Service disconnect

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OldFatGuy

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Residential installation with a 200 amp meter base away and not attached to the home. Conduit comes out of the ground and up the side of the building and into an LB, then inside the ceiling joyce for 10 feet then down the wall and into the top of the 200 amp MB panel. Inspector says he requires a disconnect on the outside of the house.

I've always used 230.70A9(1) as the guideline for not requiring an additional disconnect in this case. This is in Idaho with no local state or city additional requirements to the NEC.

I have worked in Washington for years and the WAC rule requires no more than 15' of non-fused wire before a disconnect is required.

Thanks for any comments or clarifications you may have.


Rory
 
I am sure the inspector feels you need to comply with part II of article 225 which are the rules for feeders run to separate structures. That part of article 225 requires many of the same things 230 requires of services.
 
Your problem is that you have run the service entrance conductors for 10' inside of the ceiling joists. According to the NEC the inspector is correct.
 
OldFatGuy said:
Rob

Can you give me a code article please.


Thanks
Click to expand...

The NEC has no 15' allowance like Washington State.

VI. Service Equipment — Disconnecting Means
230.70 General. Means shall be provided to disconnect all
conductors in a building or other structure from the service-
entrance conductors.
(A) Location. The service disconnecting means shall be
installed in accordance with 230.70(A)(1), (A)(2), and
(A)(3).
(1) Readily Accessible Location. The service disconnect-
ing means shall be installed at a readily accessible location
either outside of a building or structure or inside nearest the
point of entrance of the service conductors.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks Rob


230.70 (1)a has always, in my experience been interpreted to not include ceilings as nearest point of entrance.

Even though the MB panel is 10 feet away from the penetration, there is no other closer place to install a disconnect.


Rory
 
You're left with two choices, nearest the entrance of the SEC's on the inside or a service disconnecting means on the outside. With the latter your conductors to the panel will be feeder conductors and the limitations for the SEC's goes away.
 
infinity said:
You're left with two choices, nearest the entrance of the SEC's on the inside or a service disconnecting means on the outside. With the latter your conductors to the panel will be feeder conductors and the limitations for the SEC's goes away.
Click to expand...

I will add a third, use 230.6 if the other methods do not work out.
 
WA state measures the distance inside a building by length of raceway, easier to measure than wire. This changed about 15 years ago.
 
Service disconnect

(b) Inside location: When the service disconnecting means is installed inside the building or structure, it must be located so that the service raceway extends no more than fifteen feet inside the building/structure.

WAC rule

Odd that a state could supersede the NEC
 
OldFatGuy said:
(b) Inside location: When the service disconnecting means is installed inside the building or structure, it must be located so that the service raceway extends no more than fifteen feet inside the building/structure.

WAC rule

Odd that a state could supersede the NEC
Click to expand...

NEC gives no certain distance, only nearest point of entry. That phrase is subjective and is always left to the AHJ to decide. Here, they don't list a distance but look at each install on a case to case basis to determine whether a disconnect is needed or not.
As a rule of thumb, we normally can't go more than 5' before requiring a disconnect.

So in short, it's up to the AHJ to decide.
 
Little Bill said:
NEC gives no certain distance, only nearest point of entry. That phrase is subjective and is always left to the AHJ to decide. Here, they don't list a distance but look at each install on a case to case basis to determine whether a disconnect is needed or not.
As a rule of thumb, we normally can't go more than 5' before requiring a disconnect.

So in short, it's up to the AHJ to decide.
Click to expand...

It's the same way in MN. There's a 5' rule of thumb, but it's not written anywhere and sometimes that's even pushing our luck. I'm surprised that WA allows 15'.
 
Washington State is very generous with 15 ft. We have a lot of state rules that fix the mistakes and confusion in the NEC. We also restrict the type of service raceway that can be used...no EMT, no SE cable
 
MNSparky said:
It's the same way in MN. There's a 5' rule of thumb, but it's not written anywhere and sometimes that's even pushing our luck. I'm surprised that WA allows 15'.
Click to expand...

On the other hand many areas do not allow any distance beyond back to back meter / panels.
 
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