Milbank 4-5 Terminal Ringless Large Closing Plate 4 Position Meter Socket, 200 Ampere

Two builds carry a barrel lock provision: the U1254-X-KK-K3-BL takes a 9/16 inch barrel lock and the U1254-X-KK-K3-BLG takes a 7/8 inch barrel lock. Both are horn bypass with a single 4-600 kcmil connector, so the only difference between them is the hole size for the lock barrel. The utility supplies the lock, and the diameter is set by whichever barrel lock they standardize on, so match the provision to their lock and not the other way around. There is also a U1254-X-HSP with a stainless steel hasp instead, for a padlock rather than a barrel lock.

Two lug ranges are offered. The K3 builds, including U1254-X-K3, take a single connector rated 4-600 kcmil, which covers everything from #4 copper up to 600 kcmil aluminum on a 200 amp service. The K1 and K2 builds take 6-350 kcmil connectors, single on the U1254-X-KK-K1 and double on the U1254-X-K2-CAPL. Size the lug to your actual service entrance conductor: 4/0 aluminum or 2/0 copper for a typical 200 amp run lands comfortably in either range, but a parallel or oversized run for voltage drop can push past 350 kcmil, and that is when you need a K3.

Horn bypass, the KK suffix, adds a bypass mechanism inside the socket that lets the utility carry load around the meter so the meter can be pulled and changed without dropping power to the building. Most of the U1254-X builds carry it: U1254-X-KK is the plain horn bypass version, and the KK combinations pair it with specific lug ranges. Whether you need it is a utility call, not an installer preference. In territories that require bypass on 200 amp sockets, a non-bypass socket gets rejected at inspection. If you are replacing an existing socket, look at what came out.

Yes, three builds are made to specific utility requirements. The U1254-X-KK-K3-DLC is the Duquesne Light Company build, the U1254-X-KK-K3-DPL is the Delmarva Power and Light build, and the U1254-X-K2-CAPL is the Carolina Power and Light build with double 6-350 kcmil connectors. If you are working in one of those territories, order the utility-specific number rather than the generic socket. The utility spec build exists because that utility will not accept the standard one, and a generic socket set in a DLC or DPL territory means a second trip.

Work through four things in order, because the socket body is common to all of them and the suffixes are what differ. First, terminal count: standard 4 terminal, or the 5T build if your utility requires the isolated neutral stud. Second, bypass: the KK suffix if the utility wants horn bypass. Third, lug range: K3 for 4-600 kcmil, K1 or K2 for 6-350 kcmil, single or double connector depending on how many conductors land per phase. Fourth, sealing and mounting: a 9/16 or 7/8 inch barrel lock provision, a stainless steel hasp, or a pedestal mount provision. Photograph the old socket's nameplate and the utility's lock before ordering. Ringless sockets are not interchangeable with ring-type, so confirm the existing cover clamps with a closing plate.

The QG builds, U1254-X-QG-KK-K1 and U1254-X-QG-KK-K3, add a quadplex ground plate to the socket. That gives you four ground or neutral terminations inside the can instead of the standard arrangement, which is what you want when multiple grounding electrode conductors have to land at the service, a ground rod pair plus a water pipe bond plus the grounded conductor, for instance. Both QG builds are horn bypass. The K1 carries a single 6-350 kcmil connector and the K3 a double 6-350 kcmil connector.

One build is made for it. The U1254-X-KK-K3-PED includes a pedestal mount provision, with horn bypass and a single 4-600 kcmil connector. That is the one to order for a freestanding pedestal or pole-set meter, common on rural services, mobile home feeds, and site utilities where there is no building wall to hang the socket on. The other U1254-X builds are surface mount and do not carry the pedestal provision.

The U1254-X is a service entrance meter socket, which is the exterior-mounted enclosure the utility's meter plugs into on the outside of a building. Setting it outdoors is the normal application. One build, the U1254-X-HSP, comes with a stainless steel hasp, which holds up better than plated steel in coastal or high-humidity locations where a standard hasp corrodes and the utility ends up cutting it off.