david
Senior Member
- Location
- Pennsylvania
How would you define service drop or service drop attachment specifically called out in 230.54 ?
Services; Point of Attachment; Art. 230.26
- Thread starter tadavidson
- Start date
- Status
How would you define service drop or service drop attachment specifically called out in 230.54 ?
- Location
- Illinois
- Occupation
- retired electrician
We inspect to both the NEC and the utility requirements for a service based on an agreement with the utility. It saves them and the customer time if the utility knows that they can energize the service if it has our approval sticker.
- Location
- Massachusetts
I do not understand the question.
- Location
- Massachusetts
But strictly speaking you cannot 'fail' the service for power company rules.
You can certainly let the EC know they have an issue but it should pass NEC inspection.
- Location
- Illinois
- Occupation
- retired electrician
Our adopted rules require compliance with the utility standard so we can fail for non compliance with the utility rules.
david
Senior Member
- Location
- Pennsylvania
The OP was asking about the Service Drop from the utility pole to the Building, His statement infers that a NEC inspector should not be allowed to pass or fail an installation based on the fact that the attachment point is not present at the time of inspection.
230.54 clearly states that the service head or gooseneck must be above the point of attachment
The electrical inspector is well within his/her right to not approve an installation until compliance with 230.54 can be determined
In other words the inspector can require the point of attachment to be present at the time of inspection.
We can disagree who has ownership of the insulating knob once it is attached to the building . I do not see how you can argue that 230.54 is not enforceable by the electrical inspector.
In the real world inspections as Don stated Utility Companies have regulations that the inspector must observe if the inspector has any expectation of the Utility Company excepting approval of service installations from the inspector.
230.54 Overhead Service Locations.
(C) Service Heads and Goosenecks Above Service-Drop Attachment. Service heads and goosenecks in service-entrance cables shall be located above the point of attachment of the service-drop conductors to the building or other structure.
david
Senior Member
- Location
- Pennsylvania
It has been my experience that some utility line foreman will install a insulating knob when one is not present when they arrive to make the service drop to the building. It has also been my experience that some utility line foreman will not run a lag into a building especially if there is siding on the building at the attachment point location. Some line foreman do not want the responsibility of not bolting into a structural member such as a 2x4 covered by siding.
david
Senior Member
- Location
- Pennsylvania
What does your utility reg, say?
5.0 PERMANENT SERVICE – OVERHEAD
5.1 General
The customer, architect, or contractor shall contact the Company prior to the start of construction
to ascertain the point of attachment for the service drop, type of metering facilities, costs, and other
information relative to the customer’s service installation.
Where overhead distribution facilities
are available, the Company will install a suitable overhead service drop to a point of attachment
on the customer’s premises as designated by the Company.
The point of attachment will be
located to provide the least cost and shortest practicable service drop distance to the Company’s
facilities.
The point of service is the connection of the overhead service drop to the customer’s
service entrance conductors/equipment. The Company shall provide, own, install, and maintain
the service drop conductors from the overhead distribution system to the point of service.
The customer shall provide and maintain a safe, substantial support for the Company’s overhead
service conductors. The service drop support shall be installed in such a manner to maintain the
clearances specified in Section 5.2 and Exhibit 2.
The customer shall furnish, install, and maintain
the service bracket necessary for the attachment of the Company’s service drop conductors (refer
to Exhibit 7). In cases where a service mast is required, only power service-drop conductors shall
be attached to the service mast.
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
- Occupation
- EC
When NEC added definition "service point" it was supposed to help clear up some confusion on what is covered by POCO and what is covered by NEC.
First thing to ask here is where is the service point in relation to the POA? If it is at the POA you may still have some confusion but if clearly on one side or the other - you should have a clear answer.
First thing to ask here is where is the service point in relation to the POA? If it is at the POA you may still have some confusion but if clearly on one side or the other - you should have a clear answer.
- Status