Proper pedestal meter hookup

[chipjumper]

I am upgrading my 80A service to 200A. My electrical utility (underground) requested that I replace my ancient and tiny milbank with a new pedestal style. I’m curious to which contacts I attach the 3/0 Cu THHN wire to. This goes thru a 2” sch 80 directly to the load Center on the other side of the basement wall. I’ve never worked with a panel like this and I don’t want it to look like a soup sandwich for the inspector.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

your service entrance wires go on the bottom lugs of the socket. neutral goes to either lug on neutral bar.

PoCos service lateral wires go on the top lugs...

 

[chipjumper]

Roger that. My buddy, friends since 5th grade, is a Master Electician, wasn’t sure as he’s never had to wire up a panel like that before in the last 20 years. I was going to drive down to the utility office Monday to ask them.

 

[Bert_]

your service entrance wires go on the bottom lugs of the socket. neutral goes to either lug on neutral bar.

PoCos service lateral wires go on the top lugs...

Careful. The line side lugs look like they are brought around to the bottom.

The load side lugs that you need to connect the panel to are the angled lugs.

 

[chipjumper]

I found this diagram and also a similar one from a local power vendor. I believe this is the holy grail picture I have been search for.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Careful. The line side lugs look like they are brought around to the bottom.

The load side lugs that you need to connect the panel to are the angled lugs.

yeah i didnt look close enough at the picture

 

[chipjumper]

To close the loop on my saga here is the final product.

 

[Bert_]

Looks good. Pet peeve though, I hate it when guys use that lug for the grounding wire!

 

[chipjumper]

Looks good. Pet peeve though, I hate it when guys use that lug for the grounding wire!

Which lug? The meter box or the load center?

 

[Bert_]

Which lug? The meter box or the load center?

In the panel.

That lug will take a 2/0 I think. Good if you ever want to feed a sub panel. The #6 copper will fit just fine in the other neutral screws.

 

[chipjumper]

Good call -- I'm going to send 2-2-2-4 AL MHF to my garage.
I'm curious if it is necessary to run a copper wire from the meter box to bond it to the load center? I used sch. 80 between the back-to-back boxes thus they are isolated with the exception of the neutral wire. I installed the green bonding screw in the load center. Currently I have a "continuous" #6 bare copper from the load center --> meter box --> grounding rods. Overkill or unnecessary?

 

[Bert_]

The neutral wire is bonded both places.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Thats not a load center, its your main service panel. the GEC from the rods doesnt need to go to the neutral terminal in the meter pan. just needs to go to the main service panel neutral bar.

 

[Terry D]

Must be done differently in different areas. For a 3-wire service, we take the #6 copper ground rod conductor to the meter socket, which is bonded to the neutral, and take the GEC conductor from the water pipe to the main panels ground or neutral bars, which are bonded. For a 200 amp, it would be a #4 copper or #2 Alum. For a 3-wire service there is no GEC running between the meter socket and Main panel. And that is also how it is shown in posts #5 diagram, there is only 3 conductors going to the main panel, not 4. I would think you should remove it, by leaving it in there, you are actually paralleling the neutral, which will put current on that bare copper ground

 

[Bert_]

Must be done differently in different areas. For a 3-wire service, we take the #6 copper ground rod conductor to the meter socket, which is bonded to the neutral, and take the GEC conductor from the water pipe to the main panels ground or neutral bars, which are bonded. For a 200 amp, it would be a #4 copper or #2 Alum. For a 3-wire service there is no GEC running between the meter socket and Main panel. And that is also how it is shown in posts #5 diagram, there is only 3 conductors going to the main panel, not 4. I would think you should remove it, by leaving it in there, you are actually paralleling the neutral, which will put current on that bare copper ground

The nec says you can put it in the socket. The utility companies around here don't want it in the meter socket though, won't hook up a new service if you try to put it there. I can imagine it varies by area

 

[chipjumper]

After the local utility ran new underground service wires to the new meter. They indicated that no ground wires need to be hooked up to the pedestal meter. I did get a callback from my inspector who said it would be fine for me to run a separate hole in my wall to ground the breaker panel (the first disconnect) to the rods and also asked me to also run a wire to my water pipe. So I ran #4 solid to the ground rods (overkill but on-hand) and #4 THHN stranded to the water pipe (about 27’). Wrapped the black THHN with green tape on the ends. The THHN was so much cheaper per foot than the bare or non-insulated stranded #4. Inspection is tomorrow; if it looks good I get the green sticker and the utility will do the switchover inside the box at the road.
The next big project is running the MHF to the new garage after I perform the panel switchover.