Xhhw

[bob nowinski]

How long will XHHW wire last undergroung in a sewage treatment facility?

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

Till the it hits the fan...as they say.:grin:

More details of installation would be helpful in determining the answer to your question.

 

[bob nowinski]

xhhw

xhhw

I called the manufacturer and they are still getting back to me. A typical installation is a pad mounted transformer and a 4" PVC conduit with 3 500 KCMIL + 1/2 Neutral run in a duct bank about 100' , When we televised the spare duct adjacent to the feeder, there was ground water in every one. Ground water at a sewage treatment plant has all kinds of exotic chemicals, this is more of a preventive maintenance issue, the conductors were installed in 1974. No failures are being experienced.

 

[iwire]

XHHW is good stuff, IMO much better for underground than THWN but what do I know, I am not am engineer.:grin:

If it goes bad you might step up to USE / RHW if the duct has the room as this type if thick.

 

[augie47]

Ground water at a sewage treatment plant has all kinds of exotic chemicals,

:grin: no doubt

 

[charlie]

I have always been a fan of cross linked poly but EPR holds up longer. I am referring to medium voltage cable but, I would think, the same would apply to low voltage as well.

 

[jcole]

I would say aluminum conductors would hold up alot better than copper at sewage plant because aluminum isnt affected as bad as copper by the hydrogen sulfide that is abundant at these places.

 

[drbond24]

Till the it hits the fan...as they say.

I was going to say until it craps out.

:grin: no doubt

I would say it's a stretch to call that stuff 'water' in the first place.

As far as the XHHW, I'll be surprised if you get a decent answer from the manufacturer. I worked for a wire manufacturer, so I would say the conversation would go something like this:

Engineer: "Our customer wants to know if xxxxx will damage XHHW insulation."
Engineering Supervisor: "Call the company that sold us the insulating compound. We aren't chemists."
Chemical Company: "Exactly what chemicals and in what proportions will the insulation be exposed to?"
Engineer: "I don't know."
Chemical Company: "I can't help you until you get me that information."
Engineer reports back to his supervisor.
Engineering Supervisor: "It isn't worth that much trouble. Tell them it will be fine."
Engineer (to you): "Our XHHW is a quality product that is capable of withstanding....blah blah blah."

You might feel better, but nothing really got done.

Unless you get lucky and someone on this forum has dipped XHHW in sewage already and knows what happens, you're going to have to be the guinea pig. Look at the bright side! Next time somebody asks this question, you'll have the answer!

 

[bob nowinski]

answered

answered

Hi there Bob,
Good morning....just wanted to let you know that I heard back from the factory this morning and found out that the life expectancy on XHHW material is about 40 years....
Hope that helps, if there is anything else you need please let me know.

Have a great day!
Holly Gantert
Allied Wire & Cable
101 Kestrel Drive
Collegeville, PA 19426
Direct: 267-569-0919
Fax: 484-928-6720
hgantert@awcwire.com
www.awcwire.com

VISIT OUR UPDATED WEBSITE!! WWW.AWCWIRE.COM

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[Pierre C Belarge]

. A typical installation is a pad mounted transformer and a 4" PVC conduit with 3 500 KCMIL + 1/2 Neutral run in a duct bank about 100'

Are you saying the neutral conductor is installed separately from the ungrounded conductors?

 

[steve66]

Are you saying the neutral conductor is installed separately from the ungrounded conductors?

I think that means a half size neutral, or 250KCM.

Or, it could mean one #2 neutral.