"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
t...

"JC" wrote in message
...
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?

Copper that size is probably $2.50 a foot or so

As for the schedule 80, if he is talking steel, he is nuts. If he is
talking pvc, maybe. Code would not allow plain wire unless it is made for
burial.


Thanks to all for the responses. I have the 2005 NEC and some parts of it
seem to be typical governmental gobbeldy goop. For instance, on page 70-140,
right hand column #3 it says "Bare or Covered Conductors. Where bare or
covered conductors are used with insulated conductors, their allowable
ampacities shall be limited to those permitted for the adjacent insulated
conductors." Huh? What other type of conductors are there besides "bare" or
"covered"?


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

JC

www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com