What Is a Meter Loop?
By Michael Straessle
A meter loop attaches to a pole near a mobile home or directly to the exterior of a house. They serve as a permanent service connection to electricity providers. The method for installing them depends on local city codes.
Features
All meter loops are comprised of a meter box, breaker box and a weather head at the top of a conduit coming up from the top of the meter box. The weather head, sometimes called a drip loop, prevents rain from traveling down the power lines into the breaker box.
Connections
The electricity provider connects service from the nearest transformer through the drip loop and down to the meter box. The meter box provides readings that tell the service provider the amount of electricity used. A licensed electrician connects the electricity from the meter box to the main breaker in the breaker box.
Safety
Meter loops installed correctly provide the best protection from electric shock and electrical fires. An 8-foot grounding rod goes in the ground right under the meter loop with a clamp at the top for the electrician to ground the electricity coming from the service provider. The ground bus inside the breaker box connects directly to this rod and all the individual breakers in the box connect to the ground bus.
Writer Bio
Michael Straessle has written professionally about the construction industry since 1988. He authored “What a Strange Little Man,” among other books, and his work has appeared in various online publications. Straessle earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in professional/technical writing.