This document discloses a pedestal which is mountable on a building foundation for making metered power available during construction of a building on the foundation.
Utility meter pedestals have been designed and patented for pre-construction mounting on a building foundation; i.e. mounting on a foundation prior to and during construction of walls and other building component on the foundation during a construction phase. In all such prior art pedestals a temporary power outlet is provided in association with a meter in a primary meter housing so as to provide metered 110-volt, 20 amp power to workman using tools during the construction phase that require 110-volt electrical power. Examples are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,879,641 issued Apr. 22, 1975 in which the auxiliary or temporary power outlet is provided in a box 138, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,467 by box 26 and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,212 at box 54. In all cases, the temporary power outlet boxes are removed after the construction phase is finished to the point where the temporary power outlet is no longer needed. This, however, requires access to the primary power connections in the main meter box a procedure which requires the expertise of an electrician.
The primary purpose of the present invention disclosed herein is to eliminate the separate pre-construction, temporary power outlet box from the pedestal along with the need to disconnect and remove it after construction is finished. In general, this is accomplished by providing a meter housing which is mountable on an elongate support with provision to accommodate underground service cables wherein the housing accommodates both a main meter with service disconnect as well as an accessible 110 volt 20 amp outlet. The housing is mountable by means of said support on a foundation in the pre-construction phase. The housing provides upper and lower interior compartments, the upper compartment of which is provided with the electrical apparatus necessary to receive and activate a conventional electric utility meter. The apparatus may, for example, be as shown U.S. Pat. No. 7,850,483 issued Dec. 4, 2010 and assigned to Milbank Manufacturing Company of Kansas City Mo.
The lower compartment is provided with an interior panel, preferably made of metal and painted or otherwise finished for durability. This interior panel has mounted thereon in user accessible fashion a duplex 110-volt outlet and a single pole 20 amp switch acting as a breaker for controlling power from the meter apparatus to the outlet. In addition, the lower compartment includes an outer panel which mounts fully over the inner panel and can be locked to prevent or at least limit access to the 110 volt 20 amp outlet and the switch which controls power to the outlet, thus, eliminating the need to provide and ultimately remove a separate temporary power outlet box. This not only eliminates the necessity for removal of the temporary outlet but also provides additional convenience to the owner/occupant of the building post construction by making electrical power available for use outside the building for, by way of example, lawn maintenance equipment or other 110-volt accessories/devices.
Referring to the figures, a utility meter pedestal 10 according to the present invention is shown to comprise an elongate steel support member 12 having attached to it at the upper end a painted steel meter housing 16 using threaded fasteners. The support member 12 also carries toward the bottom end a plate 18 shown in
The combination further comprises a plastic tube 20 which is secured to the bottom of the meter housing 16 to bring underground service cables 17 into the meter box for attachment to the meter and to the series of individual circuits that go into the building. Clamps may be used to secure the plastic tube 20 to the support member 12 at one or more places along its length. The complete pedestal is approximately five feet ten inches tall.
The meter housing comprises an upper compartment defined in the FIGS. by a metal front panel 24 of painted metal such as steel having a circular opening 26 through which the meter glass face extends in conventional fashion. The front panel 24 has a latch fixture 28 that allows it to be secured in place for limited access by, for example, a utility company representative.
The meter housing 16 further comprises a lower compartment defined in part by a removable front panel 30 of painted metal having a latch 31 at the bottom so as to be removable to provide access to the interior thereof as shown in
In addition, the interior panel 32 carries a 110-volt 20 amp duplex outlet 36 connected to a single pole 20 amp switch 38 readily accessed by a user once the front panel 30 is removed. The outlet 36 and switch 38 are wired into the main power supply as shown in
As shown in
A threaded fastener 42 is provided at the bottom of the lower panel 32 which allows it to be removed by an appropriate tool as shown in the drawing to provide access to the interior of the lower compartment. With panel 32 removed, as shown in
In summary, the pedestal carries a meter housing with two compartments: the upper compartment providing a conventional mounting structure for an electric utility meter and the lower compartment providing controlled access to a switch controlled, 110-volt 20 amp duplex outlet during the construction phase. The lower outer panel 30 shown in the open condition for access to the duplex plug outlet 36 and the switch 38 can, when construction is either paused or finished, be put in place and locked to limit access to the duplex outlet 36 and the switch 38. Therefore, the mechanisms and components that provide temporary power during the construction phase do not have to be removed but, for additional convenience for the building owner and user, can remain in place accessible through the use of simple tools and/or locking mechanisms to provide outdoor 110-volt 20 amp service.
It is to be understood that the invention covered by this document has been described and illustrated with respect to an illustrative embodiment and that various changes in shape, size, configuration and other aspects can be made without departing from the scope and content of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
3879641 | Byrd | Apr 1975 | A |
4751610 | Nickola | Jun 1988 | A |
4833566 | Nickola | May 1989 | A |
4864467 | Byrd et al. | Sep 1989 | A |
4977482 | Langdon | Dec 1990 | A |
5400212 | Hanson | Mar 1995 | A |
7397652 | Price | Jul 2008 | B2 |
7435902 | Thornton | Oct 2008 | B2 |
7850483 | Siglock et al. | Dec 2010 | B2 |
7905748 | Benke | Mar 2011 | B2 |
8089747 | Storck | Jan 2012 | B2 |
8467171 | Brown | Jun 2013 | B2 |
9054510 | Cardin | Jun 2015 | B2 |
20040165340 | Wilfong | Aug 2004 | A1 |