Originally Posted By: gbeaumont This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
MikeP wrote:
The meter is nothing more than a 'cash register'.
Mike, that is both wrong and a dangerous assumption. the meter is a rated component and should be treated as such 
Originally Posted By: roconnor This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Mike Parks wrote:
The 'main' circuit breaker will give you the best indication of the "capacity".
Not really true Mike. You can have a 200A MD and only 100A feeder wires ... not good at all ...  ... You can also have a 200A MD and 200A feeder, but only a 100A utility drop/lateral ... again not good ... 
jpope wrote:
Can anyone help me with the original question ?
Jeff ... The meter does not have overcurrent protection. It is just one of the things ya look at to establish service capacity (indication of what the utility's service drop/lateral is sized for), because with a 100A meter you can almost "bet the ranch" that the utility company has a 100A service lateral installed.
Sometimes people upgrade the panel without a permit so the utility company doesn't know they have to upgrade the feeders and meter.
What was the size of the feeder wires coming into the service panel (looks like markings on the feeder wires), and what was the rating of the Main Disconnect/Breaker?
-- Robert O'Connor, PE
Eagle Engineering ?
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I am absolutely amazed sometimes by how much thought goes into doing things wrong
Originally Posted By: jpope This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Quote:
What was the size of the feeder wires coming into the service panel (looks like markings on the feeder wires), and what was the rating of the Main Disconnect/Breaker?
The feeder wires were #2 cu or #3 cu as best I could tell. They looked a bit large even for the 100 amp main. The 60 amp was fed by (what appeared to be) #4 cu.
As I said, it was a split main with a potential draw of 160 amps between the upper and lower main breakers. The meter was the only visible restriction.
-- Jeff Pope
JPI Home Inspection Service
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Originally Posted By: roconnor This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Looks like you are right that between the two you could draw 160A. If there is no service box you can see, then there might be a buried splice box somewhere between the meter and panel … unless both feeders going out to the left continue to the meter can.
I would be concerned that the service drop/lateral (and any single feeder between the meter and a service box or buried splice box if there is one) have wires sized for the 160A draw. The best thing to do is contact the utility to make sure they have a drop/lateral installed to handle the 160A load, and double check that there isn't a service box or buried splice box where you can verify the feeder wire sizes.
-- Robert O'Connor, PE
Eagle Engineering ?
Eagle Eye Inspections ?
NACHI Education Committee
I am absolutely amazed sometimes by how much thought goes into doing things wrong
Originally Posted By: Mike Parks This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
charlie Moderator Member # 59 posted January 29, 2004 07:54 If you walk behind the counter at a McDonalds and make change for yourself, does anyone get upset? Are you aware that the meter is our cash register? HMMM . . . Posts: 1192 | Registered: Feb 2003 | IP: Logged |
Originally Posted By: Bud Russell This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
This meter should be on an obsolete meter list somewhere and when the company does replace it, the new meter will be a Cl 200, regardless of the panel size.
However, this meter will probably continue to function at 160 amps but with great accuracy reduction. The meter should never be considered the fuse.
Determining customer capacity and actual day to day load have always been a problem.
Many times you will find a Cl 200 meter set which can theoretically operate at 100% accurately. That is a total load of 48 kW. However, the transformer feeding it may only be 15 kW. It could not supply the entire 48 kW anyway. Utilities are consolidating their meter inventories so fewer types of meters are required. One meter can fit nearly all residential metering applications.
To me customer load capacity is determined by his main breaker. Sub panel breakers should be fed by the main and would not be additive for load capacity.
