New Siding Older Home

[HowAboutThis]

Getting quotes for Hardie plank over existing t1-11. Early 1990's home and they'll just replace some bad t1-11 sections, weather wrap it, waterproof the windows, and then put Hardie over it. I don't know much about the waterproofing things, but understand what "shingling" looks like to keep water on the outside of the weather wrap if wind driven rain gets through.

My question relates to the electric meter. The front face of the metal box is basically flush to the current t1-11. So mounted in the wall cavity of the garage wall right behind the box of circuit breakers. The previous owner had a wooden box-like structure around it and cracked caulking between the metal box and t1-11. I removed the brittle caulking a few years ago and put new around it, along with all the windows and such. The current windows just have caulking between the frames and t1-11 similar to what the electric meter box has. The meter box MAYBE protrudes 1/8th inch but it's basically recessed flush with the t1-11. Minimal metal box beyond the t1-11.

After one of the contractors pondered it for a moment, and the previous didn't even flinch as he looked at it, I started googling about it and it's hard to find any info on how to flash it out so rain doesn't get around it and into the garage wall in the future.

Anyway, my imagination just can't come up with how they'd "shingle" the house wrap and weather tape if the box is recessed flush without pulling the box forward some. But wouldn't that require an electrician or power company approval?

I just want the work done well and to know if they're cutting corners to get paid and not really doing their due diligence.

 

[JTK]

If you can't remove the meter channel, they'll have to work around it. I had a new electrical service done last year on my home. My ~54yr/old home still has it's original aluminum siding on it and had a similar wooden structure as you describe, that the meter was attached to. As much as I kept up on it with paint and calk, it was pretty well rotted. When I had the electrical service done, they mounted the new meter channel to a pre made plastic "J-block". A bare section right down to the original tar paper remained above the meter, so per my request, they fit that with a piece of vinyl wood and calked around it. It's ugly, as is my siding, but it's structurally sound and good enough for me for now.

 

[HowAboutThis]

If you can't remove the meter channel, they'll have to work around it. I had a new electrical service done last year on my home. My ~54yr/old home still has it's original aluminum siding on it and had a similar wooden structure as you describe, that the meter was attached to. As much as I kept up on it with paint and calk, it was pretty well rotted. When I had the electrical service done, they mounted the new meter channel to a pre made plastic "J-block". A bare section right down to the original tar paper remained above the meter, so per my request, they fit that with a piece of vinyl wood and calked around it. It's ugly, as is my siding, but it's structurally sound and good enough for me for now.

View attachment 348706

I'll try to get a picture, but mine is in the wall. Not mounted on top. The thickness of the meter box is in between interior garage studs and the metal face of the box is flush with t1-11 on the exterior. So imagine taking your picture and pushing it into your wall so you can't see the thickness, only with face of the metal. The house next to us is similar. The one next to that is mounted externally like yours but they updated theirs due to solar a few years ago. So I think it must've been "a thing" back in the 90's and before. The instructions I could find online from electric companies had a "flush-mount install directions" and the diagram looked like what I'm talking about. But how would they even open the metal box since it's so tight?

It just seems stupid and I'm wondering if the siding people should be recommending we have an electrician come in with permission from the electric company and mount it on the exterior. It's the but our front door walkway so having it protrude would leave a narrow walking space. The electric company stuff I could find online said meters have to be within 10 feet of the front of the structure on the side the main wires enter the property...so it makes sense why it's where it is, but I don't get how they're going to waterproof it without removing it and doing something like your picture shows if they can't tape over the actual metal box to make the "shingling" so water goes over and around it rather than behind it.

 

[JayhawkRoy]

perhaps you get an electrician first to explore options. I think there are weatherproof boxes that might serve you well. See what he says and then and let the siding guys do their siding work. That is how I would approach it. Payng for good consult is generally worth it.

 

[HowAboutThis]

perhaps you get an electrician first to explore options. I think there are weatherproof boxes that might serve you well. See what he says and then and let the siding guys do their siding work. That is how I would approach it. Payng for good consult is generally worth it.

It's a weatherproof box, I'm pretty certain, it's just mounted between the studs instead of on the exterior of the house. Our neighbors is similar. But there's just a gap around it between it and the siding so rain hitting the house can get into the wall cavity. It seems odd the electric company allows it, code allowed it even in 1990, and when they updated the meter in the last decades to a smart meter they allowed it.

 

[JayhawkRoy]

I'm not an expert but I think the electrician can build it up to protrude the way you want and eliminate the gap issue. I also think an oversized properly weatherproofed box lid would also remedy this.

 

[HowAboutThis]

Here's a picture of the meter. Along the top looks like flashing. There's caulking around the edges. The bottom is very tight against the t1-11. I'm assuming the metal plate is removable if the meter is unplugged/removed for utility access?