Disconnect At Meter Can

Bkessler

I suppose those are good reasons but after seven years it still seems foreign to me. I like my panel in the garage or basement, although i have not seen a basement in a while.

JamesNLA

West Coast baby. Everyone has all in ones! No one has basements. I have only seen a few basements in my life, none of which were in CA.

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-Adrock

Julio

A meter can with a main breaker sounds good to me. Don't know if I would want a separate disconnect on my house. I think it's a safe thing to do and I wouldn't worry about someone turning it off.

hbiss

It's not a kid or a dog. It's a piece of metal and plastic. It's made to go outdoors.

I disagree. I have never seen a breaker made that is weather resistant, particularly GFIs and arc fault. I have also never seen a raintight enclosure that is actually raintight.

You only see this in sunny California because the climate allows for a reasonable life expectancy. Try this in the North East and you would be changing those panels out every few years.

Besides, who would put up with standing in four feet of snow to reset a breaker?

-Hal

pudge565

That sounds like a good idea.

skyhook

I believe they are talking about a disconnect before the meter ( line side) Everybody has a main.

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acrwc10

That is not how the code is laid out, it is written more in the "this is what you can not do" format. Simply put if it doesn't say you can not do something, then you can do it. Like put a lock on a disconnect that locks it in the ON position, this is allowed and many disconnects and panels have locks on them in the "closed" or "on" position.
You have missed the 2011 deadline for a proposal, so you have lots of time to start writing your 2014 proposal.

woodchuck2

I have seen disconnect breakers go bad but not very often, i have seen more meter sockets go bad than breakers. I push for disconnects, easier to shut down power to the home if required and easier to run power to a second building. Having a disconnect/meter socket mounted to a utility pole or pedistal also keeps the exterior of the home neater too. The local Electrical supplier has just started selling the combo's "meter socket and disconnect together" in the last year or so. They are nice units to install and are not very large.

mike lamb

Don't worry about kids shutting off your main until they do. Haloween? If it happens, it won't be a bunch of kids, it will be one kid. There are light weight locks that can stop this one prick kid from doing this. The FD shouldn't have much of a problem shutting down the main that is locked out by a light lock.