Electric service box

Looked all over for it the other day. Finally looked outside. There it was on the side of the house. Outside the fence. So anyone can just come and turn off my power. Getting a lock for it today. Is this normal anywhere? Here I guess, but is anyone else's outside?
 

DEEKAYPEE8569

Well-Known Member
Looked all over for it the other day. Finally looked outside. There it was on the side of the house. Outside the fence. So anyone can just come and turn off my power. Getting a lock for it today. Is this normal anywhere? Here I guess, but is anyone else's outside?

Are you talking about this; a breaker panel? And it was on the exterior wall of the house?
 

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Ken King

A little rusty but not crusty
PREMO Member
Looked all over for it the other day. Finally looked outside. There it was on the side of the house. Outside the fence. So anyone can just come and turn off my power. Getting a lock for it today. Is this normal anywhere? Here I guess, but is anyone else's outside?

Pretty sure that is a power company required external service disconnect switch/breaker. You get your power from Grand Valley Power? If so check out - http://www.gvp.org/sites/gvp/files/GVP Guidelines for Electric Service.pdf What you are looking for starts in section IV (bottom of page 5).
 
Pretty sure that is a power company required external service disconnect switch/breaker. You get your power from Grand Valley Power? If so check out - http://www.gvp.org/sites/gvp/files/GVP Guidelines for Electric Service.pdf What you are looking for starts in section IV (bottom of page 5).

I'll take your word for it Ken. I thought it might be a building code or something. If they require that it should be accessible to them and the fire co. only.And only the full house one. If I need to turn off one circuit fast and there is a foot of snow outside I am going to be pissed.
 

Ken King

A little rusty but not crusty
PREMO Member
I'll take your word for it Ken. I thought it might be a building code or something. If they require that it should be accessible to them and the fire co. only.And only the full house one. If I need to turn off one circuit fast and there is a foot of snow outside I am going to be pissed.

Do you mean that you don't have a breaker box on the inside but you have one on the outside?

It should have a set of mains and possibly a couple of expansion slots for adding major items, but you should also have an interior breaker box with all of the household circuits.
 
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Taz

Member
All dwellings should have the outside service entrance (where the power actually comes from the utility into the house). There should be a panel there with on breaker to kill power to the whole place, and other breakers, one or more which should feed internal and external panels for power distribution.
 

nutz

Well-Known Member
All dwellings should have the outside service entrance (where the power actually comes from the utility into the house). There should be a panel there with on breaker to kill power to the whole place, and other breakers, one or more which should feed internal and external panels for power distribution.

No, there are a variety of factors to consider. How many distribution panels, length of service wire between meter and sub panels, etc. Is NEC adopted by the local building code authority? The local utility also gets a say in the matter.
 

Larry Gude

Strung Out
Looked all over for it the other day. Finally looked outside. There it was on the side of the house. Outside the fence. So anyone can just come and turn off my power. Getting a lock for it today.

That's freaking crazy. Is it a weather proof box or just a normal indoor panel??? I can't think of one reason to have the panel outside. I can see a main outside for the fire department but, just a service disconnect, not the panel.
 

Chris0nllyn

Well-Known Member
All dwellings should have the outside service entrance (where the power actually comes from the utility into the house). There should be a panel there with on breaker to kill power to the whole place, and other breakers, one or more which should feed internal and external panels for power distribution.

NEC 230.205 says that on private property, service disconnect means don't have to be readily accessible.

Typically, you'll see just the revenue meter on the side of the house, with the secondary feeder going to the panelboard main circuit breaker (service disconnect).

To the OP, I've seen these types of installations a few times. Mainly in FL and PA.
 
NEC 230.205 says that on private property, service disconnect means don't have to be readily accessible.

Typically, you'll see just the revenue meter on the side of the house, with the secondary feeder going to the panelboard main circuit breaker (service disconnect).

To the OP, I've seen these types of installations a few times. Mainly in FL and PA.

The houses around here in my subdivision are all that way that I've seen.
 

Chris0nllyn

Well-Known Member
The houses around here in my subdivision are all that way that I've seen.

Do you have a modular home, by chance?

I could see electricians doing it this way for those types of homes, but it doesn't make much sense to do it for any others. Of course, there's a lot of things I've seen builders do that didn't make sense. :lol:
 
And they all look alike except maybe for a few small things and landscaping. I pulled into the wrong driveway two different times when I first got here.
 

RPMDAD

Well-Known Member
I can not imagine a house where there is no power panel / electric service box in the house. That is weird to me.
 
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