Original General Order 95

Section V

Detailed Construction Requirements for Supply Lines

(Class H, L and T Circuits)

58.4    Capacitors and Voltage Regulators

A.    Position on Pole

Where more than one capacitor or regulator is installed on a pole, all capacitors or regulators shall be placed on the same side of the pole.  Excepted from this requirement are capacitors which may be installed on opposite sides of a pole between the two arms of a double arm provided no transformers, regulators, or oil switches are installed on the same pole.

Capacitors or regulators shall not be installed on pole top extensions.

B.    Case and Lead wire Clearances

(1)    Above ground: Any capacitor or regulator shall be so located that the bottom of the case and associated metal parts shall not be less than 17 feet above ground.  The clearances above ground of leads to such apparatus shall conform to the requirements of Rule 58.3-B1a. 

(2)    From Buildings: Capacitors or regulators shall be so located that normally unenergized parts clear the surfaces of buildings by not less than 3 feet horizontally or by not less than 8 feet vertically.  Lead and bus wires carried as unprotected conductors shall have the clearances from building specified in Table 1, Cases 6 and 7.

(3)    Cases From Conductor levels below

a)    From 0-750 Volt Conductors Below: The vertical clearance of capacitor and regulator cases and their hangers from the level of 0-750 volt conductors below (whether such conductors are on crossarms or racks) shall not be less than 10 inches.

b)    From Conductors in Excess of 750 Volts Below: The vertical clearance of capacitor and regulator cases and their hangers from the level of conductors in excess of 750 volts below shall be not less than

12 inches for conductors of 750-7500 volts,

18 inches for conductors of 7500-20,000 volts, and

24 inches for conductors of 20,000-35,000 volts.

(4)    From Hardware: Capacitor or regulator cases hangers, and other metal parts in contact therewith shall clear through bolts, arm braces of metal, and other hardware elements, by not less than 1 ½ inches; except that such cases shall clear crossarm braces by not less than 1-inch air-gap distance and 1 1/2 –inch creepage distance.

(5)    From Guys: Capacitor or regulator cases and their hangers shall be not less than 4 inches from all portions of guys which are 6 inches or more from the surface of poles or crossarms at the guy attachments.  Such cases and hangers shall be not less than 1 ½ inches from all portions of guys which are within 6 inches of the surface of poles or crossarms at the guy attachment.

(6)    Treatment of Lead Wires: Vertical and lateral leads between line conductors and capacitors or regulators shall comply with Rules 54.6 and 54.4-C6; and with the clearances specified in Table 1, Cases 8 and 9; and Table 2, Cases 15, 16, and 17.  Where such leads enter cutouts or switches, Rule 58.5-C shall also apply.  Such lead wires may be installed in the working space but shall not be installed in the climbing space.

All lead wires shall clear braces, bolts and other line hardware a distance of not less than 1 ½ inches.

C.    Grounding and Bonding of Capacitors or Regulators

Cases of capacitors or regulators may be bonded together but shall not be bonded to cutout, metal pins, or dead-end hardware.

Cases of Capacitors shall not be grounded where such cases or any parts therof are within 8 feet vertically below, 4 feet vertically above 4 feet horizontally from any unprotected conductors.

Any capacitors or regulator which may be grounded in accordance with any provision of this rule shall be effectively grounded (see Rule 33.3).

D.    Cutouts or Other Disconnecting Devices

Cutouts, fuses, disconnects or switches used in connection with capacitors or regulators shall be so located so that they are readily accessible from climbing and working spaces.  Such devices or their connecting leads shall not extend into the climbing space, but may extend wholly or in part into the working space.

The vertical clearances of capacitor or regulator cutouts, fuses, etc., above the levels of conductors of other circuits shall be not less than the clearances required between conductors as specified in Table 2, Cases 8 to 13.