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On Thu, 08 Jul 2010 19:43:30 -0500, "Pete C."
wrote:


wrote:

On Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:29:08 -0500, Steve Barker
wrote:

Ok, i understand the whole panel/subpanel setup. And isolating the
neutral from the ground in the sub etc etc. Here's the question:
We've recently purchased a house (next door) and it has the typical
farm
setup, (meter on the pole with a disconnect, and three wires to the
house). The difference with this one is that there is a second panel
that was added in about 1960, when they added on to the house, which i
assumed at first was just a sub off the main panel. I just noticed
today that the second panel is ALSO tied into the feeders just outside
the house and so it in effect is a second main panel. Are there any
issues with it being this way as long as each panel has it's own pair
of
proper ground rods? Should the two be bonded together either at the
ground rods OR between the two panels?

thanks!

The code says disconnects for the building should be "grouped" and you
can't have 2 sets of service entrance conductors. It sounds like you
have 2 disconnects in one building that are separated.
I can't think of any way to fix this that is easy and 2008 code legal.
I would not stay awake nights worrying about it if it is otherwise
compliant.

You missed that the meter and main disconnect for the entire residence
are located on the pole, not at the house. It's also not two sets of
service entrance conductors, since those end at the disconnect at the
pole, after that it's feeders to the two panels.

That just moves you from 230.70 to 225.33. They still have to be
grouped in one location.

I'm not sure that I'm getting a clear picture of this setup from the OP. I
see it as Wayne Whitney describes: The drop comes to the pole, down the pole
into a meter, out of the meter into "the service disconnect", out of the
service disconnect back up the pole, then across to house via one set of
triplex. At the house the triplex is tapped into twice and feeding two
separate panels.