[TowerTalk] Fwd: shack wiring

[John Ammeter]

The wire from the pole to the house is intentionally undersized for a 
reason.  It's to limit the fault current should a line to line or line 
to ground short occur in your meter socket or house panel.

The wire size is chosen based on distance from the xmfr to the house and 
current limiter requirements.

When I had the power company install my underground service they 
initially installed a smaller size conductor.  I asked them if that puny 
wire was going to used as a pull wire??.....  They replaced it with 350 
MCM Aluminum for my 400 Amp service.  For the relatively short run 
either would have worked but it's much easier to simply install larger 
wire at first rather than change it out later should I actually find I 
need larger wire.  I worked for an electric utility at the time and 
could "speak their language" so got great service from the crew....

John Ammeter
KE7JA

On 8/4/2010 8:44 AM, Don Tucker wrote:
> Just what should the wire size be from the pole xmfr to the house and into
> the 200A panel?
>
> Don W7WLL
>
> ## ha ha.   I had the power co guy's out here a few months back..and asked
> them
> the same thing.  Their answer was... "go ahead and burn it right off the
> pole" .
> Here in NA, we are being sold a bill of goods.   Everyone has '200 A'
> service...
> but the drop wire into each home is just 1-0  stranded AL.... which then
> gets
> spliced into 3-000 stranded CU. .. then into the meter base  [which is the
> most
> mickey mouse, piss poor design you ever saw, regardless of who makes em] ..
> then into main 200A panel.. which imo, they all use undersize buss bars.
>
>
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