Hey guys I am getting ready to build my second house. I will be doing most of the electrical with a licenced master overlooking and helping me. I want to put the meter bace on the side of the garage so I will have to run my main wire under the garage which is 18′ across. When this line enters the bacement wall the panel will be right under it. My question is… do I (by michigan code) have to have a disconect outside and treat my panel in the bacement as a subpanel? Some guys say if I am more than six feet from the meterbace I do, some say only if I am six feet away from the point of entry into the bacement. I have seen it done both ways on houses in this area. It seems kind of grey and up to the inspector but if I can be certain on the code I dont want to spend an extra couple hundred dollors just to make the inspector happy. If its code its code. Thanks for you time.
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Replies
I think its six feet in a direct line, since you have to walk out of the basement to get to the main, its longer than six feet.
About all the NEC says is, "The disconnecting means shall be at a readily accessible location nearest the point of entrance of the conductors." As long as the conductors are in a conduit between the meter and the panel in the basement, you could argue that the basement wall is the nearest point of entrance into the house.
Having said that, I'm not familiar with what's required or allowed in Michigan. Can you ask the electrician who'll be helping you out? He should know.
He says that I can and he just did it on a house in town, but another master electrician from another company says you cant and had to go the disconect way on another house. 6to one half-dosen the other?
A disconnect isn't big bucks and other than having to split the grounds and neutrals on the panel isn't much extra work.
You end up with a very handy feature of being able to easily kill the panel anytime future work may be needed.
I think it is a good way to go in this day of rampent DIY.
The code is vague in this area. Also the local code authorities often made changes to this area. For example some locals require an outside disconnect all the time.
The code says "The service disconnecting means shall be installed at a readily accesible location either outside the building or inside the NEAREST POINT of ENTRANCE of the service conductors.
Nearest is not defined. Some place will allow 6 ft, other much less limited it to the thickness of the wall.
HOWEVER, there is another section that says that the service conductors are considered outside th building (1) where installed under nto less than 2" of conrete beneath a building or other structure
(2) Where installed with a building or other structure in raceway that is encased in concrete or brick not less than 2" thick.
Based on that you would be fine having the disconnect in the basement.
But because of local rules and more important INTERPRETATIONS it would be best to ask the local AHJ first.