I’v attached this picture to show where the underground line will go……from the forground pole to the house
The electric co wires to the meter that will be set up close to the foreground pole and I am responsible for digging the ditch running the 3″ sch. 40 and the line to the house. I need to put a disconnect panel box close to the meter.
Therefore, my main panel in the house needs to be converted to a sub-panel….right?
I have a square D box and can see no way to divide the ground and neutral busses……….Is there a way? And if not what if I leave as is?
Replies
Firstly, I'm not electrician, just a 'muddler', but for an underground service entrance conduit I'd use schedule 80.
The meter is going in next to the pole in the foreground, not the house?
The meter is going in next to the pole in the foreground, not the house?
Yes, they wanted something like 700.00 to run the line to the house......I said I'd do it myself....it's ok with them.
the engineer I talked to said I didn't need any conduit at all, they just want to see the ditch I dig. I figured the PVC would be good cause if I get a break I can pull the line.
You did not indicate what series or model pannel that you had (SQ D has QO and Homeline series).
But look for a bonding screw that when removed will isolate the bus from the case. That is then the isolated neutral bus.
They you get a ground bar bus kit. They mount directly on the case and used for the ground wires.
You did not indicate what series or model pannel that you had
Bill...........it's a QO 200 amp load center.........can't find a bonding screw.
If I used as is, meaning that I'll have a disconnect box at the meter......approx 80 feet of underground leading directly to the main box.........both boxes (the one below the meter/ one at the house) will be grounded w/ grounding rod.
What is there for the charge to follow?.....(as in water pipes etc.)
This main seems to have everything bundled pretty close and I can see nowhere I can start modifying it. It holds 40 circuits, but I'll probably have only ten or so. I have plenty of room to manuever, but ................Any help would be deeply appreciated.
You migt ask your local electrical inpsector and the poco, but I think your treating the main panel as a sub panel here is incorrect. The dissconect below the meter base does not necessarily mean the house panel becomes a sub panel in some areas. Depends on the local poco and the inspector.
I would just tell them the type of main panel box you have and ask them to fax me a diagram of thier required installation.
Around here the neutral/ground bus would not need to be seperated. The no. 6 bare ground would then run from the neutral/ground bus through the meter base and the the disconnect, where it would then go through a seperate conduite to two driven ground rods. The run from the main panel all the way to both rods would need to be continuous (unbroken by any splice joints). It would be in the disconnect that the differances in path could occur. I have seen some where the neutral and ground are seperate there, and others where they are still bonded. The poco and inspectors generally make that call.
BTW do you have to pay for the service entry cable? Around here the poco supplies it with no chagre untill we go over 175', then they charge for the additional footage only. They also pull the wire, put require a pulling string be in the conduit at the time of thier inspection.
Dave
I don't have any specific information, but I think that QO panels can be used as a sub-panel.
One panels have a ground bus on one side and floating neutral bus on the other side. Then they have a strap that goes between them. Just remove that strap.
Are then any plastic bushing/standoffs on the bar? If not then what you need to get is a separate neutral bus bar kit.
(That is assuming that you still need to run this as a sub-pannel after reading the other comments).
Different makers use different techniques.
Sometimes it's a green screw through the bar into the panel casing, sometimes its a "flattened "S" which is screwed to the bus bar and the case.
Basically, look closely for any metal connection between the bar abd the case .
And, of course, be very careful in there. Stuff can bite ya!The key to forgiving others is to quit focusing on what they did to you, and start focusing on what God did for you. Max Lucado
Sojourners: Christians for Justice and Peace
The way I understand it, your neutral and ground bars have to be separated in a subpanel. If they aren't, you will have current returning to the main panel via anything which is grounded (i.e., water pipes, gas lines, etc.) which would normally be going through the neutral wires.
Ref: schdl. 40 conduit.
Schdl. 40 pipe is fine for the ug run except for any 90s and the risers on each end. They need to be schdl. 80 b/c that is where the most pressure is exerted durring the pull.
How long is the pull?
Dave
Let me mess up your plan for a second. Why not mount the meter on the house? Then go straight into the panel. Regardless you shouldn't need to make the main panel a sub panel. Just go straight into the main breaker like normal. That is if your properly grounded on both ends.
Who Dares Wins.
Mount the meter on the side of the house. If your service panel is located on the same wall and your entrance cable is under 4' long a disconnect is not required.I personally would not run conduit. Use direct bury tri-plex cable it is used all the time in my area.
If you put the meter and the main panel on the pole, that's where the power company terminates service. The line to the house is owned and maitained by you; around here, the power company doesn't inspect it, or care anything about it, as long as the county inspector has signed off on the installation, and put the approved inspection sticker on the meter base.
Thanks to all for the info...........I think I've got it figured out now.
I meant to do this yesterday but didn't get to it. Here is our local utilites requirment for going from pole to house underground. Sorry if I'm overloading you with info.
And to anyone else doing this, I highly recomend using the proper sized conduit underground whether it's required or not. Not doing it invites a burnout and having to dig it all back up eventualy. I've never heard of a burnout in conduit, although I guess it can happen it's still much easier to replace.Who Dares Wins.
Thanks Gunner I am copying your info........where I am located we have a co-op and the engineer is concerned mainly with his side of the meter. As long as I don't do anything really dumb they don't care about my side......no inspections out here from anybody.......that's why all the questions.....I must get this right.
I definatley would put the meter on the house. I'm surprised they don't insist on it.Who Dares Wins.