Service Lateral over one building roof to feed another

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mallard duck

Member
Location
Maryland
We have 13.8 k volt service laterals (2-each) coming out of the underground manhole system into (2) sets of 4" rigid conduit over top building-1 flat roof to (2) two sets of junction boxes down along outside wall of building-2 to high voltage switch-gear and transformer for building-2. This run is approx. 150-200 feet.

I am being told it is legal because they are not passing through the building-1 interior. This violates what I believe to be safe but am not sure where to find it written that they are wrong with this installation.

I see in 230.31 showing from the service point (over 600-v) to the service disconnect (Primary side) them speaking of these lines being service lateral; then under 100 def. for Service Lateral but not sure where to go from here.

Concerned on Safety
 
gadfly56

gadfly56

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Professional Engineer, Fire & Life Safety
mallard duck said:
We have 13.8 k volt service laterals (2-each) coming out of the underground manhole system into (2) sets of 4" rigid conduit over top building-1 flat roof to (2) two sets of junction boxes down along outside wall of building-2 to high voltage switch-gear and transformer for building-2. This run is approx. 150-200 feet.

I am being told it is legal because they are not passing through the building-1 interior. This violates what I believe to be safe but am not sure where to find it written that they are wrong with this installation.

I see in 230.31 showing from the service point (over 600-v) to the service disconnect (Primary side) them speaking of these lines being service lateral; then under 100 def. for Service Lateral but not sure where to go from here.

Concerned on Safety
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I'm guessing your concern is along the lines of, "If there's a fire in building 1, what happens to the electrical service for building 2?" I don't think the code will give you any relief. In the 2014 edition at 230.29, it's pretty clear they anticipated the service for one building could run over another.
 
Smart $

Smart $

Esteemed Member
Location
Ohio
See 230.24.

Overhead service conductors cannot be readily accessible and must have a clearance of at least 8ft. above the roof.
 
M

mallard duck

Member
Location
Maryland
GoldDigger said:
Running under a building, unless encased in concrete, is a different matter.
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But the wording in 230.31 says "Where services rated over 600 volts supply customer owned and customer maintained transformers, the conductors from the service point to the service disconnect are service lateral conductors, as illustrated in Exhibit 230.31" Now you look at the illustration and it calls these lines "service conductors".

Now under 230.3 Each building served in this manner is required to be provided with a disconnecting means. Example Exhibit 230.14 which shows all the conduit lines installed on the outside of the buildings but they still needed a disconnecting means.

They have nothing for protection on these lines until you get back to the Substation.
 
M

mallard duck

Member
Location
Maryland
mallard duck said:
But the wording in 230.31 says "Where services rated over 600 volts supply customer owned and customer maintained transformers, the conductors from the service point to the service disconnect are service lateral conductors, as illustrated in Exhibit 230.31" Now you look at the illustration and it calls these lines "service conductors".

Now under 230.3 Each building served in this manner is required to be provided with a disconnecting means. Example Exhibit 230.14 which shows all the conduit lines installed on the outside of the buildings but they still needed a disconnecting means.

They have nothing for protection on these lines until you get back to the Substation.
Click to expand...

These are not utility lines but belong to us, the utility lines stops at the Substation.
 
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