ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area How to size and feed commercial panel

gfretwell...

EUSERC keeps crawling eastwards.

At some point the entire country will endorse EUSERC.

It knocks off the screwy 'cost saving' goofy solutions to Services.

Instead, the solution set is reduced to those that are entirely standard -- and SAFE.

It got started because of too many brutal fatalities -- because the crews were not aware of all of the screwy Service schemes.

Example: EUSERC abhors floating Delta Services.

Even Stinger Legs are out.

Just NOT worth it.

A couple of bucks vs killing a lineman? Forget it.

EUSERC wants but a handful of solutions -- most of them WYE for 3 phase -- and center tapped for residential.

As a result, injury rates have collapsed. It no longer takes a rocket scientist to figure out what is up with this or that Service.

EUSERC limits Services to 480 Y 277 and 208 Y 120 for commercial --

and only by exception anything else.

EUSERC is retiring 240 Delta center-tapped 240D120 Services.

This is consistent with industry moving heavy loads to 480 - -so what's the purpose of 240 3-phase power? -- No purpose at all.

Such motors are freakishly rare. You have either 200VAC 3 phase or 460VAC 3 phase -- 230 3 phase is history.

The computer industry was very happy using 3p 120/240.
That may have changed but I bet big iron like check sorters still use it.

Back in the olden days a disk drive had a 3/4hp 3p motor and a printer had several 3 p motors but that is ancient history.

I still bet the big RAMAC arrays use a 3p 60a circuit.

Again, not getting my message:

NO one touts anything as being EUSERC this or EUSERC that, they simply provide what is REQUIRED within the territory the project is within.

The acronym may be embedded DEEP within boiler-plate specs, but again it is unnecessary since it is known what is required to comply with a particular POCO's requirements and the POCO's requirements trump EUSERC whether they're a member or not.

Interestingly enough, a quick search of the SDG&E design guide/standards comes up without a single occurrence of EUSERC. SCE's and LADWP's standards both come up with numerous occurrences, but those are mostly because they use EUSERC's drawings as their own and make no changes to them.

The point:

You have to comply with the POCO's requirements not EUSERC. If the POCO has adopted EUSERC standards it's no different than saying this bolt was manufactured to ANSI standard blah blah blah. EUSERC creates and defines standards, but only the POCO has the authority to enforce them.

Which is no different than the local AHJ making amendments to the NEC before adopting the latest code, the NEC is only a reference and by itself is not enforceable and same is true of EUSERC standards.

In RI we would have to put a 5 gang meter socket the first one is a house meter that must control all general lighting ( stairway and hallway) or any other areas that are shared . In Providence the first meter socket must be Manual-bypass.