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Electrical Wiring

Duplex home electrical service

15 years ago

I was wondering if you thought this was a bad setup.

I live in a duplex. Seperate service. The meters for both me and my neighbors are in same encloser outside. There are disconnect switches for both on the outside of the house. I see the service goes into my neighbors crawlspace first, and the conduit that goes from meter to my panel passes thru the cinderblock wall that divides the two properties. I assume there is no box/connection between meter and my panel.

Should I be concerned with this setup... besides my neighbor tapping into my service, are there any concerns about this "unique to me" setup? Outside disconnect switches? etc?

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Comments (8)

davidandkasie
15 years ago
pretty standard for any multi unit setups here, be they duplexs or apartments. if you worry about someone messing with your side, simply lock your cover, but leave the disconeect handle free so tha tit can be shut off.
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petey_racer
15 years ago
I am wondering why you think this is a weird setup? Aren't all the units like this? I bet they are, as are most condos/townhouses.

What conspiracy theories are you conjuring up?
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I live in a similar house. Built in the 20's I believe. Still had the old school panel with an on/off lever which pulled a copper bar to disconnect the hot bus. Someone at some point in time must have been blowing fuses so they decided to throw all 30 amp fuses in there. Now the old knob and tube wiring is pretty sketchy from being over-fused. Insulation has completely cracked away in many spots due to increased heat on the wires. I'd meticulously inspect what wire you can before you decide to keep using it. I wouldn't even trust the wire in my house to run a light bulb honestly. Plus insulation was blown overtop all the wiring in the attic. K&T was never designed to be covered over. Over-fusing and covering knob and tube wiring with insulation is asking for a fire in my opinion. I'm assuming you have knob and tube since it was built in the 20's anyway. Long story short, I rewired the entire house except for the ceiling fixtures. What a pain in the butt. Would have been easier to gut the entire house but funds were low so I just old worked everything I could one device at a time. Took all the base boards off and drilled down thru the shoe/plate. There was almost a foot of dead space between plates on the second floor so I had to knock a hole directly below on the first floor as well up by the ceiling.. Ugh... A few hours every night after work for months. No fun... :-) Not trying to scare you on knob and tube but you have to be aware of the condition of the existing wire.. As long as the sheathing is still good it's no problem. Of course it's still only 14 gauge so is only good for outlets and lights on a 15 amp circuit. Good luck! You have a lot of work ahead of you but the satisfaction when your done will be worth it. Not to mention it will increase the value of your house. There are alot of good books to be found at Lowe's or Home Depot as well. Step by step with lot's of pictures. Just plan it out really well instead of jumping right in. And of course, make sure you know what you are doing before you start. :-)
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grandmum
Original Author
15 years ago
Theres no other similar townhouse in our vacinity.

I thought it was strange since the conduit from the meter to my panel was not completely accessible. Of course I assume there is no junction box between the meter and panel.

I think the standard is that the POCO responsibility ends at the meter base. I am concerned that that run of pipe is technically not in my property.
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petey_racer
15 years ago
I assure you this is completely typical.
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jmvd20
15 years ago
This is the same type of situation as when you asked about the disconnect being outside in the cold - there is not much for you to worry about here.

As others have already stated - the setup that you have is very common.
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fotostat
15 years ago
"but leave the disconeect handle free so tha tit can be shut off."

Why would you do that? I would never want anyone who could walk up to the side of my house to be able to cut all power to my house. That is wrong on so many levels.

"I am concerned that that run of pipe is technically not in my property."

That is common in condos/townhouses/duplex houses. Electric, plumbing, AC lines, vents, etc. go thru spaces that might be owned by other people. Keep your eye on your electric bill because people DO steal, but it's nothing to get too worked up about since it's unlikely.
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davidandkasie
15 years ago
because in many areas the law requires it. around here fire fighters do not count on any disconnects, they pull the meter. but in some places local fire codes require and accesible unlocked outside disconnect, or so many have said both on this forum and others i visit.
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Ron Natalie
15 years ago
As a firefighter we were barred from pulling meters (not safe). There's never a lock that our standard implements of destruction can't open though.

Normally, unless there is some obvious arcing wire or electrified thing, we don't bother.
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