15 Amp Meter?

[charlieb]

I've never seen this before. This really wasn't my part of town if you know what I mean[:-bigeyes.

It feeds a 100 amp panel directly below with #2.

Comments please.

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[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by charlieb

I've never seen this before. This really wasn't my part of town if you know what I mean[:-bigeyes.

It feeds a 100 amp panel directly below with #2.

Comments please.

The old 15 amp meters were rated for use with 100 amp services.

You'll also see 30-amp meters in that part of town. These were rated for use with 200 amp services.

I have no idea why they carry the 15 and 30 amp designations.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[charlieb]

Funny things. Thank you Jim.

Hats off to all of you folks who deal with this older stuff as a norm.

I really don't mind the older stuff but most of the buyers in that market go for a low $ inspection. It is gratifying to work for theses folks when they are willing to step up.

Have a good weekend all.

[Gerry Beaumont]

Originally posted by Jim Katen

Originally posted by charlieb

I've never seen this before. This really wasn't my part of town if you know what I mean[:-bigeyes.

It feeds a 100 amp panel directly below with #2.

Comments please.

The old 15 amp meters were rated for use with 100 amp services.

You'll also see 30-amp meters in that part of town. These were rated for use with 200 amp services.

I have no idea why they carry the 15 and 30 amp designations.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

Hi to all,

The 15 (and later 30) amp figure seen on many older meters is the testing and calibration amperage, and nothing to do with the meters maximum amperage.

Regards

Gerry

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by Gerry Beaumont

Hi to all,

The 15 (and later 30) amp figure seen on many older meters is the testing and calibration amperage, and nothing to do with the meters maximum amperage.

Regards

Gerry

The 15- and 30-amp designations indeed refer to the current levels at which the meters are tested and adjusted. (I've been doing some research.)

However, it's misleading to say that they have nothing to with the meter's maximum amperage. The issue for a meter isn't the maximum amperage; it's the continuous load range. In modern meters, this is labeled as a class designation and is printed on the meter as the letters "CL" followed by a number. For instance a CL-200 meter is a class 200 meter rated for a continuous load of 200 amps.

According to ANSI C12.10, a 15-amp meter is equivalent to a class 100 meter and a 30-amp meter is equivalent to a class 200 meter.

Any of these meters can handle far greater currents for short periods of time.

From this information, it seems to me that 15-amp meters are intended for use on 100-amp systems and 30-amp meters on 200-amp systems.

If anyone has any information that conflicts with this please speak up. I'd like to know if I'm wrong.

Of course, the meter is the property of the power company and they can use whatever meter they want. But a mismatch between a meter and the service equipment can be an important clue for a home inspector.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Focal Point]

You guys never cease to amaze me, I learn something new everytime I log on!

Thank You!

[Gerry Beaumont]

Originally posted by Jim Katen

Originally posted by Gerry Beaumont

Hi to all,

The 15 (and later 30) amp figure seen on many older meters is the testing and calibration amperage, and nothing to do with the meters maximum amperage.

Regards

Gerry

The 15- and 30-amp designations indeed refer to the current levels at which the meters are tested and adjusted. (I've been doing some research.)

However, it's misleading to say that they have nothing to with the meter's maximum amperage. The issue for a meter isn't the maximum amperage; it's the continuous load range. In modern meters, this is labeled as a class designation and is printed on the meter as the letters "CL" followed by a number. For instance a CL-200 meter is a class 200 meter rated for a continuous load of 200 amps.

According to ANSI C12.10, a 15-amp meter is equivalent to a class 100 meter and a 30-amp meter is equivalent to a class 200 meter.

Any of these meters can handle far greater currents for short periods of time.

From this information, it seems to me that 15-amp meters are intended for use on 100-amp systems and 30-amp meters on 200-amp systems.

If anyone has any information that conflicts with this please speak up. I'd like to know if I'm wrong.

Of course, the meter is the property of the power company and they can use whatever meter they want. But a mismatch between a meter and the service equipment can be an important clue for a home inspector.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

Hi Jim,

thank you for that, you added to my knowledge on the subject, I was not aware or the corralation between the test/calibration amperages and the continuous load amperages.

Regards

Gerry

[Focal Point]

Ok, I've got a problem. This morning, just for the helovit, I went out and looked at my meter. My meter says 15 amp...

The problem is, it is mounted in a 200A box I have 200 amp service conductors on a 200 Amp main, in a 200 amp breaker panel. so how does that work?

Is my meter a 100 amp meter on a 200 Amp service? would that even work? would'nt the meter read wrong? or get hot?

I'm not sure of the age of the meter.

Is the 15-30 Amp just a general rule? or do I have a bigger problem?

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by Focal Point

Ok, I've got a problem. This morning, just for the helovit, I went out and looked at my meter. My meter says 15 amp...

The problem is, it is mounted in a 200A box I have 200 amp service conductors on a 200 Amp main, in a 200 amp breaker panel. so how does that work?

Is my meter a 100 amp meter on a 200 Amp service? would that even work? would'nt the meter read wrong? or get hot?

I'm not sure of the age of the meter.

Is the 15-30 Amp just a general rule? or do I have a bigger problem?

Your meter was intended for use on a 100-amp service. However, it'll work just fine at 200 amps and it'll even be pretty darn accurate even though it was tested at 15 amps. It won't get hot.

I doubt that your electrical service will ever actually draw 200 amps. It might occasionally draw more than 100 amps but mostly it'll draw way less than that. Snap a meter around your service cables and see for yourself.

Like I said, the power company can use any meter they want. Remember that the meter is their "cash register."

As for your house, I'd guess that at one time it had a 100-amp service. The only concern for you should be whether or not the upgrade to a 200-amp service was done correctly.

- Jim Katen, Oregon