Why I Failed My 200a Commercial Service Inspection: Quick Tips on Passing Your Commercial Inspection 

I thought you are 💯 correct with your theory. Make sure you add those plastic bushing b4 giving them a call again. Or they will find some other BS to try to fail you for. Keep it up. We need more content and more troubleshooting. Love your troubleshooting videos !!!

I work for a utility and the reasoning is that the meter base has a bypass disconnect in it with moving parts and a lever that always needs to be operational. Not all electricians layout a cabinet as well as you did there. With sloppy work the bypass disconnect can be rendered useless. Your panel has no moving parts in it, so better the transition occur on your side. Also I would have considered going up the right side of your panel to stay clear of the neutral bus and allow more entry room on the bottom conduit. Just suggestions your work is good and clean.

Very humble of you to show/explain this. The same thing happened to me here in Toronto Canada, hydro one said it should be coming from the top

They don't want to have your wires blocking them at the top and since they have to deal with lots of different installers, they want to make sure it's easier for them.

I enjoyed the video. Power Companies can be tough. I think the problem was your doing an outdoor job. You have a raintight meter socket and the disconnect should be a NEMA 3R raintight disconnect (don't know if it is or not) But with raintight equipment you cant make KOs in the enclosure that is above the electrical equipment inside the enclosure. With a meter socket you can if you use a hub on top of the meter socket (like an overhead service meter socket) with a threaded connector or a Myers Hub. Also the wires even though you used PVC it still should have plastic bushing on wire #4 or larger.

good on you for knowing you are going to fail but it's how you recover and make it right that separates you from the herd.

You should always consult with your utility provider before doing work. It's their equipment their rules.

The way that you explained how you wanted the wires ran make more sense because of the tension and placement. The failure is the code.

Now you need to go back for inspection from the city for the changes!

Never done learning my friend. You did a really beautiful job on your wiring and have a great grasp of the trade. I would have liked to work with y’all.

I agree with Don Williams1284, where are your 2 bushings on the conduits at the bottom of your disconnect switch. The conduit exiting the bottom of the disconnect looks like it has a bit of Black insulation on the threads. First thing I noticed. Retired in 2004 with 40 years as a licensed journeyman industrial electrician.

Nice video, you right staying on top of code can be a pain.

I had passed inspection to find that the utility won't hook up to the service because the meter socket wasn't stamped "Property of energy co" on the side of it. I made the mistake of passing line side conductors before. It's like underground service. You can only enter from the right side and not the left side because you will be passing over the utility conductors. Even though the county will pass it, the energy company wont connect to it. They are the final say on if they want to hook you up and give you a meter or not. We went to a property that the house burned down and was completely removed and we built a underground service to find the previous owners of the property stole over 4 grand worth the electricity from the utility and they refused to hook up to the new owners until they settled someone else's debt.

If the fuse box was 18 inches lower, your plan would have worked. It would just not be the right height for the next electrician. So now you need to have the knowledge of the code and knowledge of the individual suppliers in your area. But it still looks beautiful.

Great video. Myself would never run lines across the top of disconnect. It's a habit.

Awesome video and explanation!

Your are a good operator, electrical general contractor. Local authority prevails for codes, rules and regulation . Thanks with gratitude. Different authorities can change in as quick as a few inches.

👍🏻 Beautiful wiring job.

Never ever cross power co. Feed lines with house lines at the meter box

Great video but I think that you had the disconnect wired properly the first time, it is generally accepted that the load is connected to the bottom of a disconnect; you now have line voltage feeding the load side of the disconnect, that is an electrical hazard in my opinion the disconnect blades will be energized all the time, even when the disconnect is in the off position this should be corrected. Thanks for sharing.

I agree with you, that big bunch at the bottom puts too much pressure on the sharp edge of that nipple coming up from the bottom. There must be some sort of cover to put on that sharp edge of that nipple coming up.

Nice lesson.

Been doing HVAC fo almost 40 years.one of the hardest things is keeping up with code changes.then you have some inspectors that have there own code of how they want it done.you can’t say to much and just have to do what they want.

Thanks for sharing

the original way, the 6 wires would have been bunched up at the TOP of the meter box? Very nice presentation.

you are the kind of person I would hire.

Looks real good

Interesting... I wonder what the rationale for that requirement is? I too don't like them bunched up like that.

You need 2 in plastic bushings on your fittings

The power company always has their own set of rules only certain occasions you can come in the top with feeder wires you always have to check what is called the gold standard book from the power company

Wow Steve , tough deal man. It seems the city did you a disservice, so to speak. You did what you had to do to finish the job. Now if your Local Power Company has the last word ,then to me they should have the first word. But I guess it doesn't work like that .

Every utility I worked with 37 years has a gold book of standards I’ve never seen one that allows you to cross line and load in the meter can, also you should have bushings on you nipple and you are missing anchors min . 4 required on meter can.

I have certain counties outside the city where You cannot cross line and load in the meter base.

I'd of failed for not using an LR Type 90 lol ....looks great though :)

Most pocos forbid the making of custom knockouts, you have to factory k/os only

I think I would have run larger pipe to the LB and up. I am surprised they didnt insist on metal too. I think your original design was the best though.

Probly to prevent moisture from coming in. Minimize the possibility.

They could still fail you on this since it exits the disco towards the bottom but not from the bottom according to his interpretation.

Yeah I hear you, utility providers can be pricks to deal with sometimes and red tag you for the seemingly most lame reasons. Keep up the good work and stay safe out there. Either water intrusion or the conductors interfering with the operation of the bypass lever are the only two reasons I could think of

Had the utility company tell us no LB's before the meter.

You could not have lowered the Service Disconnect switch by about ten inches and exit/enter thru the sides? Based on the other equipment, the lower height did not violate that code for the other panels on the wall.

Yup NEC means nothing to providers. Here in Maine (USA) the power company provides a little book.

What was their logic for the requirement? I have two inspectors and they do not interpret the same way. Great video.

Electricians love rules..and enforcing them.

No Neutral bond on meter base?

You should have used a “LR” as well,

Hey Steve, i would have done it your way for sure, but AHJ rules ALL... rite or wrong bro.... smFh

How did you make it through the trade and not know the Utility company has its own set of guidelines? In Virginia it's called the Blue Book. That's your fault. Or just lack of training.

SOME UTILITIES will not accept a KO seal to patch your "mistake". You have to buy a NEW meter pan. If you don't know that, then you fail a second time

Wow, can you say everyone on the same page, please & thank you.

Why no equipment bond on the meter box?

What kind of ear buds your using?

Why did you not just drop the meter socket so you could nipple it together .

so they rather have the wires blocking the conduit entrance ,instead of going overhead.... i dont like that

never run conductors on bypass handle side of meter can, power company wants easy access to that handle. should have bonding conductor between meter can and disconnect since they are less than 6' apart this is nesc rule not nec.

That is nothing new to me I learned to begin with you always leave the utility side clean !

You miss 2 plastic bushings

Yeah. The top half of the meter base is theirs, the bottom half is yours. Power company is exempt from ahj. They live snd work in their own world.

All by design IMHO...

I might have been inclined to use a wireway instead of the PVC and LB. I know, more expensive, more complicated. In the west we don't use too much exposed PVC.

AC power and codes is hilarious. None of that crap works in DC power. Especially that cheap ass cable and screw terminals... WTF.

Did they give you a reason why? Your way seems safer to me.

Was it that serious for them to fail you. Sound fishy to me 🤔

No busing

That’s a 200 amps?

Never liked working with utilities they think they are god!!!!!!!!!

Seems n every jurisdiction there's a jerk in a tie and collar sitting at a desk making up regulations with no clue as to the practical implications of them in the field.

Day's bees racist

No plastic bushings on the male adapters. Red tag in my area

Linemen. Union. Hooray for us, nuts to you.

Interesting requirement. Would they permit stacking the meter and disconnect vertically? I know you weren't about to move them around in this case, but if it were my installation I'd be pleased to have the utility enter the meter at the top, feed a disconnect below it, and then to the load below that.