> There has been a lot of talk about stranded conductors. You have trouble
> getting stranded much larger than >AWG#2 cu from most wholesale houses.
Until recently stranded 00 and 000 in Copper were quite common for the run
from the meter to the breaker panel. 00 for 200 Amp service.
> Larger would bee a bear to bend and work with.
It was and is. Unfortunately they replaced 2 ought Copper with 4 ought
Aluminum (still stranded). I'd much rather work with the 00 Copper, We had
to use pipe benders to get the 4 ought Aluminum through the conduit.
However Copper now costs a fortune. Even Romex is going out of sight. One
wholesaler said that a box of #14 is now over $100 and we were paying less
than half that a year ago.
>For grounding the wire usually has the minimum number of
>stranding and each strand are equal to AWG #10 or better. They are never
>tinned as this is just adding >another dissimilar metal to the situation.
I've never seen tinned 00 and larger although I'm sure it exists.
> For connection where Cadwelding is too expensive or not possible (I.E. an
> operating telephone switching >room or other sensitive area) the use of a
> mechanically compressed type of connection. The connector is a >approved
> type of connector in a sleeve of "C" shaped configuration. These are
> available at your local >electrical supply houses. They also will rent or
> even lend you a "demonstrator" Hypress crimper to apply >these if you
> explain the ham radio aspect of it.
> For those tat still want to use some type of solder/brazing I would
> suggest the use of a bolt on device called
>a acorn clamp. They are an oval shaped alloy of copper device with one
>large set screw on the larger radius >of the oval. Bolt this on to the rod
>top with the wire opposite of the bolt. If you are continuing on to another
> >rod, don't break wire and continue on. Then you can use either method you
>chose to cover all with the filler >metal. This will give you a connection
>no matter how hot it gets during strike.
If I understand this correctly the wire would have to be bent down through
the clamp and then bent back straight to go to the next ground rod. They
generally emphasize, no sharp bends in the ground system.
73
Roger Halstead (K8RI and ARRL 40 year Life Member)
N833R - World's oldest Debonair CD-2
www.rogerhalstead.com
> The maximum current allowable in a conductor is always in free air, never
> in soil or insulated with any thing(except maybe chilled oil not a common
> application).The duration of a lightning makes this a moot point as
> dissipation doesn't have much time to work.Also lightning doesn't play by
> the rules as it runs along the ground or near ground surface. I can run
> along your radial system and jump many feet off end to something else it
> likes better. For a mental picture think of a run of perforated pipe
> laying on ground.Squirt a high pressure high volume water jet into one
> end. Some of the water will make it all the way through with pressure
> enough to spray out.
>
> 73
> Nick
> WB7PEK
>
>
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