Wires in Weatherhead

[Smart $]

True...but I mentioned that I wondered about induction IF the line and load conductors were in separate conduits due to POCO rules that do not allow line (unmetered) and load (metered) conductors to be be the same raceway or sealed compartment. I know that's not what the OP asked, but that was my question. No disagreement that few, if any POCO's allow metered and unmetered conductors to share any compartments/raceways except in the meter socket or CT enclosure itself, so the OP question is kind of a "non-question".

That'd be a good reason to run both line and load neutrals.

 

[kwired]

True...but I mentioned that I wondered about induction IF the line and load conductors were in separate conduits due to POCO rules that do not allow line (unmetered) and load (metered) conductors to be be the same raceway or sealed compartment. I know that's not what the OP asked, but that was my question. No disagreement that few, if any POCO's allow metered and unmetered conductors to share any compartments/raceways except in the meter socket or CT enclosure itself, so the OP question is kind of a "non-question".

Misunderstood what you were asking.

Around here rural POCO's run line and load conductors in same raceway quite often on farms, if there is overhead distribution on the site.

Is there some risk of it being easier to steal power? Sort of. I don't think it has been too much of a problem though as they still do it that way.

 

[GoldDigger]

Misunderstood what you were asking.

Around here rural POCO's run line and load conductors in same raceway quite often on farms, if there is overhead distribution on the site.

Is there some risk of it being easier to steal power? Sort of. I don't think it has been too much of a problem though as they still do it that way.

The NEC does not care about metered or unmetered conductors upstream of the service disconnect. That falls entirely under POCO policy.
What the NEC cares about is mixing service conductors with no OCPD with protected conductors downstream of the service disconnect OCPD.
As for theft, I suspect POCO trusts farmers more than city slickers.
Or they know that if a farmer wanted to steal power they would find a way to do it regardless of where the wires run.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[kwired]

The NEC does not care about metered or unmetered conductors upstream of the service disconnect. That falls entirely under POCO policy.
What the NEC cares about is mixing service conductors with no OCPD with protected conductors downstream of the service disconnect OCPD.
As for theft, I suspect POCO trusts farmers more than city slickers.
Or they know that if a farmer wanted to steal power they would find a way to do it regardless of where the wires run.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

There is plenty of "shady characters" in some of the older farm places around here.

And power does get stolen at times. Next to my property is a site with grain storage bins. For 10 years after I moved here I often wondered why they ran the aeration fans as much as they did. When someone else purchased the property and went to transfer electric billing over to their name - POCO told them they don't have a service at that location. Previous users were leasing the farmland, service apparently was disabled several years earlier as it wasn't being used then, but somebody found their own meter to plug into the socket and that is what allowed them to run that way for at least 10 years:blink:

Of course the owner tells POCO they thought the renter was paying for power and the renter tells them they thought the owner was paying for power. Don't know how that one ended up being resolved, this was just information given to me by current owner as well as some from a POCO employee.

 

[Carultch]

I believe some meters have a fifth jaw for the neutral. Not sure why it is needed.

The fifth jaw is needed, in the event that you have a 120/208 single phase system, instead of a 120/240 split phase system. The neutral connection keeps track of the fact that the lines are 120 degrees in phase instead of 180 degrees.