wrote in message
...
On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:52:26 -0600, bud--
wrote:

Existential Angst wrote:
"bud--" wrote in message
.. .
Existential Angst wrote:
It's funny, we started with copper, went to tinned copper, went back
to
copper, slid further back to effing aluminum (goodgawd), learned from
that mistake and went back to copper again. Altho power companies use
aluminum in parts of their service -- and steel!

As several people have said, steel is not used as a conductor.

Yeah, I just looked -- that guy wire I thought was steel indeed appears
to
be alum!

ACSR - aluminum cable steel reinforced. The neutral is bare aluminum
with one of the strands steel to support the drop. I think someone else
said about the same thing.


Most domestic service drops I have seen are just AAC, no steel core.


Everyone I've ever seen used by NYSEG and ConEd are aluminum with a steel
core



Phelps Dodge has a pretty good web site talking about the various
service drop cables.