Service upgrade failed because of 3 wire SER range wire

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Clneher

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Location
Colorado
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Electrician
Upgraded old electric meter and panel and installed a new 200 amp meter and disconnect outside. Went directly thru wall and installed new 200 amp breaker panel with lugs. Established grounding system outside at main disconnect and fed new panel with separate ground and neutral. The new breaker panel contains an existing 3 wire SER range wire. The inspector claims - because the grounding system is outside now - the new breaker panel is not “Service Equipment” and thus NEC 250.140 exception 4 no longer applies to the SER cable. He says the range wire has to be replaced now. Any recommendations? This is now a major issue with 2020 code and exterior required disconnect (which is my preference anyway)
 
Extend the existing 3-wire branch circuit with a 4-wire cable to a new 4-wire range receptacle. Replace the range cord with a 4-wire range cord and remove the range frame bond. Route an egc from the branch-circuit extension to one of the locations listed in 250.130(C).

May be simpler to just replace the range wire.
 
Inspector is correct. IMO it might be easiest to just run a new cable as David suggested.
 
Little Bill said:
I have been allowed to cover the bare grounded (neutral) conductor with white tape on these type replacements.
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That's been allowed here also.
Seems a bit "far" to tell the homeowner on fixed income that you need to cut slots in 3 rooms of sheetrock to replace a range cable that had worked perfectly for the last 25 years.
 
How I wish everything was connected phase-phase.

Anyway, if the inspector has common sense he would let you wrap that in white tape and land it on the neutral bar.
 
I want to agree with everyone - however, taping the bare wire white still does not take care of the violation in 250.140 - namely that the exception only applies if it is landed in the “Service Equipment”. With the disconnect outside now - the inside panel is no longer service equipment and thus the “grandfather” exception is not acceptable. Adding a wire next to the cable is a laughable joke - perhaps some will accept it but I will not do it. Changing the wire from 3 to a 4 conductor is by far these best solution - but as mentioned - cutting drywall to install it is a terrible thing to tell a homeowner.... this isn’t knob and tube we are talking about.
My inspector suggested I remove the disconnect outside and install a main breaker inside.... and bond the inside panel.
I laughed that I am being asked to return to 2017 code that that jurisdiction is under... my personal opinion - there should always be a disconnect outside for fire safety.
 
Clneher said:
..my personal opinion - there should always be a disconnect outside for fire safety.
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This should be a win-win situation. A disconnect for firemen, and appliance safety for occupants.

Service neutrals eventually break, and 3-wire 240v appliances with 120v lightbulbs or controls will energize frames when bonded neutrals are open.
Utility grounds do come loose, or corrode, and messenger wires do break. If people don't let go quick enough, these appliance frames can kill.

There are only 2 ways to remedy these killer neutral-bond appliances.
1) Replace with 4-wire branch circuits, and remove neutral bond.
2) 3-wire European appliances with 240v light bulbs & controls, which never put frame in same path of ccc.
 
Does the outdoor disconnect have to be an OCPD ?

BTW, you had me confused for a moment when you mentioned that it was SER cable. It's actually 3-wire SEU cable (by youir discription) if I'm not mistaken.
 
Just for clarity- there is no SER cable that is 3 wire. SER means 4 wires- 2 hots, neutral and a bare ground. SEU is a 3 wire cable- 2 hots and a bare ground or neutral or both.
 
Eddie702 said:
Fire shut down disconnect outside and Service disconnect inside
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Do they make a switch that is or would allow the neutral/ground bond at inside panel and not the disconnect? That would solve all these issues with existing main becoming a subpanel when just changing service drop and meter. Inspector here indicates that would initiate the 2020 requirements.
 
 
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