This question is mainly for those of us who use SE cable in our area...

After what appears to be 2 or 3 additions, a residential meter socket is about 3 rooms away from the service point.
Someone decided to re-route the SEU cable (no external disco) from the exterior and go about 60-80' through the attic and down an interior wall to get to the meter sockets (main & off-peak) which are now in a covered alcove near the middle of the house(outside). As opposed to re-locating the meter sockets and installing 2 Service discos and 60-80' each of 200 & 100 amp SER through the attic and down the walls to the service panels, I want to install new SEU on the outside of the house to the existing sockets. This is a real-estate transaction and I would like to keep costs down for the seller.
The job would entail running new SE cable about 75' around about half of the house(down one peak, across and up & down another, then 10' on the underside of this alcove which is 7'4" to the ground, and to the meter sockets. There doesn't seem to be any likelihood of exposure to physical damage.
Any thoughts?

Redsy,

What you suggest (running totally on the outside) would be compliant where I am. We must protect up to 8 ft off the ground though so some conduit might be needed under the Alcove. Alternately, can the Poco give the house a drop from a different pole (or midspan) that would be closer or look better?

Bill

(edited for clarity)

[This message has been edited by Bill Addiss (edited 07-28-2002).]

Bill,
Thanks for the reply. A new service drop would mean a mast through the middle of the house. This is a very unusual layout.
BTW,
In your area, can you come out the bottom or side of a meter socket (unprotected) to enter a building?

Redsy,

I saw you mention going up another peak and thought maybe it could be attached there so as to be closer (shorter run) to the meter.

Here the SE cable must be protected on the outside up to 8 feet from grade. Coming out of Meter enclosure we would usually sleeve the SE inside a 2" PVC offset w/short piece of conduit and use a sillplate.

Bill

I agree in principle Redsy, the only caution I see here is this: The local PoCo here has a rule in their "Blue Book" that states that an SE cable (or ANY service entrance method for that matter) can only wrap 2 corners of the house. In my area, the PoCo would not connect to it.

George,

Thanks for the "heads-up". I will check our Blue Book.
Do you have a guess as to why the limit?

Bill
This would not applie to this area do to the fact as soon as you past 5' into the attic you would be in violation of the 5' rule ,you now entered the building

Eddie R,

I meant that what Redsy is talking about (removing all of the old SE cable and making a new run totally on the outside) would be compliant. I see now that I may not have been clear on what I was agreeing to.
(I fixed it)


Bill

I spoke with the PoCos designer for this neighborhood and he said that there is, essentially, no problem with the installation. I think I will protect the cable under the alcove, though.