On Feb 19, 4:44*pm, "JC" wrote:
I'm switching from a 100 to a 200 amp service. I'm going to lay new cable
from the meter, 185 feet, underground, to the entrance of the house. I have
a retired city electrical inspector (I'm out in the county where no
inspections are required) that is going to do the connections and some
inside work. He told me the other day that I needed to use #2 copper cable
unless it was over 200 feet and then would have to go to #3 (or vice
versa -- that's not the question) in schedule 80 EIGHTY!!! pipe. The
question is, why copper instead of aluminum and why in the world he call for
schedule 80??? I have cattle trucks, loaded 18 wheelers, run over schedule
40 all day long and never have a crack. The original wire is not in any pipe
at all.

If left to my own devices I'd just run 185 feet of whatever size cable
required with no pipe. Is this guy doing some overkill here just to be on
the safe side?

--
The doctors have narrowed my condition
down to two ailments. They say I either
have arthritis or rigor mortis.

JC

www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com

We just put in Schedule 80 for our 600 amp service. Phone went in
schedule 40 (6" for no apparent reason). Cable went down as a cable/
conduit combo wire. Then, under our driveway they required 6" of
concrete on top of the conduit. Personally, I think the concrete was
overkill.

Then they required conduit to within 3" of the transformer on the
pole.