less than five times the diameter
of the cable.
Click to expand...
 
If you weren't using a disconnect and able to use 2/0 SE I do that all the time. 2/0 SER though is such a bear that no matter how you bend it it's going to look ugly. I always opt to run individual conductors in pipe. PVC is going to look 100 times better.

-Hal
 
drjr1977 said:
I've had my E-1 for about 4 or 5 years now and surprisingly have not ran across this scenario yet. My question is: Upgrade from 100A to 200A service, load center is located approximately 20 feet from meter currently. Obviously this needs to have a metered disconnect which it does already. What is the normal practice for getting the feeder from the disconnect outside to the load center. I know I have seen SER ran through a LB stubbed in through the sill plate in the past with a strain connector at the end of the stub which doesn't seem the prettiest. Is this normal practice or will this fail inspection? Since it is a multi conductor assembly running through conduit is this acceptable? I haven't had much experience with the metered disconnect variety of service installs. Any tips would be helpful

TY
Click to expand...
As was said SEU is pretty hard to get through an LB, SER even harder. If not exposed to physical damage I would probably run the SER exposed and use a large sill plate going into the house. I am also in Ct. (no where near you:)) but have done that never a problem.
 
GerryB said:
As was said SEU is pretty hard to get through an LB, SER even harder. If not exposed to physical damage I would probably run the SER exposed and use a large sill plate going into the house. I am also in Ct. (no where near you:)) but have done that never a problem.
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We almost always run service cable in my area (I live a few hours east of you.) We have no fear of it being exposed or being subject to damage. If I see a residential PVC service, it was probably done by a commercial guy or someone that had no clue about local practice.
 
peter d said:
We almost always run service cable in my area (I live a few hours east of you.) We have no fear of it being exposed or being subject to damage. If I see a residential PVC service, it was probably done by a commercial guy or someone that had no clue about local practice.
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The only time I worry about the Inspector saying "physical damage" is if the service is in the driveway, and even then it's usually you'd have to rip the meter off the house before you would hit the cable. I used to think the sill plates were required for protection of damage. So you run the cable straight in with a strap below the meter if you can? I have seen that often. What's nice about using cable and the existing hole from the old service is you can get the ground wire out easily in the same hole.
 
GerryB said:
The only time I worry about the Inspector saying "physical damage" is if the service is in the driveway, and even then it's usually you'd have to rip the meter off the house before you would hit the cable. I used to think the sill plates were required for protection of damage. So you run the cable straight in with a strap below the meter if you can? I have seen that often. What's nice about using cable and the existing hole from the old service is you can get the ground wire out easily in the same hole.
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Yes, I run it into the hole without a sill plate if I can, and fill it will silicone. Sill plates really serve no purpose at all other than for aesthetics. I have traveled to other parts of the northeast where service cable is common (outside of New England) and never saw sill plates being used. I figured if they don't, that's good enough reason for me not to. Oh, and it adds labor too. ;)
 
peter d said:
Yes, I run it into the hole without a sill plate if I can, and fill it will silicone. Sill plates really serve no purpose at all other than for aesthetics. I have traveled to other parts of the northeast where service cable is common (outside of New England) and never saw sill plates being used. I figured if they don't, that's good enough reason for me not to. Oh, and it adds labor too. ;)
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We never use them here, maybe 50 years ago but not anymore.
 
peter d said:
We almost always run service cable in my area (I live a few hours east of you.) We have no fear of it being exposed or being subject to damage. If I see a residential PVC service, it was probably done by a commercial guy or someone that had no clue about local practice.
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"no clue about local practice".

That's the whole thing right there. If you are in a neighborhood where all the houses have a rigid mast and you run exposed SE cable then most of the homeowners will think you did something wrong or at least cheaped out. On the other hand if all the homes have exposed SE cable and you do anything more they will question that.
 
peter d said:
Sill plates really serve no purpose at all other than for aesthetics.
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Yes, that is exactly the purpose :D and why I will continue to use them if I do another service like that.

Sorry, if I hired you and you just blobbed silicone all over the hole I would pull a Trump on you and not pay you. :D
 
iwire said:
Yes, that is exactly the purpose :D and why I will continue to use them if I do another service like that.

Sorry, if I hired you and you just blobbed silicone all over the hole I would pull a Trump on you and not pay you. :D
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Whatever you say, you're the expert on everything. :roll::roll:
 
growler said:
"no clue about local practice".

That's the whole thing right there. If you are in a neighborhood where all the houses have a rigid mast and you run exposed SE cable then most of the homeowners will think you did something wrong or at least cheaped out. On the other hand if all the homes have exposed SE cable and you do anything more they will question that.
Click to expand...

It's been my experience that homeowners have no clue about electrical work and don't know the difference in wiring methods on the side of their homes.
 
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