Was I correct?

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hardworkingstiff

Senior Member
Location
Wilmington, NC
Scenario:

GC is in a jam, EC got a large $ advance and skipped town. Me and the GC are on business questionable terms, but personally I like the guy.

Job was to install power to a floating dock by coming from the service on the shore through some 3" conduit to the fixed pier that led to the connection to the floating dock. Subpanels (400-amp) are on the floating dock and a feeder going through the 3" conduit was going to feed the subpanels.

To make a long story short (please don't ask too much), the GC wanted to run W cable from the floater, up the bottom of the gangway, through the framing of the fixed pier, to the 3" conduit and through the 3" conduit to the service equipment. The inspector said it would OK.

I told him he better check the diameter of that 350kcmil type W cable because I didn't think it will fit into the 3" conduit, and I was correct on that. Then he came up with the idea that the outer cover of the W cable could be removed and the conductors pulled in the 3" conduit. Here is where I'd like confirmation on whether what I said next is correct.

I said: If the AHJ would allow that, you would have to get a cord grip on the end of the conduit to hold the cable, but I didn't believe it would be a NEC compliant installation because although W cable has a wet rating, I don't believe the conductors inside the W cable are listed or identified on the insulation and to be installed in an underground conduit they would need to be identifed as a type of conductor having a wet rating. Right or wrong?

Thanks,
 
jaylectricity

jaylectricity

Senior Member
Location
Massachusetts
Occupation
licensed journeyman electrician
What does the E.C. that skipped town have to do with anything? Is this a matter of the GC trying to cheap out on something?
 
Jim W in Tampa

Jim W in Tampa

Senior Member
Location
Tampa Florida
You seem to have it all correct. You can not remove the jacket. Why do you need the conduit ? is the run long or in danger of damage ? My price would be the same nomatter how much he lost.
 
M. D.

M. D.

Senior Member
hardworkingstiff said:
Scenario:

.....I said: If the AHJ would allow that, you would have to get a cord grip on the end of the conduit to hold the cable, but I didn't believe it would be a NEC compliant installation because although W cable has a wet rating, I don't believe the conductors inside the W cable are listed or identified on the insulation and to be installed in an underground conduit they would need to be identifed as a type of conductor having a wet rating. Right or wrong?

Thanks,
Click to expand...

I'm going with wrong ,...or perhaps I mean right ?? Got any info on the cable?? I doubt you can strip it while maintaing listing
 
W

wireguru

Senior Member
that cord is SO expensive, that (depending on length of the 3in conduit) it might be cheaper to put a jbox at the end of the 3in conduit and transition from the cord to thhn in the conduit.

I highly doubt you can remove the jacket from the cord and use the conductors. Every type W multiconductor cord ive had my hands on (6/4, 2/5) the inner conductors were similar to those of SO cable.
 
H

hardworkingstiff

Senior Member
Location
Wilmington, NC
jaylectricity said:
What does the E.C. that skipped town have to do with anything? Is this a matter of the GC trying to cheap out on something?
Click to expand...

We (me and the GC) were almost partners a few years ago, then last year I almost went to work for him. We've worked together on a lot of projects and made some pretty good money (actually, very good). When I backed out of the deal last year, he wanted me out of this job (which was mine to do, but I was happy to comply). The guy he hired to replace me has screwed him and the EC on the land side of the job gave him a price to finish which is killing him. I told him I didn't think I wanted anything to do with the job (but I could use the work) but I would think about it.
 
W

winnie

Senior Member
Location
Springfield, MA, USA
Occupation
Electric motor research
The datasheet doesn't tell you the diameter of the inner conductors, but I made a few guesses.

Based upon DLO cable with similar fine stranding, the area of the bare copper plus the space between the strands is about 1.75x the raw area of the copper. Using this assumption the diameter of a 500kcmil finely stranded conductor is is about 0.935". Add the insulation thickness (0.095" x 2) and you get a total diameter for the insulated conductor of 1.125". Of course, this is guessing, and you would need to confirm it with the actual cable manufacturer.

(I got the info for the DLO cable at http://www.paigewire.com/pdf/p7305D.pdf )

Based upon the above guesses, then if you were legally able to strip the outer covering and pull just the conductors through the conduit, you would need at least a 3.5" conduit to meet conduit fill limits.

-Jon
 
jaylectricity

jaylectricity

Senior Member
Location
Massachusetts
Occupation
licensed journeyman electrician
hardworkingstiff said:
We (me and the GC) were almost partners a few years ago, then last year I almost went to work for him. We've worked together on a lot of projects and made some pretty good money (actually, very good). When I backed out of the deal last year, he wanted me out of this job (which was mine to do, but I was happy to comply). The guy he hired to replace me has screwed him and the EC on the land side of the job gave him a price to finish which is killing him. I told him I didn't think I wanted anything to do with the job (but I could use the work) but I would think about it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I hate when GCs make up stories after squeezing you out of a job in hopes of getting you to come back and do the job for cheap.
 
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