Tac Weld the 2" LB's closed

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Buck Parrish

Buck Parrish

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NC & IN
18, 2" LB's Entering 6 gutters.
The power company said they wanted the lb's tac welded shut.
Problem is I am useing PVC. I could use 90's but that would put me to high up.
The engineer said I can not have something that a person could open to tap off the wires above the meter.
I had drawn a diagram of what I was doing before hand. And he approoved it. This part sliped his mind, until now.

I guess I will change to emt and learn to weld. And rent a welder??

Or I could get a federal pacific breaker panel and just keep touching the lb's with a #10 wire around the edges, pow, pow!!

The rest of the job has been approoved bythe AHJ
 
I can clearly remember a quote from the Chicago code years back where they didn't even allow LB's on the load side of the meter. The citation was accompanied by pictures of 90's back into a building's wall on the load side of the meter.

I wonder if the PoCo would accept you drilling two 1/8" holes, one in the cover and one in the body, for installation of a seal tag?
 
I wonder if the PoCo would accept you drilling two 1/8" holes said:
That's an ideal I'll ask.
Better then welding with a Federal pacific breaker. That's the only welding I have ever done. Other then an eccentric weld for grounding.

Glue, I don't know. Perhaps I could melt them shut.
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buckofdurham said:
Glue, I don't know. Perhaps I could melt them shut.
Click to expand...

I thought a properly glued joint basically makes PVC melt together. I mean, the pumbers get watertight joints from it, right?

'Course, it all depends on what the POCO wants. So glad they approved it beforehand. :roll:
 
JohnJ0906 said:
I thought a properly glued joint basically makes PVC melt together. I mean, the pumbers get watertight joints from it, right?

'Course, it all depends on what the POCO wants. So glad they approved it beforehand. :roll:
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Yeah your right. My brother is a plumbing contractor.
They use the purple stuff with the glue. It's suppose to melt it together.
I've never tried it on gray electric pvc. It might work.
 
Seals on the LB's makes more sense then tack welding. You may want to ask him if he remembers approving your diagram, before offering up an option as easy as a seal.
 
it pays to read throught the poco's requirements beforehand. the tag locks usually conform, you might also be able to talk them into one way screws or even grinding the screw heads to make them irreversable
 
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If the utility company will let you use tamper resistant screws you can get a 50 pack of 10-32's from mcmaster for about $15.00
 
I thought a properly glued joint basically makes PVC melt together.
Click to expand...

Actually, a misconception.

The thing that makes the tight joint is the almost zero tolerance between the pipe and the fitting. If the tolerance if a few thousand's off, the joint will come apart. I am sure you've seen undersized conduit come loose....hopefully not in a concrete pour.

The cement does soften and slightly expand the PVC to take up the gap. I have done numerous repairs where I easily chipped, pealed the pipe out of a fitting. It's not really melted together.


Epoxy on the other hand......
 
220/221 said:
I have done numerous repairs where I easily chipped, pealed the pipe out of a fitting. It's not really melted together.
Click to expand...
That may be the sign of a poor joint. Solvent welding should fuse the two surfaces.
 
Epoxy and/or tamper resistant screws are probably your best bet.

If you end up using a metal LB, you may have to go form 7, rather than the potmetal redodot type that may not be weldable.
 
Jim W in Tampa said:
Its a violation if we cant open the lb.And also violation to modify it.Welding might make poco happy but you will get tag on electrical inspection.
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Nothing in the NEC applies to utility controlled conductors and raceways.
 
I think it was Chris Kennedy who posted a picture of an instalation where he used a narrow trough instead of an LB. Many of these have a provision for POCO seals.

If you have to change the LBs, this might be a better option.
 
this whole requirement is stupid, because if someone is going to steal from the power company a couple of tack welds wont deter them, they will just grind the cover off and re-weld a new cover when they were done:roll:
 
LB's

LB's

The POCO in this area of S.E. Mass, won't allow LB's on the line side of the service. They even consider the gable end attic vent as an opening and they don't allow thier drop or our weather head near them. I can't think of anyone except the hornets,wasps,and the occassional bat coming out. Am I missing something here ???? :-? :grin: :D
 
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