Re: No Attachments on Conduit
It has been brought to our attention that many utilities including but not limited to cable TV, internet/communication providers, and telephone companies have been using the conduit going into the electric meter base to attach their service.
In January 2006, PPL Electric Utilities began requiring conduit slip risers on all new single-phase underground service installations.
The slip risers are designed to protect the service if ground settling occurs. Settling or shifting can create strain on the conduit leading to the meter. The slip riser allows the conduit to compensate for the settling. The extra weight of other utility connections on the slip riser can cause the slip riser to move out of place and puts extra weight on the meter base and the metering equipment.
According to the National Electric Code (NEC) and the International Residential Code (IRC) no attachments are to be mounted onto the conduit, including the slip riser, going into the electric meter base.
To address the problem of utilities attaching to the electric meter base conduit PPL Electric Utilities has created stickers to put on new installations to make the public aware of this rule.
See the enclosed Sketch 7A, Sketch 55 and Sketch 55A for required clearances around the meter. More information can be found online in PPL Electric Utilities' Rules for Electric Meter and Service Installation (REMSI) website.
From one utility to another, we thank you for your cooperation and continuing support in helping PPL Electric Utilities protect our mutual customers, maintain reliability and meet the NEC and IRC Code safety requirements.
Sincerely,
Denis R. Pancoast
REMSI Chairman