House electrical Main breaker question

[Ronald Blue]

My meter base is a 400 amp service with two 200 amp disconnects because one feeds the shop and one the house. This was what was required by the power company in 2018. I think it's called a lever bypass if I recall correctly. There is a main breaker panel in the home and the shop with their own 200 amp main breakers.

[Brian Elfert]

Does just a main breaker in the panel next to the meter meet that new code? Sounds like it does to me.

Yes, that should qualify. In northern parts of the USA we don’t have the breaker panel outside.

[Andrew Seemann]

My meter base is a 400 amp service with two 200 amp disconnects because one feeds the shop and one the house. This was what was required by the power company in 2018. I think it's called a lever bypass if I recall correctly. There is a main breaker panel in the home and the shop with their own 200 amp main breakers.

The bypass in the meter box is so they power company can swap out your meter without disconnecting your power. The reason they told me (20 odd years ago) was so that people's burger alarms, internet, and other electronic stuff doesn't have a power loss.

[Ronald Blue]

The bypass in the meter box is so they power company can swap out your meter without disconnecting your power. The reason they told me (20 odd years ago) was so that people's burger alarms, internet, and other electronic stuff doesn't have a power loss.

That makes sense. Thanks for clarifying the purpose of the lever bypass.

[Bruce King]

My meter base is a 400 amp service with two 200 amp disconnects because one feeds the shop and one the house. This was what was required by the power company in 2018. I think it's called a lever bypass if I recall correctly. There is a main breaker panel in the home and the shop with their own 200 amp main breakers.

Look at the rating on the meter, they usually put in a 200 amp meter. I requested that they fix mine and they put in a 320 amp, said that was all they had.

[Brian Elfert]

Look at the rating on the meter, they usually put in a 200 amp meter. I requested that they fix mine and they put in a 320 amp, said that was all they had.

Even though it may be called 400 amp service the norm for residential is just to have a 320 amp meter. You would have to use a LOT of electricity at once to exceed 320 amps at 240 volts.

[Ronald Blue]

Even though it may be called 400 amp service the norm for residential is just to have a 320 amp meter. You would have to use a LOT of electricity at once to exceed 320 amps at 240 volts.

You are correct. I looked at the documents from the install and it was a 320 lever bypass meter base.