jar546
Forum Coordinator
In order to keep this in the commercial section, I will call this a 3 unit apartment building:
You have a 3 unit apartment building. An upper and lower apartment on the left side and a full 2 story on the right side.
A single service drop comes from the POCO xfmr to the structure then the single drop comes down to a 3 gang meter on the left side of the building.
The contractor knows he can serve several units from a single drop per 230.40 exception 1
The contractor decides to install a main panel for the left side lower apartment in the common basement which is accessible by all tenants.
He then installs a disco next to the left side lower apartment's main panel. This disco will serve as the disconnecting means for the sub-feed to the full apartment on the right side.
Rather than install another disco inside and run more 4 wire to the left side upper apartment, he decides to run the service cable inside conduit on the outside of the building up to the 2nd floor to another main panel with an integral main disconnect. This saved him the expense of 4 wire and a disco.
The issue is 230.72 grouping.
Since this is 1 single drop and we are utilizing 230.40 exception 1, we need to group the discos and in order for the 2nd floor disco to be compliant it will have to be grouped next to the others in the basement.
I am being told that exception 1 in 230.40 allows this disco to be away from the others and supply the 2nd floor apartment.
In my opinion, the only way that we can eliminate having to group these disco's is to have a separate service for each apartment such as a transformer with 3 laterals coming from it.
Thoughts?
You have a 3 unit apartment building. An upper and lower apartment on the left side and a full 2 story on the right side.
A single service drop comes from the POCO xfmr to the structure then the single drop comes down to a 3 gang meter on the left side of the building.
The contractor knows he can serve several units from a single drop per 230.40 exception 1
The contractor decides to install a main panel for the left side lower apartment in the common basement which is accessible by all tenants.
He then installs a disco next to the left side lower apartment's main panel. This disco will serve as the disconnecting means for the sub-feed to the full apartment on the right side.
Rather than install another disco inside and run more 4 wire to the left side upper apartment, he decides to run the service cable inside conduit on the outside of the building up to the 2nd floor to another main panel with an integral main disconnect. This saved him the expense of 4 wire and a disco.
The issue is 230.72 grouping.
Since this is 1 single drop and we are utilizing 230.40 exception 1, we need to group the discos and in order for the 2nd floor disco to be compliant it will have to be grouped next to the others in the basement.
I am being told that exception 1 in 230.40 allows this disco to be away from the others and supply the 2nd floor apartment.
In my opinion, the only way that we can eliminate having to group these disco's is to have a separate service for each apartment such as a transformer with 3 laterals coming from it.
Thoughts?