Hi,
My wife and I just bought our first house. It's a great house but needs
some attention here and there (what else is new, right?). It has a full
basement with a crawl-space under an addition.
Getting to the point: I found where the power lines come into the house from
the pole (it's a farm house). They come into the crawl-space through a
short conduit but the conduit ends and the lines are just laying on the
dirt. I know this isn't great but I know where to cut the power at the pole
so I can run them through more conduit before entering the fuse box. My
question is this; there are six lines running into the crawl-space, three of
which go to the fuse box and three just laying on the dirt, no caps or
anything, just chopped off flush and laying there. The box is 100 amp and
the previous owner said there is 200 amps coming into the house. How can I
tell if the cables lying on the dirt are hot? Why are there six lines, does
that make 33-1/3 amps per line? I would like to run one or two of these
unused lines to my garage (to it's own panel).
Thoughts? Comments? Panick attacks?

Okay, sorry, brain-fart. I'm assuming one of the lines running into the box
is for the ground bock. So that would be 50 amps per line?

On Feb 19, 4:06*pm, "Mac" wrote:
Hi,
My wife and I just bought our first house. *It's a great house but needs
some attention here and there (what else is new, right?). *It has a full
basement with a crawl-space under an addition.
Getting to the point: I found where the power lines come into the house from
the pole (it's a farm house). *They come into the crawl-space through a
short conduit but the conduit ends and the lines are just laying on the
dirt. *I know this isn't great but I know where to cut the power at the pole
so I can run them through more conduit before entering the fuse box. *My
question is this; there are six lines running into the crawl-space, three of
which go to the fuse box and three just laying on the dirt, no caps or
anything, just chopped off flush and laying there. *The box is 100 amp and
the previous owner said there is 200 amps coming into the house. *How can I
tell if the cables lying on the dirt are hot? *Why are there six lines, does
that make 33-1/3 amps per line? *I would like to run one or two of these
unused lines to my garage (to it's own panel).
Thoughts? Comments? *Panick attacks?

How about the inspection by the city, what did they say. Call them.

"Mac" wrote in message ...
Hi,
My wife and I just bought our first house. It's a great house but needs
some attention here and there (what else is new, right?). It has a full
basement with a crawl-space under an addition.
Getting to the point: I found where the power lines come into the house
from the pole (it's a farm house). They come into the crawl-space through
a short conduit but the conduit ends and the lines are just laying on the
dirt. I know this isn't great but I know where to cut the power at the
pole so I can run them through more conduit before entering the fuse box.
My question is this; there are six lines running into the crawl-space,
three of which go to the fuse box and three just laying on the dirt, no
caps or anything, just chopped off flush and laying there. The box is 100
amp and the previous owner said there is 200 amps coming into the house.
How can I tell if the cables lying on the dirt are hot? Why are there six
lines, does that make 33-1/3 amps per line? I would like to run one or
two of these unused lines to my garage (to it's own panel).
Thoughts? Comments? Panick attacks?


You have to see how or what they're connected to on the outside of the
house.I would suspect there is a meter outside, but not necessarily.
A typical 120/240 volt service will have three wires coming in, two hot legs
and a neutral. A larger service can have parallel conductors, two sets of
hot legs and one set of neutrals, however the smallest allowable size
conductor that can be in parallel is #1/0, which would probably make it
more than 200 amp. Because of the variety of unknowns in your situation, I
would have a local electrician stop over and check it out, and give you all
the details and possibilities. Good luck with the new house

"ransley" wrote in message
...
On Feb 19, 4:06 pm, "Mac" wrote:
Hi,
My wife and I just bought our first house. It's a great house but needs
some attention here and there (what else is new, right?). It has a full
basement with a crawl-space under an addition.
Getting to the point: I found where the power lines come into the house
from
the pole (it's a farm house). They come into the crawl-space through a
short conduit but the conduit ends and the lines are just laying on the
dirt. I know this isn't great but I know where to cut the power at the
pole
so I can run them through more conduit before entering the fuse box. My
question is this; there are six lines running into the crawl-space, three
of
which go to the fuse box and three just laying on the dirt, no caps or
anything, just chopped off flush and laying there. The box is 100 amp and
the previous owner said there is 200 amps coming into the house. How can I
tell if the cables lying on the dirt are hot? Why are there six lines,
does
that make 33-1/3 amps per line? I would like to run one or two of these
unused lines to my garage (to it's own panel).
Thoughts? Comments? Panick attacks?

How about the inspection by the city, what did they say. Call them.

What city is it that inspects electrical wiring at farmhouses?

Mac wrote:
....
Getting to the point: I found where the power lines come into the house from
the pole (it's a farm house). They come into the crawl-space through a
short conduit but the conduit ends and the lines are just laying on the
dirt. I know this isn't great but I know where to cut the power at the pole
so I can run them through more conduit before entering the fuse box. My
question is this; there are six lines running into the crawl-space, three of
which go to the fuse box and three just laying on the dirt, no caps or
anything, just chopped off flush and laying there. The box is 100 amp and
the previous owner said there is 200 amps coming into the house. How can I
tell if the cables lying on the dirt are hot? Why are there six lines, does
that make 33-1/3 amps per line? I would like to run one or two of these
unused lines to my garage (to it's own panel).
Thoughts? Comments? Panick attacks?

a) I'd simply pick the cable up and use cable clamps to run it across
the joists -- don't see any real need for the conduit. Can if want, but
for what purpose?

b) The six wires are two sets of two 240V feeds or, more likely a pair
of feeds and a spare/future expansion pull. I'd guess the cut-off set
aren't hot, but I'd certainly not count on that until I had measured the
voltage on them or traced them back to the other end to make sure
they're either not hooked up at the other end, too, or on a pulled fuse
or a thrown breaker at the pole/meter/whereever.

240V service consists of 2 "hots" and a neutral; that's the three of
each set.

What service is rated for depends on what the meter size and the service
wire size(s) are. It sorta' sounds like he had two 100A drops made but
only hooked up one.

Again, I'd not trust that conclusion until verified it.

You _CAN_ measure the voltage carefully w/ a VOM/DVM whatever you have,
but you need to be _dxxx_ careful as you do it. The voltage is "only"
240V max, but there's a lot of current behind it if it is hot and not
just a 15 or 20A breaker for a "little short" to trip. If you're not
comfortable around power and used to doing such stuff (and it doesn't
really sound as though you are), I'd follow the recommendation of the
other poster and get an electrician to tell you what you got.

--

On Feb 19, 4:34*pm, "RBM" wrote:
"ransley" wrote in message

...
On Feb 19, 4:06 pm, "Mac" wrote:





Hi,
My wife and I just bought our first house. It's a great house but needs
some attention here and there (what else is new, right?). It has a full
basement with a crawl-space under an addition.
Getting to the point: I found where the power lines come into the house
from
the pole (it's a farm house). They come into the crawl-space through a
short conduit but the conduit ends and the lines are just laying on the
dirt. I know this isn't great but I know where to cut the power at the
pole
so I can run them through more conduit before entering the fuse box. My
question is this; there are six lines running into the crawl-space, three
of
which go to the fuse box and three just laying on the dirt, no caps or
anything, just chopped off flush and laying there. The box is 100 amp and
the previous owner said there is 200 amps coming into the house. How can I
tell if the cables lying on the dirt are hot? Why are there six lines,
does
that make 33-1/3 amps per line? I would like to run one or two of these
unused lines to my garage (to it's own panel).
Thoughts? Comments? Panick attacks?

How about the inspection by the city, what did they say. Call them.

What city is it that inspects electrical wiring at farmhouses?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The one that collects the TAX on the property. The same one that
inspects it for safety and sale. So thats all of them.

ransley wrote:
....

The one that collects the TAX on the property. The same one that
inspects it for safety and sale. So thats all of them.

That would be none...not in a city jurisdiction and the county doesn't
have inspections so that would negate "all"...

--

"ransley" wrote in message
...
On Feb 19, 4:34 pm, "RBM" wrote:
"ransley" wrote in message

...
On Feb 19, 4:06 pm, "Mac" wrote:





Hi,
My wife and I just bought our first house. It's a great house but needs
some attention here and there (what else is new, right?). It has a full
basement with a crawl-space under an addition.
Getting to the point: I found where the power lines come into the house
from
the pole (it's a farm house). They come into the crawl-space through a
short conduit but the conduit ends and the lines are just laying on the
dirt. I know this isn't great but I know where to cut the power at the
pole
so I can run them through more conduit before entering the fuse box. My
question is this; there are six lines running into the crawl-space,
three
of
which go to the fuse box and three just laying on the dirt, no caps or
anything, just chopped off flush and laying there. The box is 100 amp
and
the previous owner said there is 200 amps coming into the house. How can
I
tell if the cables lying on the dirt are hot? Why are there six lines,
does
that make 33-1/3 amps per line? I would like to run one or two of these
unused lines to my garage (to it's own panel).
Thoughts? Comments? Panick attacks?

How about the inspection by the city, what did they say. Call them.

What city is it that inspects electrical wiring at farmhouses?- Hide
quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The one that collects the TAX on the property. The same one that
inspects it for safety and sale. So thats all of them.


I've never heard of such a thing. In the suburb of NYC where I live, there's
no government entity that does anything like that. If you want something
inspected, you hire yourself an inspector

On Feb 19, 6:47*pm, "RBM" wrote:
"ransley" wrote in message

...
On Feb 19, 4:34 pm, "RBM" wrote:





"ransley" wrote in message

...
On Feb 19, 4:06 pm, "Mac" wrote:

Hi,
My wife and I just bought our first house. It's a great house but needs
some attention here and there (what else is new, right?). It has a full
basement with a crawl-space under an addition.
Getting to the point: I found where the power lines come into the house
from
the pole (it's a farm house). They come into the crawl-space through a
short conduit but the conduit ends and the lines are just laying on the
dirt. I know this isn't great but I know where to cut the power at the
pole
so I can run them through more conduit before entering the fuse box. My
question is this; there are six lines running into the crawl-space,
three
of
which go to the fuse box and three just laying on the dirt, no caps or
anything, just chopped off flush and laying there. The box is 100 amp
and
the previous owner said there is 200 amps coming into the house. How can
I
tell if the cables lying on the dirt are hot? Why are there six lines,
does
that make 33-1/3 amps per line? I would like to run one or two of these
unused lines to my garage (to it's own panel).
Thoughts? Comments? Panick attacks?

How about the inspection by the city, what did they say. Call them.

What city is it that inspects electrical wiring at farmhouses?- Hide
quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The one that collects the TAX on the property. The same one that
inspects it for safety and sale. So thats all of them.

I've never heard of such a thing. In the suburb of NYC where I live, there's
no government entity that does anything like that. If you want something
inspected, you hire yourself an inspector- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Rural farmhouse and NYC are oxymorons. For the rest of the country
they dont come out and inspect even in the rest of NY state.

Jimmie

"dpb" wrote in message ...
Mac wrote:
...
Getting to the point: I found where the power lines come into the house
from the pole (it's a farm house). They come into the crawl-space
through a short conduit but the conduit ends and the lines are just
laying on the dirt. I know this isn't great but I know where to cut the
power at the pole so I can run them through more conduit before entering
the fuse box. My question is this; there are six lines running into the
crawl-space, three of which go to the fuse box and three just laying on
the dirt, no caps or anything, just chopped off flush and laying there.
The box is 100 amp and the previous owner said there is 200 amps coming
into the house. How can I tell if the cables lying on the dirt are hot?
Why are there six lines, does that make 33-1/3 amps per line? I would
like to run one or two of these unused lines to my garage (to it's own
panel).
Thoughts? Comments? Panick attacks?

a) I'd simply pick the cable up and use cable clamps to run it across the
joists -- don't see any real need for the conduit. Can if want, but for
what purpose?

b) The six wires are two sets of two 240V feeds or, more likely a pair of
feeds and a spare/future expansion pull. I'd guess the cut-off set aren't
hot, but I'd certainly not count on that until I had measured the voltage
on them or traced them back to the other end to make sure they're either
not hooked up at the other end, too, or on a pulled fuse or a thrown
breaker at the pole/meter/whereever.

240V service consists of 2 "hots" and a neutral; that's the three of each
set.

What service is rated for depends on what the meter size and the service
wire size(s) are. It sorta' sounds like he had two 100A drops made but
only hooked up one.

Again, I'd not trust that conclusion until verified it.

You _CAN_ measure the voltage carefully w/ a VOM/DVM whatever you have,
but you need to be _dxxx_ careful as you do it. The voltage is "only"
240V max, but there's a lot of current behind it if it is hot and not just
a 15 or 20A breaker for a "little short" to trip. If you're not
comfortable around power and used to doing such stuff (and it doesn't
really sound as though you are), I'd follow the recommendation of the
other poster and get an electrician to tell you what you got.

--


Okay, so I shouldn't stand in a puddle of water and grab ahold of the bare
wires, got it.
I don't mean to be flip, I know a of of folks with a lot of drive and little
sense. Fortunately I'm not one of them. Life's been pretty tough lately, I
don't want to make it worse....or over.
My first thoughts were that the lines couldn't be hot but I checked the
breaker on the pole and it is a 200 amp breaker. Of course everything is
hidden in conduit so I can't see if it's hooked up.
I suppose I need to cal an electrician to access the box at the pole.
Thanks everyone,
-Mac

ransley wrote:
On Feb 19, 4:34 pm, "RBM" wrote:
"ransley" wrote in message

...
On Feb 19, 4:06 pm, "Mac" wrote:





Hi,
My wife and I just bought our first house. It's a great house but needs
some attention here and there (what else is new, right?). It has a full
basement with a crawl-space under an addition.
Getting to the point: I found where the power lines come into the house
from
the pole (it's a farm house). They come into the crawl-space through a
short conduit but the conduit ends and the lines are just laying on the
dirt. I know this isn't great but I know where to cut the power at the
pole
so I can run them through more conduit before entering the fuse box. My
question is this; there are six lines running into the crawl-space, three
of
which go to the fuse box and three just laying on the dirt, no caps or
anything, just chopped off flush and laying there. The box is 100 amp and
the previous owner said there is 200 amps coming into the house. How can I
tell if the cables lying on the dirt are hot? Why are there six lines,
does
that make 33-1/3 amps per line? I would like to run one or two of these
unused lines to my garage (to it's own panel).
Thoughts? Comments? Panick attacks?
How about the inspection by the city, what did they say. Call them.

What city is it that inspects electrical wiring at farmhouses?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The one that collects the TAX on the property. The same one that
inspects it for safety and sale. So thats all of them.

Snort. In the parts of the country where I have had contact with
inspectors, once you are outside city limits, the inspections, if any,
are drive-bys. Some of the 'stupids' I found in the addition to this
place definitely would not have passed a real inspection. Around here,
as long as they get their cash for the permit, and recognize the name of
the person doing the work, they are happy.

--
aem sends...

"Mac" wrote in message
Getting to the point: I found where the power lines come into the house
from the pole (it's a farm house). They come into the crawl-space through
a short conduit but the conduit ends and the lines are just laying on the
dirt. I know this isn't great but I know where to cut the power at the
pole so I can run them through more conduit before entering the fuse box.
My question is this; there are six lines running into the crawl-space,
three of which go to the fuse box and three just laying on the dirt, no
caps or anything, just chopped off flush and laying there. The box is 100
amp and the previous owner said there is 200 amps coming into the house.
How can I tell if the cables lying on the dirt are hot? Why are there six
lines, does that make 33-1/3 amps per line? I would like to run one or
two of these unused lines to my garage (to it's own panel).
Thoughts? Comments? Panick attacks?


There are a few possibilities. If the wires are on the ground they most
likely dead, but check anyway. There are simple testers that you can touch
to the wire end and it will indicate power.

I don't know your abilities, but if you don't know how to test them you
probably should call an electrician that can do the test and show you how.
Better to spend a few bucks that risk a jolt. As for running them to the
garage, that depends on what, if anything, they are connected to.

Aloe, no, they are not 33 1/3 or 50 amps per line, Two are 120V each and
one is neutral in typical home wiring. If it is a farm that had heavy
equipment, it is also possible that there was/is three phase power.

In article , "Mac" wrote:

there are six lines running into the crawl-space, three of
which go to the fuse box and three just laying on the dirt, no caps or
anything, just chopped off flush and laying there.

Are the cut-off cables the SAME as the three going to the fuse box? If
not, it's likely they are abandoned cables - that NEW cables were added
later and pulled through the same conduit.

As for them laying on the dirt: I would LEAVE them alone unless you
plan to USE the space thereby exposing the cables to potential damage.
That is, of course, assuming the space is perfectly dry. Then again, if
they are suitable for direct burial, laying on the ground shouldn't hurt
a thing.

The recommendation to clamp them to overhead joists is a good one but
there might not be enough slack to do so.

For not a WHOLE LOT of $$ more than ordinary conduit, you could enclose
them in "split duct" which would allow them to remain in service while
being enclosed. This would provide excellent mechanical protection
allowing them to STAY laying on the ground. Good luck!
--

JR

"Jim Redelfs" wrote in message
...
In article , "Mac" wrote:

there are six lines running into the crawl-space, three of
which go to the fuse box and three just laying on the dirt, no caps or
anything, just chopped off flush and laying there.

Are the cut-off cables the SAME as the three going to the fuse box? If
not, it's likely they are abandoned cables - that NEW cables were added
later and pulled through the same conduit.

As for them laying on the dirt: I would LEAVE them alone unless you
plan to USE the space thereby exposing the cables to potential damage.
That is, of course, assuming the space is perfectly dry. Then again, if
they are suitable for direct burial, laying on the ground shouldn't hurt
a thing.

The recommendation to clamp them to overhead joists is a good one but
there might not be enough slack to do so.

For not a WHOLE LOT of $$ more than ordinary conduit, you could enclose
them in "split duct" which would allow them to remain in service while
being enclosed. This would provide excellent mechanical protection
allowing them to STAY laying on the ground. Good luck!
--

JR

Yes, they are exactly the same. This fact along with the seller's claim
that 200 amps are running into the house but only 100 hooked up tells me
that they are either hot or just need to be hooked up.
I have a multitester so can test them fairly easily.
I'll take all precautions.
Thanks for the split-conduit idea. I would still kill the power at the pole
but at least I wouldn't need to unhook from the panel.
-Mac

On Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:10:14 -0600, Mac wrote:

"Jim Redelfs" wrote in message
...
In article , "Mac" wrote:

there are six lines running into the crawl-space, three of
which go to the fuse box and three just laying on the dirt, no caps or
anything, just chopped off flush and laying there.

Are the cut-off cables the SAME as the three going to the fuse box? If
not, it's likely they are abandoned cables - that NEW cables were added
later and pulled through the same conduit.

As for them laying on the dirt: I would LEAVE them alone unless you
plan to USE the space thereby exposing the cables to potential damage.
That is, of course, assuming the space is perfectly dry. Then again, if
they are suitable for direct burial, laying on the ground shouldn't hurt
a thing.

The recommendation to clamp them to overhead joists is a good one but
there might not be enough slack to do so.

For not a WHOLE LOT of $$ more than ordinary conduit, you could enclose
them in "split duct" which would allow them to remain in service while
being enclosed. This would provide excellent mechanical protection
allowing them to STAY laying on the ground. Good luck!
--

JR

Yes, they are exactly the same. This fact along with the seller's claim
that 200 amps are running into the house but only 100 hooked up tells me
that they are either hot or just need to be hooked up.
I have a multitester so can test them fairly easily.
I'll take all precautions.
Thanks for the split-conduit idea. I would still kill the power at the pole
but at least I wouldn't need to unhook from the panel.
-Mac


Only a person who doesn't understand electricity could make such a statement.

You can only have 200 amps running into a house if you have enough power
consumption to cause such a current draw.

A house could be wired to handle 1000 amps, but unless you turn something
on, there'll be *zero* amps running into the house.

"Mac" wrote in message ...

"Jim Redelfs" wrote in message
...
In article , "Mac" wrote:

there are six lines running into the crawl-space, three of
which go to the fuse box and three just laying on the dirt, no caps or
anything, just chopped off flush and laying there.

Are the cut-off cables the SAME as the three going to the fuse box? If
not, it's likely they are abandoned cables - that NEW cables were added
later and pulled through the same conduit.

As for them laying on the dirt: I would LEAVE them alone unless you
plan to USE the space thereby exposing the cables to potential damage.
That is, of course, assuming the space is perfectly dry. Then again, if
they are suitable for direct burial, laying on the ground shouldn't hurt
a thing.

The recommendation to clamp them to overhead joists is a good one but
there might not be enough slack to do so.

For not a WHOLE LOT of $$ more than ordinary conduit, you could enclose
them in "split duct" which would allow them to remain in service while
being enclosed. This would provide excellent mechanical protection
allowing them to STAY laying on the ground. Good luck!
--

JR

Yes, they are exactly the same. This fact along with the seller's claim
that 200 amps are running into the house but only 100 hooked up tells me
that they are either hot or just need to be hooked up.
I have a multitester so can test them fairly easily.
I'll take all precautions.
Thanks for the split-conduit idea. I would still kill the power at the
pole but at least I wouldn't need to unhook from the panel.
-Mac

These conductors should have their size and type written on them. If you
could post what's written, it would help in determining the amperage of the
service

On Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:24:52 -0600, AZ Nomad
wrote:

On Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:10:14 -0600, Mac wrote:

"Jim Redelfs" wrote in message
...
In article , "Mac" wrote:

there are six lines running into the crawl-space, three of
which go to the fuse box and three just laying on the dirt, no caps or
anything, just chopped off flush and laying there.

Are the cut-off cables the SAME as the three going to the fuse box? If
not, it's likely they are abandoned cables - that NEW cables were added
later and pulled through the same conduit.

As for them laying on the dirt: I would LEAVE them alone unless you
plan to USE the space thereby exposing the cables to potential damage.
That is, of course, assuming the space is perfectly dry. Then again, if
they are suitable for direct burial, laying on the ground shouldn't hurt
a thing.

The recommendation to clamp them to overhead joists is a good one but
there might not be enough slack to do so.

For not a WHOLE LOT of $$ more than ordinary conduit, you could enclose
them in "split duct" which would allow them to remain in service while
being enclosed. This would provide excellent mechanical protection
allowing them to STAY laying on the ground. Good luck!
--

JR

Yes, they are exactly the same. This fact along with the seller's claim
that 200 amps are running into the house but only 100 hooked up tells me
that they are either hot or just need to be hooked up.
I have a multitester so can test them fairly easily.
I'll take all precautions.
Thanks for the split-conduit idea. I would still kill the power at the pole
but at least I wouldn't need to unhook from the panel.
-Mac


Only a person who doesn't understand electricity could make such a statement.

You can only have 200 amps running into a house if you have enough power
consumption to cause such a current draw.

A house could be wired to handle 1000 amps, but unless you turn something
on, there'll be *zero* amps running into the house.

However, the description is correct. The house has 200 amps of
capacity , but only 100 amps of capacity connected. The house has "200
amps at the stack" and only a 100 amp panel and a 100 amp main
breaker.

Mac wrote:
Hi,
My wife and I just bought our first house. It's a great house but
needs some attention here and there (what else is new, right?). It
has a full basement with a crawl-space under an addition.
Getting to the point: I found where the power lines come into the
house from the pole (it's a farm house). They come into the
crawl-space through a short conduit but the conduit ends and the
lines are just laying on the dirt. I know this isn't great but I
know where to cut the power at the pole so I can run them through
more conduit before entering the fuse box. My question is this;
there are six lines running into the crawl-space, three of which go
to the fuse box and three just laying on the dirt, no caps or
anything, just chopped off flush and laying there. The box is 100
amp and the previous owner said there is 200 amps coming into the
house. How can I tell if the cables lying on the dirt are hot? Why
are there six lines, does that make 33-1/3 amps per line? I would
like to run one or two of these unused lines to my garage (to it's
own panel). Thoughts? Comments? Panick attacks?

Okay, you've got one end of the cable. The other end has to be somewhere.

See if you can find it.

If the other end is hooked up to a transformer, you've got a set of live
wires. If the cables are just dangling on the pole, it's dead and you can
sell the wire to a copper salvage company.

"HeyBub" wrote in message
...
Mac wrote:
Hi,
My wife and I just bought our first house. It's a great house but
needs some attention here and there (what else is new, right?). It
has a full basement with a crawl-space under an addition.
Getting to the point: I found where the power lines come into the
house from the pole (it's a farm house). They come into the
crawl-space through a short conduit but the conduit ends and the
lines are just laying on the dirt. I know this isn't great but I
know where to cut the power at the pole so I can run them through
more conduit before entering the fuse box. My question is this;
there are six lines running into the crawl-space, three of which go
to the fuse box and three just laying on the dirt, no caps or
anything, just chopped off flush and laying there. The box is 100
amp and the previous owner said there is 200 amps coming into the
house. How can I tell if the cables lying on the dirt are hot? Why
are there six lines, does that make 33-1/3 amps per line? I would
like to run one or two of these unused lines to my garage (to it's
own panel). Thoughts? Comments? Panick attacks?

Okay, you've got one end of the cable. The other end has to be somewhere.

See if you can find it.

If the other end is hooked up to a transformer, you've got a set of live
wires. If the cables are just dangling on the pole, it's dead and you can
sell the wire to a copper salvage company.

From the crawlspace, the cables run through the ground in conduit to the
pole. The conduit comes out of the ground, runs up the pole, into the 200
amp breaker, and then into the a service panel (mounted on the pole). I'm
assuming the cables are in the panel but not connected (of curse I'll test
this first). Anyway, the "other ends" are not vidible.

On Feb 19, 9:34*pm, aemeijers wrote:
ransley wrote:
On Feb 19, 4:34 pm, "RBM" wrote:
"ransley" wrote in message

....
On Feb 19, 4:06 pm, "Mac" wrote:

Hi,
My wife and I just bought our first house. It's a great house but needs
some attention here and there (what else is new, right?). It has a full
basement with a crawl-space under an addition.
Getting to the point: I found where the power lines come into the house
from
the pole (it's a farm house). They come into the crawl-space through a
short conduit but the conduit ends and the lines are just laying on the
dirt. I know this isn't great but I know where to cut the power at the
pole
so I can run them through more conduit before entering the fuse box. My
question is this; there are six lines running into the crawl-space, three
of
which go to the fuse box and three just laying on the dirt, no caps or
anything, just chopped off flush and laying there. The box is 100 amp and
the previous owner said there is 200 amps coming into the house. How can I
tell if the cables lying on the dirt are hot? Why are there six lines,
does
that make 33-1/3 amps per line? I would like to run one or two of these
unused lines to my garage (to it's own panel).
Thoughts? Comments? Panick attacks?
How about the inspection by the city, what did they say. Call them.

What city is it that inspects electrical wiring at farmhouses?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The one that collects the TAX on the property. The same one that
inspects it for safety and sale. So thats all of them.

Snort. In the parts of the country where I have had contact with
inspectors, once you are outside city limits, the inspections, if any,
are drive-bys. Some of the 'stupids' I found in the addition to this
place definitely would not have passed a real inspection. Around here,
as long as they get their cash for the permit, and recognize the name of
the person doing the work, they are happy.

--
aem sends...- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


Yes, it may have required an inspection IF a permit was pulled for
whatever was done, whenever it was done, which could have been decades
ago. But given that the wires are laying cut off on the dirt,
doesn't sound like a permit was pulled.

Other than that, even here in suburban NJ, with a sale, the
municipality does a very basic check before issuing a CO. They look
for smoke detectors, missing railings on stairs, fire extiguishers,
illegal basement bedrooms, etc. But they don't do anything
approaching an electrical inspection.

For the OP, sounds like you didn't have a home inspection done before
the purchase. Even a monkey of an inspector would have flagged
this. I'd start with getting one now, followed by an electrician to
take care of the line problems. If you have to ask here how to
determine if those lines are hot, I recommend not screwing around with
it.

On Feb 20, 7:36*am, wrote:
On Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:24:52 -0600, AZ Nomad





wrote:
On Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:10:14 -0600, Mac wrote:

"Jim Redelfs" wrote in message
...
In article , "Mac" wrote:

there are six lines running into the crawl-space, three of
which go to the fuse box and three just laying on the dirt, no caps or
anything, just chopped off flush and laying there.

Are the cut-off cables the SAME as the three going to the fuse box? *If
not, it's likely they are abandoned cables - that NEW cables were added
later and pulled through the same conduit.

As for them laying on the dirt: *I would LEAVE them alone unless you
plan to USE the space thereby exposing the cables to potential damage..
That is, of course, assuming the space is perfectly dry. *Then again, if
they are suitable for direct burial, laying on the ground shouldn't hurt
a thing.

The recommendation to clamp them to overhead joists is a good one but
there might not be enough slack to do so.

For not a WHOLE LOT of $$ more than ordinary conduit, you could enclose
them in "split duct" which would allow them to remain in service while
being enclosed. *This would provide excellent mechanical protection
allowing them to STAY laying on the ground. *Good luck!
--
* * * * * *
JR

Yes, they are exactly the same. *This fact along with the seller's claim
that 200 amps are running into the house but only 100 hooked up tells me
that they are either hot or just need to be hooked up.
I have a multitester so can test them fairly easily.
I'll take all precautions.
Thanks for the split-conduit idea. *I would still kill the power at the pole
but at least I wouldn't need to unhook from the panel.
-Mac

Only a person who doesn't understand electricity could make such a statement.

You can only have 200 amps running into a house if you have enough power
consumption to cause such a current draw. *

A house could be wired to handle 1000 amps, but unless you turn something
on, there'll be *zero* amps running into the house.

However, the description is correct. The house has 200 amps of
capacity , but only 100 amps of capacity connected. The house has "200
amps at the stack" and only a 100 amp panel and a 100 amp main
breaker.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Yes, I thought it was very clear what he's talking about too. It's
the total capacity that the seller stated.

On Feb 20, 9:00*am, "Mac" wrote:
"HeyBub" wrote in message

...

Mac wrote:
Hi,
My wife and I just bought our first house. *It's a great house but
needs some attention here and there (what else is new, right?). *It
has a full basement with a crawl-space under an addition.
Getting to the point: I found where the power lines come into the
house from the pole (it's a farm house). *They come into the
crawl-space through a short conduit but the conduit ends and the
lines are just laying on the dirt. *I know this isn't great but I
know where to cut the power at the pole so I can run them through
more conduit before entering the fuse box. *My question is this;
there are six lines running into the crawl-space, three of which go
to the fuse box and three just laying on the dirt, no caps or
anything, just chopped off flush and laying there. *The box is 100
amp and the previous owner said there is 200 amps coming into the
house. *How can I tell if the cables lying on the dirt are hot? *Why
are there six lines, does that make 33-1/3 amps per line? *I would
like to run one or two of these unused lines to my garage (to it's
own panel). *Thoughts? Comments? *Panick attacks?

Okay, you've got one end of the cable. The other end has to be somewhere.

See if you can find it.

If the other end is hooked up to a transformer, you've got a set of live
wires. If the cables are just dangling on the pole, it's dead and you can
sell the wire to a copper salvage company.

From the crawlspace, the cables run through the ground in conduit to the
pole. *The conduit comes out of the ground, runs up the pole, into the 200
amp breaker, and then into the a service panel (mounted on the pole). *I'm
assuming the cables are in the panel but not connected (of curse I'll test
this first). *Anyway, the "other ends" are not visible.

Mac

There are non contact voltage testers available at any good hardware
or home center. Simply holding the tip of one of those these against
the insulation should be enough to tell you if it is energized. In
order to use your multi-tester you would have to remove or pierce the
insulation which would expose you to accidental contact with the
conductor itself. Given the low cost of a non contact voltage tester
I would think it a worthwhile investment. The two hundred ampere
breaker at the yard pole can usually be exposed without a great deal
of hazard. If the breaker enclosure is in good condition and you can
readily make out how to remove the cover you might consider doing so.
Your description; "The conduit comes out of the ground, runs up the
pole, into the 200 amp breaker, and then into the a service panel
(mounted on the pole)."; is puzzling me. Can you describe the thing
you are calling a service panel? Does the conduit from the crawl
space end at the enclosure for the two hundred ampere breaker? Does
that enclosure appear to contain only the two hundred ampere breaker?
What does the service panel contain. If you have anyplace you could
post pictures it would be real helpful. You could even send me the
pictures and I would be happy to help you puzzle this out. I am an
electrician by craft and I have farm and ranch wiring experience.

I hope that is helpful.
--
Tom Horne

On Feb 20, 12:10*am, "Mac" wrote:
Yes, they are exactly the same. *This fact along with the seller's claim
that 200 amps are running into the house but only 100 hooked up tells me
that they are either hot or just need to be hooked up.

The fact that after it's been explained to you several times, and you
still don't get it, means you really really really should NOT be
touching this. AT ALL.

Call an electrician. Pay attention to what he does, take notes, learn.
Don't go after this on your own. You will get fried.

All a 200 Amp service means is that the wire from the pole to the
breaker box is of heavy enough gauge to conduct 200 Amps of electrical
current. You need to know the gauge of the wire from the pole to the
breaker box to find out how big a service the house currently has.

The fact that there is only a 100A main breaker in the panel simply
limits the current that the house can draw to 100 Amps.

Farmhouses have often had their services replaced. The extra wires you
see are likely remnants of the old service.

On Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:22:57 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

On Feb 20, 12:10Â*am, "Mac" wrote:
Yes, they are exactly the same. Â*This fact along with the seller's claim
that 200 amps are running into the house but only 100 hooked up tells me
that they are either hot or just need to be hooked up.

The fact that after it's been explained to you several times, and you
still don't get it, means you really really really should NOT be
touching this. AT ALL.

Call an electrician. Pay attention to what he does, take notes, learn.
Don't go after this on your own. You will get fried.

All a 200 Amp service means is that the wire from the pole to the
breaker box is of heavy enough gauge to conduct 200 Amps of electrical
current. You need to know the gauge of the wire from the pole to the
breaker box to find out how big a service the house currently has.

No, you need to check the rating of the main fuse. A house COULD be
wired for 200 amps from the pole and only have a 60 amp service (which
is not common or likely today)

The fact that there is only a 100A main breaker in the panel simply
limits the current that the house can draw to 100 Amps.
Which means the HOUSE has a 100 amp service

Farmhouses have often had their services replaced. The extra wires you
see are likely remnants of the old service.

Mac wrote:
....
Okay, so I shouldn't stand in a puddle of water and grab ahold of the bare
wires, got it.

The point was more that w/ a loose wire probing the ends in a crawl
space is likely a good chance to have a set of leads cross or other
"woops!" event. That would likely be nothing but a spark a tripped
breaker on a service circuit; on a main feed it could weld you to the
line and be fatal. It's just a iffy thing to be doing w/o a _lot_ of
care and w/ the questions asked and usenet being what it is, one doesn't
know to whom one is suggesting something. Hence, caution must rule...
....
My first thoughts were that the lines couldn't be hot but I checked the
breaker on the pole and it is a 200 amp breaker. Of course everything is
hidden in conduit so I can't see if it's hooked up.
I suppose I need to cal an electrician to access the box at the pole.
....
Unless that box is at the top of the pole and/or tagged by the utility
as a meter, don't see why you can't do that. But, again, it's where if
you need to ask and/or have doubts, one hesitates to suggest...

I'd say still given the tenor of the question and response the
electrician _is_ probably the wiser choice.

--

On Feb 20, 12:46*pm, wrote:
On Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:22:57 -0800 (PST),
wrote:
All a 200 Amp service means is that the wire from the pole to the
breaker box is of heavy enough gauge to conduct 200 Amps of electrical
current. You need to know the gauge of the wire from the pole to the
breaker box to find out how big a service the house currently has.

No, you need to check the rating of the main fuse. A house COULD be
wired for 200 amps from the pole and only have a 60 amp service (which
is not common or likely today)

The fact that there is only a 100A main breaker in the panel simply
limits the current that the house can draw to 100 Amps.

Which means the HOUSE has a 100 amp service

Yes, but you can't just swap out the main panel with a 200A unit and
necessarily end up with a 200A service. The wire from the pole to the
house must be heavy enough.

wrote:
On Feb 20, 12:46 pm, wrote:
On Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:22:57 -0800 (PST),
wrote:
All a 200 Amp service means is that the wire from the pole to the
breaker box is of heavy enough gauge to conduct 200 Amps of electrical
current. You need to know the gauge of the wire from the pole to the
breaker box to find out how big a service the house currently has.
No, you need to check the rating of the main fuse. A house COULD be
wired for 200 amps from the pole and only have a 60 amp service (which
is not common or likely today)

The fact that there is only a 100A main breaker in the panel simply
limits the current that the house can draw to 100 Amps.
Which means the HOUSE has a 100 amp service

Yes, but you can't just swap out the main panel with a 200A unit and
necessarily end up with a 200A service. The wire from the pole to the
house must be heavy enough.

I believe someone suggested reading the wire size as printed on the
wire. There isn't information on what the wire size is. My guess is it
is rated 100A and then is required to be protected at the source end
(pole) at 100A (instead of 200A). It is possible the original intent was
to parallel 2 sets of 100A wire (but according to the NEC the wire is
not large enough to parallel). The crawl space is under an addition. The
wires may have all been connected before the addition.

--
bud--

Sorry, from ground to breaker to meter.