How do you guys interpret the readily accessible term for a main disconnect means for a residential home.
Where I live, most homes outside of the city limits are fed from overhead lines that usually incorporates a yard pole. The overhead drop usually feeds to a pole that has an overhead service loop with a meter main on it. The contractor then goes underground directly into the home using USE/RHW insulation wire. What I am seeing is that the contractors are saying that the main on the meter is acting as the main disconnect and that no other means to disconnect the conductors are needed. Sometimes, the yard pole is a fair distance away from the house. So?. What is your interpretation? The city where I work has adopted local amendments that state that a means to disconnect all conductors in the building from the service entrance conductors shall be provided on the buildings exterior. Basically, he always wants to see some sort of disconnect on the outside of the building. That is just in the city, so outside the city limits I am seeing just about everything. Nobody inspects dwelling units outside the city limits, so you are on your own.
So, I guess it comes down to readily accessible. Is a yard pole with a meter main on it readily accessible? Can it be capable of being reached quickly so it may be operated, renewed or inspected without having to remove obstacles or use portable ladders? I got in an argument with a electrical contractor the other day. We can get up to five feet of snow in the winter, and it would be a hard trudge to go out to the meter/main. I don?t think that is readily accessible. I think if you are not going to mount a disconnect on the exterior of the home, the panel needs to be mounted nearest to the point of entrance of the conductors and have a main in it. Also, what about bonding? If these people think the meter/main on the yard pole is the main disconnect, how does the grounding/bonding of the uferground, water pipe, come into play?
Thanks!
Where I live, most homes outside of the city limits are fed from overhead lines that usually incorporates a yard pole. The overhead drop usually feeds to a pole that has an overhead service loop with a meter main on it. The contractor then goes underground directly into the home using USE/RHW insulation wire. What I am seeing is that the contractors are saying that the main on the meter is acting as the main disconnect and that no other means to disconnect the conductors are needed. Sometimes, the yard pole is a fair distance away from the house. So?. What is your interpretation? The city where I work has adopted local amendments that state that a means to disconnect all conductors in the building from the service entrance conductors shall be provided on the buildings exterior. Basically, he always wants to see some sort of disconnect on the outside of the building. That is just in the city, so outside the city limits I am seeing just about everything. Nobody inspects dwelling units outside the city limits, so you are on your own.
So, I guess it comes down to readily accessible. Is a yard pole with a meter main on it readily accessible? Can it be capable of being reached quickly so it may be operated, renewed or inspected without having to remove obstacles or use portable ladders? I got in an argument with a electrical contractor the other day. We can get up to five feet of snow in the winter, and it would be a hard trudge to go out to the meter/main. I don?t think that is readily accessible. I think if you are not going to mount a disconnect on the exterior of the home, the panel needs to be mounted nearest to the point of entrance of the conductors and have a main in it. Also, what about bonding? If these people think the meter/main on the yard pole is the main disconnect, how does the grounding/bonding of the uferground, water pipe, come into play?
Thanks!