huggy59
Active Member
Meters have to be outside to be read, and there is usually a master shut-off as well so in emergencies power to the entire house can be cut quickly. And don't worry too much about the meter location - meter readers use all kinds of neat things to read them from far away - stilts, binoculars, mirrors, etc.
Next there is code stating how far and what types of cable must be used (and conduit) from the meter box to the breaker box. This run is supposed to be minimized and not exposed to weather as in many cases it'll be running a 200-amp service in 3-4 major wires to the breakerbox, and at 200 amps, nicking or piercing the insulation on those will DEFINITELY (or at least 2 out of 4) cause you to have a bad day...
But I agree - standing outside in the rain to reach into a breaker box is not my idea of safety no matter where you are. Even in south FL, we had a main breaker box outside, with some external circuits (A/C compressor, pool stuff, outside lights, etc.) and in the garage we had the breakers for the internal house circuits. I was always extra careful around that box. The power cables were all underground in my neighborhood, though.
Here in Maine, I have my service (meter and main shutoff) on the garage, and a fairly long set of heavy cables strung through the garage, then through underground conduit, into the house to the house breakerbox. But the reason it's this way is because the garage was here before the house. And I'm VERY careful not to nick the insulation on those wires! ;-)
You can still bring the other services (phone, cable, network, etc.) into a central wiring spot and fan out from there. All the homes I've owned do NOT have a utility closet or room, other than maybe a crawl space or basement. This one is no exception. I've got to create a central wiring point and wire up the low voltage stuff from there. Since the breaker box is in the laundry "closet", I might try to find space in there to mount a low voltage box, but it doesn't have space for any major gear or computers.
Next there is code stating how far and what types of cable must be used (and conduit) from the meter box to the breaker box. This run is supposed to be minimized and not exposed to weather as in many cases it'll be running a 200-amp service in 3-4 major wires to the breakerbox, and at 200 amps, nicking or piercing the insulation on those will DEFINITELY (or at least 2 out of 4) cause you to have a bad day...
But I agree - standing outside in the rain to reach into a breaker box is not my idea of safety no matter where you are. Even in south FL, we had a main breaker box outside, with some external circuits (A/C compressor, pool stuff, outside lights, etc.) and in the garage we had the breakers for the internal house circuits. I was always extra careful around that box. The power cables were all underground in my neighborhood, though.
Here in Maine, I have my service (meter and main shutoff) on the garage, and a fairly long set of heavy cables strung through the garage, then through underground conduit, into the house to the house breakerbox. But the reason it's this way is because the garage was here before the house. And I'm VERY careful not to nick the insulation on those wires! ;-)
You can still bring the other services (phone, cable, network, etc.) into a central wiring spot and fan out from there. All the homes I've owned do NOT have a utility closet or room, other than maybe a crawl space or basement. This one is no exception. I've got to create a central wiring point and wire up the low voltage stuff from there. Since the breaker box is in the laundry "closet", I might try to find space in there to mount a low voltage box, but it doesn't have space for any major gear or computers.
