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Service riser help please

M

mike1061

Senior Member
Location
Chicago
My question is: can I run a service riser up the side of the pole to the utility connection? The pictures show, hopefully everything. 200 amp, 240 volt 1Ø, single family residential service in Chicago.
I want to put a meter on the back of a garage, use SE cable (4/0, 4/0, 4/0) inside a RMC riser pipe with a weather head. The top of the weather head will be about 9" above grade. Have the SE cable will have a minor movement sag and continue about 16"'s to the pole. It will continue up the pole to the height of the utility wire. The connection will be made there.
Is this code compliant?
Option: 2 I don't really care about the short piece of RMC. SE cable is compliant. The GC and owner asked for it. If the first option is not compliant, would this be?
Thanks
Mike
 

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E

Elect117

Senior Member
Location
California
Occupation
Engineer E.E. P.E.
Short answer is no.

Long answer can be provided by looking at the NESC or by contacting the utility. Some of the reasons I see are:

1) the gutter
2) height of the weather head and overhead wires 230.24(B).
3) pole ownership and riser installation is the utilities discretion so they will have final say
4) Pole climbing space (but that is something that the utility planner will have to sort out)


Your best option is to ask for a underground service and install a underground meter main and stub through the wall to the breaker panel. You will still have to avoid the gutter.
 
M

mike1061

Senior Member
Location
Chicago
Elect117 said:
Short answer is no.

Long answer can be provided by looking at the NESC or by contacting the utility. Some of the reasons I see are:

1) the gutter
2) height of the weather head and overhead wires 230.24(B).
3) pole ownership and riser installation is the utilities discretion so they will have final say
4) Pole climbing space (but that is something that the utility planner will have to sort out)


Your best option is to ask for a underground service and install a underground meter main and stub through the wall to the breaker panel. You will still have to avoid the gutter.
Click to expand...
"Your best option is to ask for a underground service and install a underground meter main and stub through the wall to the breaker panel. You will still have to avoid the gutter."
Then I am still running the the UF (instead of the SE cable) cable up the same pole in the same spot, no?
 
E

Eddie702

Licensed Electrician
Location
Western Massachusetts
Occupation
Electrician
The utility will tell you what they will accept. In most areas you can go on line and download their requirements. You can't make it up as you go.

You can't use UF cable for a service

You can't put the waterhead at 9'. The code requires 10' to the bottom of the drip loop so you would need to be up 12' or so. But these are utility questions.

If you go underground from overhead distribution you usually run conduit 10' up the pole but again that is a utility question
 
M

mike1061

Senior Member
Location
Chicago
Eddie702 said:
You can't use UF cable for a service

You can't put the waterhead at 9'. The code requires 10' to the bottom of the drip loop so you would need to be up 12' or so.
Click to expand...
I'm not disagreeing with most of the points people made here.

I'm trying to show it is not a common drip loop. There is no connection point and the wires are SE cable not THWN. SE can be placed at the height without the weather head. I'm not sure they could be in free air at that height but SE cable can be run at any height. The 16" of free air was to make up for the pole movement.

If I ran it as a service lateral the UF cable would run up the side of the pole is exactly the same location, right? It would be covered by the 10" of RMC and then cable hide the rest of the way. Very close to what I'm saying.
The utility company rule book doesn't cover anything like this.
The other suggestion was to just use SE cable up from the meter box, hanging in free air the 16" and then up the side of the pole, covered by cable hide. With no connections until the wires meet the utility wires. So no one could touch anything except the SE cable.

The issues are that there is no location that complies with there rules other than going under ground. It is very hard to bust up the concrete for 12" between the pole and the garage. I need to go 12" over and 24" down. I'm concerned about breaking up the cement that holds the pole up. There is a lot of weight on one side of the pole. It's already bent.

Thanks
Mike
 
M

mike1061

Senior Member
Location
Chicago
Lastly the utility company ComED doesn't tell you anything. It's $750 an hour for them to come out and I've been waiting 2 months for them to come to another job. I've givin up on that one.
Thanks
MIke
 
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