# Adding a 2nd panel from a combo meter socket with breaker.



## oilers77 (Dec 1, 2017)

So I have several questions actually. My boss wants me to add a service to his combine shop on a farm. The utility comes to a pole in the centre of the yard, which then has a combination meter/breaker to a set of splitter lugs. The house comes off of that with an underground 3 wire service. I want to add the 100A underground service to the shop (but he wants it to be done to 200A specs, so 2/0 Cu in case he ever wants to upgrade) from the meter splitter lugs. My question is, would that wire to the shop and also that wire thats already there to the house have to be a 4 wire service? I thought because the neutral is already bonded at the meter and there is a disconnect, a 3 wire service cannot be used? I would be adding grounding electrodes at the shop regardless, but not keeping the bonding tab in to neutral. Any insight into this?


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## matt1124 (Aug 23, 2011)

On this side of the border...

3 wire is existing. Leave it alone.

4 wire for the new run, leave pole bonding jumper in, do not bond new panel in shop, drive a ground rod and connect to ground bar in shop.


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## matt1124 (Aug 23, 2011)

Also, 3/0 CU here because a combine shop is not a dwelling (unless you piss off the wife!)


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## oilers77 (Dec 1, 2017)

matt1124 said:


> On this side of the border...
> 
> 3 wire is existing. Leave it alone.
> 
> 4 wire for the new run, leave pole bonding jumper in, do not bond new panel in shop, drive a ground rod and connect to ground bar in shop.


Thanks for the reply, the other question is would I need 3/0 because its technically not a dwelling and 2/0 is only good up to 195A? voltage drop distances are negligible.


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## oilers77 (Dec 1, 2017)

haha sorry I opened a reply before the second comment hit. At least we're on the same page!


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## matt1124 (Aug 23, 2011)

Remember I'm not in the same country as you so YMMV


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## oilers77 (Dec 1, 2017)

sounds good, thanks for your help regardless!


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## PokeySmokey (Nov 14, 2017)

Just to be on the safe side, contact the Inspection department and get in writing what they want.

3/0 4 wire sounds good with the ground wire connected to the ground terminal in the Central Pole Service Splitter and to the ground in the Shop Service and to the Ground Rod(s).

In the splitter box, do NOT connect more than one conductor to a lug. Each conductor must have its own lug.

Also, as was stated before do NOT bond the neutral to ground in the Shop Service.

They may require 2 ground rods at the shop 3 metres apart and a continuous ground wire from the service to the first ground rod and the second ground rod.

Again, you want to get it all in writing from the inspection department.

How old is the original Central Pole Service and the feed to the House?

Also is the House underground service cable run in steel rigid conduit bonded to the box (ground) with a grounding bushing in the splitter box and in the Service Switch in the house? If yes, then the steel rigid conduit is the ground.


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## oilers77 (Dec 1, 2017)

I agree completely about the inspection department, I have contacted them several times over the past week and haven't received a reply from them yet. I got impatient and contacted a neighbouring county's inspector and he seemed hesitant to tell me much of anything, said every inspector has there own opinion so to contact them (pretty obvious he didn't know the answer himself, he has a reputation of just passing anything). 

The meter base on the pole actually has built in lugs downstream of the disconnect with space for 5 conductors on each set. Very convenient. The service doesn't appear to be very old, maybe 10 years, 15 max.

So the original house is fed with USEB 3 wire cable run in PVC conduit (probably just stubbed below then run in direct contact with the dirt) with no ground. It was what immediately through me off when I looked at it. Also the meter is rated for 200A also, but thats a separate call for the utility department I still need to make.


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