I agree with John on this one - put in another meter socket downstream if you really want to experiment, and be sure to have a main disconnect besides the utility's meter. If you are changing the service entrance, you will likely have issues with the local permits for it, and with the utility company - they don't like to see anything unusual or confusing. A couple of years ago I put in a new service at our vacation house, that had an ancient mish-mosh of crap that was ready to catch on fire, stuffed into too small a panel, and with no main disconnect except by pulling the utility meter outside. I collected a nice new meter box/load center and other needed parts, assuming I could just have PGE pull the meter outside, replace the old load center with the new, and have my own meter and disconnect inside. When I applied for the permit from the county, this caused nothing but grief and confusion - they didn't understand, and neither did PGE, why anyone would want a second meter. They get suspicious I think, because they don't want multiple residences set up on single-residence zoning, so another meter is a red flag, even though I explained many times that it was just in series, for monitoring and alternative energy experiments such as grid-tie stuff to come later. Furthermore, I had to make it meet all current codes, which meant I needed to have a separate disconnect on the outside, and updated grounding. Ultimately, I ended up replacing the whole works with my new meter/load center on the outside, with PGE's meter installed, and another new meterless load center on the inside. It all worked out OK, but it became a week-long project involving a big hole in the wall and reframing, instead of a one day quick-changeout as I had planned. I can now change it and add meters and CTs and whatever, downstream, but I kind of lost interest after going through all that. The novelty wears off quickly when you have to first get all the basic stuff properly working. Also, whatever you add should be done in ways that are safe common sense-wise, and meet electrical codes. A mistake in fooling with a typical 200A 240V main may cause much more than a spark and a pop. Ed

On 04/30/2014 02:01 PM, ed breya wrote: > When I applied for the permit from the > county, this caused nothing but grief and confusion - they didn't > understand, and neither did PGE, why anyone would want a second meter. At my last house when the place was rewired after a fire, I anticipated this problem. I had the electrical contractor move the meter base about 4 ft away from the breaker panel and install the service disconnect on the far side of the meter. That gave me about 5 ft of conduit inside the house from the wall penetration to the breaker panel - plenty of room to cut in and add the second meter base after the inspection. Worked like a champ. John -- John DeArmond Tellico Plains, Occupied TN http://www.fluxeon.com <-- THE source for induction heaters http://www.neon-john.com <-- email from here http://www.johndearmond.com <-- Best damned Blog on the net PGP key: wwwkeys.pgp.net: BCB68D77