BC Electrical Code Section 6 - Services and Service Equipment

This Directive is being issued by a provincial safety manager pursuant to section 30 of the Safety Standards Act.

6-Consumer’s service equipment location

Rule:

1. Service boxes or other consumer’s service equipment shall be:
   2. readily accessible or have the means of operation readily accessible;

Interpretation:

This rule is interpreted as requiring a means of operation to be accessible from within the building.

A main disconnecting means must be provided within the building being served, where the service disconnecting means, permitted under Sub-rule 3), is located outdoors.

6-206 Consumer’s service equipment location

Rule:

1. Service boxes or other consumer’s service equipment shall be:
   3. except as provided by Subrule 3), placed within the building being served as close as practicable to the point where the consumer’s service conductors enter the building and not be located in:
      1. coal bins, clothes closets, bathrooms, and stairways;
      2. rooms where the ambient temperature exceeds 30°C under normal conditions;
      3. dangerous or hazardous locations;
      4. locations where the headroom clearance is less than 2 m; or
      5. areas below the flood elevation; or
      6. in any similar undesirable places.

Interpretation:

For the purpose of 6-206 1) c), consumer’s service conductors are interpreted as entering a building where the raceway or cable penetrates any part of the building envelope, or where the raceway or cable emerges from concrete encasement.

This rule is interpreted as requiring consumer’s service equipment to be located so that the length of consumer’s service conductors, inside the building, is as short as possible.

In no case, shall consumer’s service equipment be located so that the length of consumer’s service conductor, inside the building, exceeds 1.5 m. The 1.5 m is determined by measuring the length of raceway or cable between the point where the raceway or cable enters the building and the point where the raceway or cable enters the service box or cabinet.

6-208 Consumer’s service conductors location

Rule:

1. Raceways or cables containing consumer's service conductors shall be located outside buildings unless they are:
   1. embedded in and encircled by not less than 50 mm of concrete or masonry where permitted by Section 12;
   2. directly buried in accordance with Rule 6-300 and located beneath a concrete slab not less than 50 mm thick; or
   3. run in a crawl space located underneath a structure, provided that such a crawl space
      1. does not exceed 1.8 m in height between the lowest part of the floor assembly and the ground or other surface below it;
      2. is of non-combustible construction; and
      3. is not used for the storage of combustible material.
2. Notwithstanding Subrule 1), raceways or cables containing consumer's service conductors shall be permitted to enter the building for connection to a service box.

Interpretation:

This rule is interpreted as requiring consumer’s service conductors to only enter a building for the purpose of making a connection to the service box. The length of consumer’s service conductor, inside a building, may not exceed 1.5 m without a variance.

A consumer’s service raceway or cable that passes vertically through a roof overhang, for a distance not exceeding 1.5 m, and does not enter or pass through any other part of the building is interpreted as being located outside the building.

6-310 Use of joints and splices in consumer’s service conductors

Rule:

1. Consumer’s service conductors shall be without joints between the point of connection and the service box or equivalent consumer’s service equipment, except that a splice or joint shall be permitted where a conductor transition is made to meet the requirements of Rule 4-006 or Rule 8-102; or
2. By it is made by means of
   1. a clamp, lug, or bolted connection in a meter mounting device or by means of a connector designed for the purpose at the service head if exposed wiring is used in accordance with Rule 6-302 2); or
   2. a joint underground in accordance with Rule 12-112 5), where such a joint is required to repair damage to the original installation or to accommodate a pole or service relocation.

Interpretation: 6-310 b) i)

The use of an approved connector designed for the purpose such as a compression connector is interpreted as meeting the requirements of this rule where the connector is installed to accommodate installations that consist of metering, installed outdoors, and where the consumer’s service conductors are run to a service or multiple services.

Interpretation: 6-310 b) ii)

A joint or splice underground in conductors and cables in grade level in-ground enclosures shall be by means of splicing devices or materials (kits) for direct earth burial and suitable for wet locations.

Vicky Kang
Manager, Energy
Provincial Safety Manager, Electrical

References:
Safety Standards Act
Electrical Safety Regulation
Safety Standards General Regulation