water in wire

[hardworkingstiff]

I stripped a few hundred pounds of wire (2/0 to 350) today. The wire was scrap from a service change out I did last week. The wire was stored on an open trailer in the rain for a week. When I was stripping the wire, quite a few of the pieces had water come out of the conductor when I turned it with an end down. This got me thinking, there are still electricians that work out of a pickup instead of a van and if they carry wire in the bed, it will collect water the way this wire did.

So the question is, is the wire (THWN) still OK to install once it's been exposed to water this way? What if it was romex?

 

[chris kennedy]

I stripped a few hundred pounds of wire (2/0 to 350) today.

Beers on Lou boys.

 

[hardworkingstiff]

Beers on Lou boys.

:grin:

Actually, I don't need the money right now, and I was thinking I might want to hold on to it for a while. With the dollar under pressure and inflation staring at us, the $ value may be much greater in a few years. People hording gold, why not copper?

 

[charlie k.]

Lou, I have had wire shipped from the factory in 1000' reels. It was sent in an enclosed trailer. It was stored in a building under roof for a few weeks. When we pulled it in we noticed water in the cable. Our salesman said it happens from time to time and if it did not test ok it could be dried with nitrogen. Our cables tested good so no issue.


Charlie

 

[hardworkingstiff]

Lou, I have had wire shipped from the factory in 1000' reels. It was sent in an enclosed trailer. It was stored in a building under roof for a few weeks. When we pulled it in we noticed water in the cable. Our salesman said it happens from time to time and if it did not test ok it could be dried with nitrogen. Our cables tested good so no issue.


Charlie

The nitrogen is a good idea. I figured any water in the wire would wind up evaporating over time and it would not be an issue as long as the insulation was good.

 

[ohmhead]

Well when you take it in for scrap that extra water helps !

And pound for pound water is heavy get the garden hose out and wet it down good before you go to the scrap yard.

Sometimes water is a good thing.

 

[cadpoint]

Most manufactures will dunk a production reel for 24 hours or more and test a soaked reel.
They know the numbers they want and know what there looking for!

Even more so on the multi-tasking-multi-conductor! Hope that helps.

I saw the other day where the next big thing is super cooled, Big Power! Very Cool!!! :roll:

 

[TwinCitySparky]

I stripped a few hundred pounds of wire (2/0 to 350) today. The wire was scrap from a service change out I did last week.

Sorry if a bit off topic but 300 pounds scrap from one service change? Safe to assume not residential?.

 

[hardworkingstiff]

Sorry if a bit off topic but 300 pounds scrap from one service change? Safe to assume not residential?.

No, not residential. It was removing a 600-amp 3-phase service (consisting of a 600-amp fused disconnect feeding a trough above it and then down to 9 200-amp circuit breakers) and installing a 1000-amp single-phase service (main breaker panel with 9 200-amp breakers). All the wire from the CT cabinet thru the disconnect the trough and down to the breakers.

 

[TwinCitySparky]

Wow!

Thanks for the clarification!