Weather Head Placement?

[ddawg16]

If it's not one thing....it's another....(I'm doing a 2-story addition to my house)

Had the Electrical Utility guy out today to confirm the location of my meter....I have a slight problem.

Per the specs....the weatherhead needs to be within 3' of the roof line so that the linemen can access it with a ladder from the ground....

I do not have enough clearance on the side.....I have a block wall on the side...and when you calculate the distance the foot of the ladder needs to be from the house in order to reach the roof...the ladder is outside of my property....and the rules say that the ladder has to be on my property...

That part of the house has shear walls....I can not have any penitrations in the 1st 4' from the corner....so I 'had' planned on my meter being 6' from the corner....that is too far from the back corner (can't be more than 3').

What if my weatherhead entered the roof at the back corner (which would put it within the 3' distance) and then I had 2 45 deg sweeps through the wall so that the down pipe ended up on top of the meter?

So the real question is....can I have the 2" pipe for my power to my panel go at a 45 deg angle through a couple of wall studs?

 

[Stuart in MN]

I don't think I've ever seen a riser pipe that was inside the wall - in my area they're always surface mounted. The problem is, a 2" rigid galvanized conduit has an outside diameter of about 2 3/8"; you'll probably need a 2 1/2" hole, and since a 2x4 stud is more like 3 1/2" wide that only leaves 1/2" on either side of the hole...that doesn't leave much for structural soundness.

 

[Gooch]

I don't think I've ever seen a riser pipe that was inside the wall - in my area they're always surface mounted. The problem is, a 2" rigid galvanized conduit has an outside diameter of about 2 3/8"; you'll probably need a 2 1/2" hole, and since a 2x4 stud is more like 3 1/2" wide that only leaves 1/2" on either side of the hole...that doesn't leave much for structural soundness.

not to mention those wires are 'unfused' wires, i'd want as little as possible in my structure.

 

[madstat]

I'm confused. I would just place your weather head on the back wall to maintain ladder access and run your service cables through enough bends (45's or 90's) along the exterior to reach your meter. Why must it go through the interior of the framing?

 

[Aceman]

Is underground an option?

 

[kursplat]

here in L.A., and i think ddawg16 is in los angeles, you can run the conduit in the wall. most retrofits are are done on the outside of the building because it's easyer than tearing up the wall. but my opinion, it look better inside.

I'm confused. I would just place your weather head on the back wall to maintain ladder access and run your service cables through enough bends (45's or 90's) along the exterior to reach your meter. Why must it go through the interior of the framing?

the meter spotter will want to keep the meter and panel toward the front for better access. not saying you can't get them to ok the back of the house, (easyer if that's the original location), but some of them are, how you say, idiots

good luck

 

[ddawg16]

Kursplat is correct....and I do want to run it in the wall.

The bottom floor is going to be a 6" wall....so the diam of the pipe is not going to be a real issue....

I have an email off to the SCE guy to see if it will fly.

 

[Norcal]

Prob not if it's a semi-flush panel but if on the outside it would be OK, this is where you enter the murky world the way services are done in CA VS the rest of the country, W/ a semi-flush panel you have unprotected SE conductors inside the building & a surface mount panel they are outside, & the rule of thumb is the SE conductors need to be as short as possible where they enter the building. Note: there is NO overcurrent protection on the secondary of the PoCo pole pig. (transformer).

 

[kursplat]

... Note: there is NO overcurrent protection on the secondary of the PoCo pole pig. (transformer).

technically there isn't, but i've seen a lot of burned up weather-head wiring trip a can offline

 

[mrb]

you might also check with your AHJ regarding their requirement for SE conductors inside the building. Do they have to be in rigid? is EMT ok? NEC allows all of it but some municipalities are more restrictive.

 

[ddawg16]

Prob not if it's a semi-flush panel but if on the outside it would be OK, this is where you enter the murky world the way services are done in CA VS the rest of the country, W/ a semi-flush panel you have unprotected SE conductors inside the building & a surface mount panel they are outside, & the rule of thumb is the SE conductors need to be as short as possible where they enter the building. Note: there is NO overcurrent protection on the secondary of the PoCo pole pig. (transformer).

Unprotected? You mean some people run the wires in the wall without conduit? Geeezzzzz....I would never do that, much less allow it in my house.....what if someone ran a screw or nail too far into the wall?.....

Waiting to hear back from the SCE guy....If I have to, I'll surface mount the meter and box it all in so you don't see the pipe....I hate seeing the pipe.....

 

[darkk]

Do you have room to do an underground service inlet?

 

[mrb]

unprotected = no overcurrent protection device

to the people suggesting u/g, if the OP's neighborhood is all overhead he would be in for some big costs and quite a nightmare to do a u/g service.

 

[csp]

to the people suggesting u/g, if the OP's neighborhood is all overhead he would be in for some big costs and quite a nightmare to do a u/g service.

Depends on how you do it. I'm in a rural area and everything is overhead. We have an overhead run to a pole that the meter and a feedthrough panel are mounted on. Goes underground from there to the house and the shop.

I don't know if dd has enough room for a separate pole like this, but thought it could be helpful to mention.

 

[ddawg16]

unprotected = no overcurrent protection device

to the people suggesting u/g, if the OP's neighborhood is all overhead he would be in for some big costs and quite a nightmare to do a u/g service.

No ****.....excluding excavation....just SCE's cost is over $1800.

Not a problem now....

Just talked with both the inspector and SCE guy.

I can have up to 1 90 deg turn....so, 2 45 deg sweeps is fine. The inspector actually thinks it's a clean solution given the issues. He thought it would be a lot of work for me until I explained that I have access to pipe threaders....

So...my weatherhead will come down the back corner...as soon as I pass through the top plate of the 1st floor, I'll do a 45 sweep that will put me through 3 wall studs....and then another 45 sweep into the top of the meter box.

I don't even have to get a temp service.....the SCE guy is ok with me doing a disconnect for a couple of weeks while I frame in the 2nd floor and roof. Once the roof is roughed in...install the weatherhead, get it inspected and get power back on.

 

[VHF]

That part of the house has shear walls....I can not have any penitrations in the 1st 4' from the corner...

Not even a 2 1/2" hole for a conduit? I understand the requirement to not have any doors, windows, or other large/rectangular openings in a shear wall, but I wouldn't think one little round hole would weaken it much... of course, I don't live where the ground shakes on regular basis!

 

[Jarcese]

At least someone is thinking of the people that have to work at your weather head in the future. The part about the ladder being in your neighbors property is a little stupid, but if you or your neighbor decide to build a fence then it makes it much harder to access your weather head. Better off making it right in the first place than having the lineman come out when you have a bad house connection and telling you he can't do anything for you because of bad weather head placement. Congrats on figuring out your problem, just noting that it's not too often that people think about the next person who has to work on new equipment.

 

[rvr6000]

ddawg - I think I found a possible solution for you....hahaha

Glad to hear your original plan is gonna work too.

 

[ddawg16]

ddawg - I think I found a possible solution for you....hahaha

Glad to hear your original plan is gonna work too.

dude....that is how the power looked when I first moved in 11 years ago....

Anyway....plans changed again...meter is going to be flush and on the back wall. The 2 45 sweeps is not going to work. The braced wall was 8', not 4'...so it put me too far back.

I will just have to box in the meter panel and make do....didn't want the meter visible in the back yard...but at least it will be in the corner and my wife says that it's nothing that a hanging pot plant can't fix.....I love my wife's positive attitude on things.....

Passed inspection yesterday....pouring concrete today.....

You guys might see me come up for air once or twice this weekend.....otherwise, I'll be working 'out' of the garage...

 

[timewarp]

...but at least it will be in the corner and my wife says that it's nothing that a hanging pot plant can't fix.....I love my wife's positive attitude on things.....

They let you Californians hang your Pot plants out in the open, up here in Washington they frown on that!

Glad you were able to come up with a workable solution.

 

[ddawg16]

They let you Californians hang your Pot plants out in the open, up here in Washington they frown on that!

Ok...I guess that didn't come out quite right....
I was thinking "potted" but my fingers can't keep up with the brain....

But, then again....maybe my wife did say "pot plant".....you know how those Brits are....

For the record....neither my wife or I smoke.....ANYTHING..................