[jlsdcen2]

I am aware that the only time that you bond the neutral to the ground is when it is in an entrance panal. Well I have a dilemma. The city that I reside requires me to install a new meter base which includes an outside breaker for the fire dept to be able to shut off the house if needed. Now since there is a breaker beyond the entrance panel, does this mean that the entrane panel is now treated as a sub panel and should have the neutral and ground isolated from one another? Then do the bonding in the meter base?
Thanks in advance :thumbsup:

 

[AllanJ]

Technically with the first "whole service disconnect (disconnecting means)" upstream of the main panel the said main panel becomes a subpanel.

One problem is that there may be just a 3 conductor cable from the meter to the former main panel: combined ground/neutral plus the two hot conductors. For the latter panel to be a subpanel you need 4 conductor cable to have the separate ground.

Psst! I would be tempted to quietly let the existing 3 conductor cable stay in place and hope that that slips by the inspector. On the other hand, if it was a new or larger "main" panel that called attention to the need to upgrade the meter base then an upgraded service entrance cable must have 4 conductors.

 

[a7ecorsair]

I'm in a rural area of MN and my POCO now requires that the meter be installed a minimum of 50 feet from the structure. The meter pedestal contains a disconnect switch, not a breaker, along with the bars for connecting cables. The bottom compartment is accessible by the customer and give access to the connection points and the disconnect switch. The pedestal is grounded with a ground rod and a piece of bare copper wire. I was only required to run the two hots and neutral to my panel. My panel is a main panel with a bonding bar between the neutral and ground bus and has a Ufer ground.