Originally Posted By: bbadger This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
tallen wrote:
Just curious.
What is the size (AWG) of the triplex feeding a single residential property?
No standard answer 6 or 4 aluminum is very common.
The power company does not use copper.
tallen wrote:
Is it rated the same as other conductors in a raceway or dwelling?
Not by a long shot, the power company has a different method of sizing their conductors. Sometime it seems they just do what they want but their service drops almost never fail.
tallen wrote:
Does the fact that it is in "free air" matter?
Yes that is part of it, but primarily the power company goes by historical data they keep on service loads.
The service sizes produced by using the calculations in the NEC provide a larger service than is really necessary.
A power company engineer I know says that a more realistic figure of the 'real' load is 50% of the NEC calculated load.
This is how he sizes the transformers feeding dwelling units he has been at it many years so I have to imaging he is on the money or would have been fired for burning up expensive transformers.
Sorry for all the posts in a row but it seemed the only way to address everyone.
Questions?
Bob
-- Bob Badger
Electrical Construction & Maintenance
Moderator at ECN
Originally Posted By: bbadger This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
berby wrote:
Once again , is there a book i can read about panels or a  video
The books and videos I know of are geared to electricians, and while there is no reason an HI could not use those books I think most would not want to go that deep and those books cover many issues that you will ever see in dwelling units.
Perhaps one of the HIs here could recommend something a aimed at home electrical systems.
That said if you really want to learn I recommend Mike Holt's products.
Originally Posted By: Greg Fretwell This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I seem to remember the standard “200a” triplex everyone gets around here is #2. If I get a minute and think about it I will go check mine. The FPL guy told me is wasn’t really aluminum it was an alloy that was a bit harder than aluminum so it would handle the wind load (snow load up north I guess). He said it was closer to “strand”, the messenger/guy wire you see in non current carrying parts of the service.
Originally Posted By: Brian A. Goodman This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
tallen wrote:
Is it possible to put a 150 amp breaker in a panel rated at 125?
Possible, yes. A few of the manufacturers make plug-on, back-feeding breakers up to 225 amps, capable of fitting in any of their residential panels. As Bob noted, what is allowed is another thing.
Originally Posted By: pdickerson This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
How does one determine the current rating of a meter or meter socket. At my home, I have a service latteral that comes into the meter panel (no markings on this panel), the meter panel feeds a hot gutter in the garage (no markings in this panel), and the hot gutter feeds two 200a panels. The wires feeding the two panels are 4/0 Al. The meter is marrked 240V FM4S CL10 60Hz 3W Kh0.6 TA2.5. The home was built in 1991.
If I was inspecting this service, I would not be able to determine the service rating because: I don't know what the meter and meter panel are rated at, and I can't see the wires from the meter to the hot gutter. Does this sound right?
Originally Posted By: pdickerson This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Most of the meters I see have “CL200” printed on them. My assumption is that this means a 200 amp meter, but I hate making assumptions. The meter at my home says CL 10. I went to the ABB and Elster web sites, but I could not find the answer to my question.
video
