Supply side connection VS Supply side tap

[SolarSavage]

Hello,

My colleges and I are in the solar industry and there has been many indications within our company to get away from the terminology of a supply side "TAP". Rather then calling it a 'tap' we are calling it a Supply side connection. However I am wondering if anybody here understands the terminology between the two terms.

We think that a tap is a splice in wire on the load side and a connection is a lug on the load side bussing?

Can anybody confirm or deny?

Thank you.

 

[ggunn]

Hello,

My colleges and I are in the solar industry and there has been many indications within our company to get away from the terminology of a supply side "TAP". Rather then calling it a 'tap' we are calling it a Supply side connection. However I am wondering if anybody here understands the terminology between the two terms.

We think that a tap is a splice in wire on the load side and a connection is a lug on the load side bussing?

Can anybody confirm or deny?

Thank you.

I agree; a supply side connection is not a tap. You have to have your OCPD within ten feet of the interconnection, period; no 25' tap rules apply.

 

[Carultch]

I agree; a supply side connection is not a tap. You have to have your OCPD within ten feet of the interconnection, period; no 25' tap rules apply.

How is the ten feet measured?
Ten feet of absolute distance between enclosures?
Ten feet of wire length?
Ten feet of walkable length?
What if the enclosures are on opposite sides of the same wall? Quite common when the utilities require an outside-mounted switch.

 

[ggunn]

How is the ten feet measured?
Ten feet of absolute distance between enclosures?
Ten feet of wire length?
Ten feet of walkable length?
What if the enclosures are on opposite sides of the same wall? Quite common when the utilities require an outside-mounted switch.

See for yourself in 705.31

It makes the most sense to me for it to be interpreted as conductor length, but the NEC is ambiguous. On opposite sides of a wall shouldn't make any difference, IMO.

 

[SolarSavage]

Hello,

My colleges and I are in the solar industry and there has been many indications within our company to get away from the terminology of a supply side "TAP". Rather then calling it a 'tap' we are calling it a Supply side connection. However I am wondering if anybody here understands the terminology between the two terms.

We think that a tap is a splice in wire on the load side and a connection is a lug on the load side bussing?

Can anybody confirm or deny?

Thank you.

Sorry guys i meant to say line side. load side would not make sense.

"We think that a tap is a splice in wire on the line side and a connection is a lug on the line side bussing? "

 

[ggunn]

Sorry guys i meant to say line side. load side would not make sense.

"We think that a tap is a splice in wire on the line side and a connection is a lug on the line side bussing? "

You were right the first time. A tap is on a feeder, and feeders are on the load side.

 

[Smart $]

You were right the first time. A tap is on a feeder, and feeders are on the load side.

Taps are permitted on service conductors [230.33] and not bound by the feeder tap rules in 240.21(B).

Service tap conductors are also not bound to the definition in 240.2. IMO, a service tap conductor is any service conductor having an ampacity less than the service rating.

Tap vs. connection is just a matter of semantics unless conductor ampacity equals or exceeds service rating.

 

[electrofelon]

Taps are permitted on service conductors [230.33] and not bound by the feeder tap rules in 240.21(B).

Service tap conductors are also not bound to the definition in 240.2. IMO, a service tap conductor is any service conductor having an ampacity less than the service rating.

Tap vs. connection is just a matter of semantics unless conductor ampacity equals or exceeds service rating.

I kinda think they should take the word "tapped" out of 230.33. I dont really see it as necessary as it goes against the usual usage of the term and the rules for "service taps" and what happens is laid out in 230.40 in concert with 230.70 and 71

As to the use of the term "line side tap" I think it depends who we are talking to. Most of us use technically incorrect terms/jargon often in the field to people who know what we are talking about. I would expect someone teaching a PV class to avoid the term.

 

[jaggedben]

NEC consistent terminology would be 'supply side connection', no matter how you actually connect. The actual connection might be a breaker in an MLO panel, or and existing set of lugs or a set you add, or tapping the service conductors. It would be particularly inappropriate to use the word 'tap' anywhere if you're actually doing one of the other methods. When doing an actual tap method I will put on the plans "Supply-Side Connection" and a specific leader to the tap point saying "Tap service conductors with [connector with xyz specs]."

'Tap' is a common enough usage for all sorts of things inside and outside NEC related work, I'm not sure why people get hung up on thinking it can/should only refer to 240.21(B). The article 240 definition is actually for a 'Tap Conductor' and begins with 'As used in this article...'. I have no problem using it to refer to where you splice one circuit into the conductors of another, but only when that's what you're really doing. Just my opinion.