Whose up 1st?

Status
Not open for further replies.
T

tonype

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
NJ installation....PSE&G area

Gut remodel... overhead service....to main disconnect at the front of the garage....meter is about 10 feet" to the rear. This seems to me to be reversed. Am I correct?? Also, a plumbing pipe is above the main disconnect.
 

Attachments

  • DSCF4078.jpg
    DSCF4078.jpg
    118.4 KB · Views: 0
An expansion fitting to fix an alignment problem... now that's a novel approach.

Seems reversed to me as well... What is to keep the homeowner from tapping off the service before the meter?
 
As noted, meter is POCO problem. Locally hey would not allow the location nor would they allow it on the load side of a disconnect.
I don't believe the pipe over a disconnect is a problem. 110.26 (E) does not list disconnects.
 
Though smart meters have lessened the need to access the meters as often, the rule of no indoor meters is pretty much unchanged around here. Also pretty rare to allow a disconnect or other access to unmetered conductors. Some meter centers with a main are an exception or non fused disconnect ahead of self contained 480 volt metering is also the exception, that disconnect will get a lock by the POCO preventing customer access without disturbing the lock.
 
It appears that the meter is after the main disconnect. Could this be a deduct meter that is monitoring a car charger? Something definitely looks jinky with this install.
 
Cold sequence metering. Some utilities sometimes allow it.

If you reversed the locations of the meter and the disconnect, the service conductors would run more than necessary before going to the disconnect/OCP. The inspector might of had an issue with that.

Strange to see a meter on the inside though. Is there no room for it outside?

My guess is that there isn't any room on the outside for the meter and disconnect, and the utility company allowed a non-standard install.
 
steve66 said:
Cold sequence metering. Some utilities sometimes allow it.

If you reversed the locations of the meter and the disconnect, the service conductors would run more than necessary before going to the disconnect/OCP. The inspector might of had an issue with that.

Strange to see a meter on the inside though. Is there no room for it outside?

My guess is that there isn't any room on the outside for the meter and disconnect, and the utility company allowed a non-standard install.
Click to expand...

No room outside.... this wall is smack on the property line (Jersey City). Not sure if POCO has yet to approve, since rope is holding the service drop to the service hook temporarily.
 
There are whole neighborhoods in San Francisco where the poles run through the backyards and the houses are all built to the property lines with no access from the street to the back. Most of the houses have a disconnect at the back of the house, to satisfy the rule on service disconnects, followed by a meter at the front of the house where PG&E used to require it to be so their person could read it from the street, followed by a subpanel. Sometimes my guys got really confused about where the GEC was supposed to connect when we had to upgrade grounding. (Answer: at the disconnect in the back.) Also created a real headache when the solar plan checker decided (for absolutely no good reason) that certain solar inverters couldn't be installed to subpanels.
 
tonype said:
No room outside.... this wall is smack on the property line (Jersey City). Not sure if POCO has yet to approve, since rope is holding the service drop to the service hook temporarily.
Click to expand...

I can't see the POCO accepting this. The cash register should be where the disconnect is and the disconnect should be right next to it.
 
steve66 said:
Cold sequence metering. Some utilities sometimes allow it.
Click to expand...
More like they require it. It is most popular with 480/277 and 200 amp and less with self contained metering.

When they do require it - they want an unfused disconnect ahead of the meter. They will place a lock or seal on the disconnect door - they want same access restriction as on the meter so it is more difficult to tap unmetered conductors to the supply.
 
Similar scenario but older...

Similar scenario but older...

I ran into a similar scenario but older this week.
Service conductors enter into the building to an older 400 amp disconnect (has 2-200 amp pull-out disconnects).
Then on the load side of the disconnects goes back outside to 2 meters. Then back into disconnect panel (using same conduits) where the feeders enter conduits to their respective panels.

At least the meters are outside.
I doubt this setup would be allowed in this location nowadays.
 

Attachments

  • A3C9FC62-B555-43AE-A9C5-2CDEA21BD921.jpg
    A3C9FC62-B555-43AE-A9C5-2CDEA21BD921.jpg
    14.3 KB · Views: 0
  • 0F3B0C41-9760-4E3C-A899-E8C280361AC3.jpg
    0F3B0C41-9760-4E3C-A899-E8C280361AC3.jpg
    15.3 KB · Views: 0
I can see most POCO's not liking it, don't really see an NEC issue though,at least when it comes to the one-line drawing of how this is done.
 
tonype said:
No room outside.... this wall is smack on the property line (Jersey City). Not sure if POCO has yet to approve, since rope is holding the service drop to the service hook temporarily.
Click to expand...

Yea, that's a whole different story. I assumed it had already been in use.

I agree - the two are probably reversed. Hot sequence metering is much more common since its harder (aka - more dangerous) to steal power by tapping into the meter while its hot.

That also explains the lack of a POCO seal on the meter and the excessive height of the meter.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top