Service Disconnect Location

[bpk]

I will be doing a residential service upgrade from 100 amp to 200 amp. The house is older and the original service entrance conductors are now entering the house into the utility room in the basement under a poured concrete slab.
The homeowner wants only minimal conduit on the outside of the house. The meter base is on a pole about 60 feet from the house. My question is can I put a 200 amp disconnect on the pole,trench as close as I can get to the utility room and then enter the house with conduit and run through the basement to the panel location, or will the disconnect need to be on the house. Accorrding to 230-70(A)(1) it seems like it should be ok but I have a feeling that if I did it the inspector would say something, is there any other code article that would prohibit this

 

[iwire]

The NEC requires a disconnecting means inside or outside 'nearest the point of entrance' of the conductors.

60' does not sound 'nearest' to me.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Art. 230.70(A)(1) sounds like it won't be okay. Also since your service is on a pole then you are dealing with a feeder not SE. Feeders read art. 225.32-- it says basically the same as 230.70(A)(1).

As bob says nearest the point of entry.

Also it sounds like you may be usinf URD for the feeders and then when you hit the house changing to pipe. This would require a JB on the outside because I don't believe you can run URD inside a house even in conduit.

So this install may get hit on 2 violations.

 

[dinkelja]

Dennis, how is it not a service, up until it reaches the structure? Prease to be expraining your thought.

Does the Utility "Electric Service Entrance Requirement Manual" illistrate this situation at all; a phone call or search of their website could answer your questions.

You should be able to pass conduit through the foundation wall to splice underground service lateral conductors. The conduit passage should be angled upwards, cemented in, teminate in a surface mounted servince entrance box of a sort, and has an appropriate sealing compound around the service conductors. Allow slack outdoors for earth settling to prevent cable tension.

 

[uwireme]

Also it sounds like you may be usinf URD for the feeders and then when you hit the house changing to pipe. This would require a JB on the outside because I don't believe you can run URD inside a house even in conduit.

Can URD be installed in conduit?
What does URD stand for?
Cant find URD in 310.16

 

[831]

The NEC requires a disconnecting means inside or outside 'nearest the point of entrance' of the conductors.

Relative to where the conductors pass thru the building envelope yes. I've always understood that requirement to mean you need a disconnect wherever the conductors penetrate the evelope (or as close as possible) i.e. you can't come thru the floor/basement wall and then run overhead 200' (commercial building) to a main or 6-handle rule sitution.

 

[charlie b]

. . . the original service entrance conductors are now entering the house into the utility room in the basement under a poured concrete slab.

If the conduit is under at least 2 inches of concrete, then it does not change from being "outside the building" to "inside the building" until it comes up from the concrete. If the distance from that point to the disconnecting means (such as the main breaker of the service panel) is minimal, if you can call it "nearest the point of entrance," then this is legal. The NEC has no limit on the distance; some jurisdictions, Washington State being one example, limits the distance to 15 feet.

I cannot speak to the issue of what types of conductors are, or are not, allowed in conduit.

 

[LarryFine]

Dennis, how is it not a service, up until it reaches the structure? Prease to be expraining your thought.

I'll exprain. The disconnect defines the end of service conductors and the beginning of feeders.

Plus, it's also where the neutral and EGC should separate, and soon (2008 NEC) must.