Small ranch built in 2003, most likely built where a previous house burned down or was demolished being that it’s in an older neighborhood.
Overhead service, to a mast then down to the meter can, then down either into or under the slab, then to the distribution panel.
So I’m moving along on the inspection and come to the distribution panel, and it’s located in middle of the house, but then remember that the overhead and meter can are located at the front RH corner of the structure. I double checked and no disconnect at the entry point outside or on the inside wall. I then realized the SEC was installed either under or in conduit (I’m guessing) in the slab.
Usually when I see this type of set up the SEC is routed through the attic with a disconnect near the point of entry, in or outside.
Permit stickers were everywhere indicating it was inspected by the city.
Service conductors cannot pass through the interior of another building or other structure.
230.6 Conductors Considered Outside a Building. Conductors are considered outside a building when they are installed:
(1) Under not less than 2 in. of concrete beneath a building or structure.
(2) Within a building or structure in a raceway that is encased in no less than 2 in. thick of concrete or brick.
(3) Installed in a vault that meets the construction requirements of Article 450, Part III.
(4) In conduit under not less than 18 in. of earth beneath a building or structure.
To be considered outside of the building the raceway needs to be either under the slab (min 2" thick) or within the slab under a minimum of 2" of concrete. That panel is pretty ugly which makes me wonder why they didn’t just flip it over when they installed it.
What kind of service conductors did they use? A yellow stripe can indicate URD which is not permitted within the structure unless it is dual rated as a conductor type specified in Article 310 of the NEC.
I have no idea what kind of conductors they are other than they’re aluminum and properly sized for the service. As a home inspector, how would I be able to identify if they’re URD or not and if they’re dual rated? And although I know the AHJ can make mistakes, the panel had 3 different stickers on the inside of the cover door.
I mentioned the possible URD because I saw the yellow stripe but on second thought it’s probably not worth mentioning in a report because it can be difficult to accurately identify. And what is the solution have someone pull out 30 year old conductors.
