Overhead service wire size

[Cleveland Apprentice]

Last Friday I upgraded a residential electric service from 60 amps to 200 amps. I ran 2/0 cu thwn-2 up to weatherhead and got my inspection. The poco came out and hooked the power back up. They used the same triplex wire. This triplex cable is #4 al. Does this make any sense? I understand the ampacity of cable is different for conductors in free air versus conduit anf direct burial, but 200 amp on #4 al seems alot. What's your opinion?

 

[Hv&Lv]

Last Friday I upgraded a residential electric service from 60 amps to 200 amps. I ran 2/0 cu thwn-2 up to weatherhead and got my inspection. The poco came out and hooked the power back up. They used the same triplex wire. This triplex cable is #4 al. Does this make any sense? I understand the ampacity of cable is different for conductors in free air versus conduit anf direct burial, but 200 amp on #4 al seems alot. What's your opinion?

You say you upgraded a service from 60 amps to 200 amps. Is that all you did? Did you add any load? Just because you upgrade the service doesn't mean the load requirements will change. If the #4 held the house for years and no additional load was added, it will hold it now with no problem. POCO sizes wire based on actual load, not service size.

 

[Cleveland Apprentice]

Ho wanted to upgrade to cb and asked for 200 amps. There was no additional loads added. I was thinking what if the ho decides to install a jacuzzi down the road or something similar. He had no plans for installing any additional loads when I did the upgrade.

 

[petersonra]

Last Friday I upgraded a residential electric service from 60 amps to 200 amps. I ran 2/0 cu thwn-2 up to weatherhead and got my inspection. The poco came out and hooked the power back up. They used the same triplex wire. This triplex cable is #4 al. Does this make any sense? I understand the ampacity of cable is different for conductors in free air versus conduit anf direct burial, but 200 amp on #4 al seems alot. What's your opinion?

The POCO tends to size things according to their own criteria, and they have 100+ years of data to back up that criteria.

Unless the load actually increases substantially, they are not going to make those wires any bigger, nor are they going to make the transformer they supplied any bigger.

 

[resistance]

Ho wanted to upgrade to cb and asked for 200 amps. There was no additional loads added. I was thinking what if the ho decides to install a jacuzzi down the road or something similar. He had no plans for installing any additional loads when I did the upgrade.

The local POCO can detect any new substantial loads, or irregular power usage.

 

[resistance]

Seems peter and I posted close to the same time

 

[petersonra]

The local POCO can detect any new substantial loads, or irregular power usage.

I think they call the device that detects such things an electric meter.

An acquaintance of mine tried to get the local POCO to increase the size of the transformer and wires to his house because he wanted to add an outdoor electric hot tub. They would not even do it for money. For some reason they are not permitted to charge for residential hookups at all once they have been installed.

It must have worked out Ok because the wires did not melt as far as I know.

 

[resistance]

I think they call the device that detects such things an electric meter.

An acquaintance of mine tried to get the local POCO to increase the size of the transformer and wires to his house because he wanted to add an outdoor electric hot tub. They would not even do it for money. For some reason they are not permitted to charge for residential hookups at all once they have been installed.

It must have worked out Ok because the wires did not melt as far as I know.

Yeah, the local POCO is also working with local police—as they can detect when a specific structure is using waaaaay too much power. It sends up a red flag.

 

[Hv&Lv]

Yeah, the local POCO is also working with local police?as they can detect when a specific structure is using waaaaay too much power. It sends up a red flag.

We have found a couple of grow houses based on high power bills...