Steve- PEC
Member
- Location
- Charleston, WV
Recently, I received a call to check out a service on a house that was apparently overloaded. Upon my visit, I found the main panel had way too many breakers and also fed two sup-panels as well.
The current meter base was on the back right corner of the house, which had a 2" rigid riser and a 200 amp disconnect below the meter base. The load side wire from the disconnect was recently changed out to a 4/0 four wire.
This wire ran into the house through a 2" pvc conduit and then stapled along the now remodeled ceiling, which had a lot of fancy mouldings and beams. This is an old English Tudor home.(could not run new wires this route)
The two hundred amp 30 slot panel was in the basement, which was located in the center of the home( if looking from the back of the house). Knowing I was going to have to install a 320 amp dual lug system, my layout for my new equipment was as follows:
Because the back of the house had many places that indented, fireplace jetted out, a stone patio to contend with, and many other angles: we opted to place the new meter base on the back of the house, which put it back to back with the existing 30 slot panel in the basement. We mounted the new meter base, installed (1) 40 slot panel beside the 30(in basement), trying to get all that we could installed preparing for a cut-over time, with minimal outage for the customer. To feed the new meter base, we dug in our feeder wire, in conduit out from the meter base and around the patio and then under the sidewalk which would eventually run up the same place as the existing 2". When we cut it over, we stripped out the 2" riser, old meter base, and the disconnect. So what we had was the 3" conduit ran up to the same overhead attachment with a weather head and ran continuously down the house under the sidewalk and up to the new 320 amp meter base, which was approx. 175'. We temporarily connected at the riser and changed out the 30 slot panel to a 40 slot. Now we had 2- 40 slot panels feeding from the meter base opposite the basement wall through 2 LB's.
We used proper grounding for our local codes and I called the PWR Company to have them look at their overhead line so they could change it out due to the load that was added over the years.
Here's my question: the PWR Company is making me move the meter base due to what they are saying to be "unsafe". Their reason is: "a fireman can't find the meter base if there is a fire." He was saying they need it under the overhead line for better access.
I know this is a lot of reading and some may not follow my design, but all the years that I was a lineman for Duke Power Company in Charlotte, and an Engineer there for several years and now an Electrical Contractor in WV, this is a new one on me.
They also are giving me only 3 work days to change it back or the customer gets cut off. In changing it back, it would require me to take out all the under ground conduit and wire, put a fourth wire in the conduit to make it now a sub feeder to a trough on the back of the wall, move the 320 amp meter back to where the old meter was, installing a rigid pipe above the roof line and installing a disconnect, which means all my grounding application will have to be moved as well. As you know this will be costly and I was wondering if anyone has ever dealt with their Local Pwr Co. controlling beyond the point of attachment on residential/customer owned equipment?
I would appreciate any and all comments. I have researched and called many local inspectors here in my area and they all don't know why they are requesting the change.
Thanks!!
The current meter base was on the back right corner of the house, which had a 2" rigid riser and a 200 amp disconnect below the meter base. The load side wire from the disconnect was recently changed out to a 4/0 four wire.
This wire ran into the house through a 2" pvc conduit and then stapled along the now remodeled ceiling, which had a lot of fancy mouldings and beams. This is an old English Tudor home.(could not run new wires this route)
The two hundred amp 30 slot panel was in the basement, which was located in the center of the home( if looking from the back of the house). Knowing I was going to have to install a 320 amp dual lug system, my layout for my new equipment was as follows:
Because the back of the house had many places that indented, fireplace jetted out, a stone patio to contend with, and many other angles: we opted to place the new meter base on the back of the house, which put it back to back with the existing 30 slot panel in the basement. We mounted the new meter base, installed (1) 40 slot panel beside the 30(in basement), trying to get all that we could installed preparing for a cut-over time, with minimal outage for the customer. To feed the new meter base, we dug in our feeder wire, in conduit out from the meter base and around the patio and then under the sidewalk which would eventually run up the same place as the existing 2". When we cut it over, we stripped out the 2" riser, old meter base, and the disconnect. So what we had was the 3" conduit ran up to the same overhead attachment with a weather head and ran continuously down the house under the sidewalk and up to the new 320 amp meter base, which was approx. 175'. We temporarily connected at the riser and changed out the 30 slot panel to a 40 slot. Now we had 2- 40 slot panels feeding from the meter base opposite the basement wall through 2 LB's.
We used proper grounding for our local codes and I called the PWR Company to have them look at their overhead line so they could change it out due to the load that was added over the years.
Here's my question: the PWR Company is making me move the meter base due to what they are saying to be "unsafe". Their reason is: "a fireman can't find the meter base if there is a fire." He was saying they need it under the overhead line for better access.
I know this is a lot of reading and some may not follow my design, but all the years that I was a lineman for Duke Power Company in Charlotte, and an Engineer there for several years and now an Electrical Contractor in WV, this is a new one on me.
They also are giving me only 3 work days to change it back or the customer gets cut off. In changing it back, it would require me to take out all the under ground conduit and wire, put a fourth wire in the conduit to make it now a sub feeder to a trough on the back of the wall, move the 320 amp meter back to where the old meter was, installing a rigid pipe above the roof line and installing a disconnect, which means all my grounding application will have to be moved as well. As you know this will be costly and I was wondering if anyone has ever dealt with their Local Pwr Co. controlling beyond the point of attachment on residential/customer owned equipment?
I would appreciate any and all comments. I have researched and called many local inspectors here in my area and they all don't know why they are requesting the change.
Thanks!!
