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Kevin Bismark
07-23-2005 22:33:00
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Re: Electrical Service Entrance in reply to Little Ed, 07-23-2005 04:10:00
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If you set the meter socket, come down with pipe and hit an LB then 90 into the top of the panel you are okay, but if you are going to snake further into the house you have to have those wires fused, so you can pick up a NEMA 3R fused disconnect switch and put it after the meter, alont side at the same height would look okay, some of the meter cans you can buy have fuses you can put in, think the ones I have used are made by mid-west, the FPE stuff is mostly junk and don"t use it at all, and don"t like to even touch it on service calls, why are you trying to run through the joists for the panel, don"t you have a good place to mount it right inside the house where the pipe would come in. If you are running a 100 amp the wires are number 4 copper minimum, if 200 amp 2/0 copper minimum, on the emt connecter in the panel from the meter you will put a grounding bushing on, and if 100 amp run at least a number 8 to the neutral bus and a number 6, without physical protection, to a ground rod, and a number 6 to the metal water pipe within 5 feet of where it comes in, if the grond rod had more than 25 ohms of resistance you shall drive an additional ground rod, if it"s a 200 amp you will run a number 4 copper from the grounding bushing to the neutral bus and number 6 to the ground rod with a number 4 going to the metal underground water pipe within 5 feet of where it enters the building and since this sounds like it"s your main panel you will install the bonding screw that they give you. I never use anything but copper wire unless it"s a big commercial job and they are trying to save money, keep the ground rods apart, I space them at least 8 feet apart and they don"t really do much good when they are driven right up next to the basement wall, keep them out about 6 feet, now on new houses we are required to tie to the rebar in the foundation for what they call a UFER ground. After you pull the wire drill a weep hole in the bottom of the LB and pack the thing with duct seal where the wires go into the house, and a plastic bushing on the connector where the pipe leaves the meter socket,and you will have the grounding bushing in the panel, if you put a fused disconnect switch you need plastic bushings on the connectors there also but I would use a bonding bushing there to make sure it was all tied together anything over a number 6 and anything in ridgid pipe has to be with a bushing, I have never put in a service with anything less than EMT and sometimes ridgid pipe. Use quality stuff so you only have to do it once, I use Square D QO stuff for houses, a lot better than most of the other stuff, at least the breakers trip when they are supposed to, just remember that the right wire size, grounding, bonding, raceway, and duct seal is a big part of this. If you are in doubt about anything find someone you know that know for sure how it has to be put in or it wll cost lot of money to do it 2 or 3 times..
kevin
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