Help IDing these wires and box

[Joseph Skoler]

So, do I have the correctly:

New meter panel and disconnect outside the main house with 400a service.

Parallel 200a boxes in the basement.

100a subpanel, off the first 200a box, on the 2nd floor servicing the 2nd and 3rd floors.

Feeder from the 2nd 200a box to 100 subpanels on each of the 3 cottages, provided the total load of the 3 cottages does not exceed the 200a capacity. That is, I don't need an outdoor disconnect on each or any of the cottages?

Thank you.

As for villains, I've wondered for a while why there isn't more vandalism/thieves/villians just pulling the disconnects to houses.

 

[wwhitney]

You need to confirm that the load each panel serves does not exceed its rating.

You do need disconnects for each building. So your feeder with EGC to each cottage would land in a 100A disconnect, likely outdoors, then likely go inside to a subpanel. (*) You will need a grounding electrode system at each cottage, which is bonded to the ground bar in the disconnect. No neutral-ground bond at the cottages.

Cheers, Wayne

(*) If I recall correctly, prior to the 2020 NEC, the panel and main disconnect for the cottage could be a main breaker panel inside, on an exterior wall, where the feeder enters the panel from the back. And under the 2020 NEC you'd need an outdoor disconnect. So if I'm correct NY hasn't adopted the 2020 NEC yet, you could choose to do it either way. You could also have all your breakers on the outside of the cottage, but that's more a warm California style of doing things, I imagine not a cold NY style of doing things.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Joseph Skoler]

Got it -- if I use 100a panels on each cottage then the load for each cottage must not exceed 100a.

Also, the total load of all cottages must not exceed the load of the panel service all 3.

Okay, I didn't realize each cottage needed an outside disconnect. I thought the breaker panel at each cottage would have a master breaker that would serve that purpose. We have many panels in NY on the outside.

Thanks!

 

[wwhitney]

A main breaker in a panel can be a disconnect, for purposes of this discussion.

Cheers, Wayne

 

[Joseph Skoler]

Thank you!