Service disconnect

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wyboy

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Does anyone know of or live in a jurisdiction that requires the service disconnect on the outside of the structure?
Thanks!!:lol:
 
The rule in Washington State is either outside or within 15 feet on the point that the conductors enter the building.
 
Yes here...

Yes here...

Required outside because of disconnect/reconnect requirements and meter reader safety (older services are grandfathered in). We live in a resort community with many seasonal second homeowners. They call for a reconnect and our requirements are either a person at the location or a service disconnect in the off position to do a reconnect. Don't know the status of customer loads if customers are not present....could be a stove burner left on with flammables laying on it, refrigerator left with the door open, etc. We don't allow meter readers to install or remove meters with the service disconnect on....we don't want them breaking load with the meter due to possible arcing....ditto for fire department.
 
Here if the panel is back to back with meter on a residential service then no disco is required, but all commercial must have a disco on the outside no matter where panel is located
 
I used to wonder why that was not a NEC requirement from a safety standpoint until this Southern boy met an inspector from Montana who enlightened me on snow-drifts and exterior panel accessibility. :)
snowdrift.jpg
 
This guy had to dig out for his vent

CIMG0333.JPG
 
Just my 2 cents, the NEC requirement is adequate. Requiring an external disconnect for all installations is not necessary and a waste of money.
 
wyboy said:
Does anyone know of or live in a jurisdiction that requires the service disconnect on the outside of the structure?
Thanks!!:lol:
Click to expand...

It appears the Denver area may require the service disconnect on the outside of the structures.
 
meternerd said:
Required outside because of disconnect/reconnect requirements and meter reader safety (older services are grandfathered in). We live in a resort community with many seasonal second homeowners. They call for a reconnect and our requirements are either a person at the location or a service disconnect in the off position to do a reconnect. Don't know the status of customer loads if customers are not present....could be a stove burner left on with flammables laying on it, refrigerator left with the door open, etc. We don't allow meter readers to install or remove meters with the service disconnect on....we don't want them breaking load with the meter due to possible arcing....ditto for fire department.
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So sounds like the meter is hot sequence? They just don't want load on the meter, but are ok if it's hot?
 
I think a disconnect outside should be required for everyone mostly due to the hoarding epidemic in houses


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Those of you that say it is required to be outside - is that for all applications or just for dwellings, or maybe just for say 200 or even 400 amp services supplied by self contained metering? What about commercial/industrial facilities with 1000 amp or larger switchboards as the service disconnecting means? Even if those were to be outdoors they are still likely in a secured area that is about as effective to emergency personnel as being indoors in a secured area.

NEC rules on this pretty much are the same regardless if it is a small single family dwelling or a large industrial plant.
 
kwired said:
Those of you that say it is required to be outside - is that for all applications or just for dwellings, or maybe just for say 200 or even 400 amp services supplied by self contained metering? What about commercial/industrial facilities with 1000 amp or larger switchboards as the service disconnecting means?.
Click to expand...

Good point. That could be a huge cost adder for larger services. They must exempt those.
 
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