2OO amp service

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wanttolearn

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So the meters in Ecuador at the very maximum can only provide 125 amps. Even though the government has demanded everything be electric they havent created 2OO amps meters yet. The question is if i want to future proof a house, should i use 2 2/O cables or 2 4/O cables.
 
Without looking at the code, it sounds like you have a desire to produce a better product so allow for the expansion that you see coming and most likely is at some point

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wanttolearn said:
So the meters in Ecuador at the very maximum can only provide 125 amps. Even though the government has demanded everything be electric they havent created 2OO amps meters yet. The question is if i want to future proof a house, should i use 2 2/O cables or 2 4/O cables.
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If some place needs more than 125A total, do they get two meters and split the loads into two panels?
 
well according to an engineer 125 amps is more then enough. Youll never need anything more. Ill tell you one thing stuff just works like magic here. Due to good luck you never really have any major electrical problems. In fact 22O circuits are installed with no ground at all. All walls here are made from concrete and then chiseled to insert thin plastic conduit and then wire is run. I suppose the concrete stops most fires.
 
wanttolearn said:
well according to an engineer 125 amps is more then enough. Youll never need anything more. Ill tell you one thing stuff just works like magic here. Due to good luck you never really have any major electrical problems. In fact 22O circuits are installed with no ground at all. All walls here are made from concrete and then chiseled to insert thin plastic conduit and then wire is run. I suppose the concrete stops most fires.
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I don't think you will need much electric heat in Ecuador so I don't think there are many houses there that could draw more than 100A.

Makings sure there is an effective way to clear a fault is much more important. Focus your efforts in this area.
 
wanttolearn said:
So the meters in Ecuador at the very maximum can only provide 125 amps. Even though the government has demanded everything be electric they havent created 2OO amps meters yet. The question is if i want to future proof a house, should i use 2 2/O cables or 2 4/O cables.
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I can't see how we can answer your question with the info you have provided.

Is this area under the NEC?

Do you plan to follow the NEC?

What is the customer willing to pay for?

Is the size of the electrical meter of any concern at all to the electrician doing the work or is that under the power companies control?

Do you have a load calculation for the house or at least a general idea of what is being installed?
 
No Ecuador has no NEC of any kind. People do whatever pleases them, sadly.
Well the biggest meter available is 125 amp.
I calculated off the bat that the amperage would be higher then 125 but i used american appliances a guide since its not easy to find that info here.
We must install inductions stove tops so thats 4O amps then an electric oven another 4O amps. a tankless water heater which i was calculating would be around 3O amps. Those are the biggest loads. Some other things like a washer and drier etc.
So that calculation barely provides anymore amperage for anything else. I know that if i bring in someone to do the conduit work they will want to do it one. I already had a guy come in and install 1 inch conduit for all these high load appliances and he said i was crazy and it was a waste of time to plan that far ahead. So i want to be sure of how i can make a proper installation so that in future i wont need to get new conduit.
The biggest problem is the concrete walls which need someone who knows how to work with concrete in order to break the walls makes 3 inch holes and then fill it with concrete again. So If i need 2 inch conduit, its best to do it now and not worry.
 
My son moved to Ecuador right out of High school and lived there for 6 months. The place he rented had a water heater for the shower. It consisted of a heater element at the shower head with 2 wire sticking out and connected to the input supply. He said every time he touched the water pipes he got a shock. I told him, quite simply, don't touch the pipes while in the shower. He laughed and lived to tell about it. :happyyes:
 
Dennis Alwon said:
My son moved to Ecuador right out of High school and lived there for 6 months. The place he rented had a water heater for the shower. It consisted of a heater element at the shower head with 2 wire sticking out and connected to the input supply. He said every time he touched the water pipes he got a shock. I told him, quite simply, don't touch the pipes while in the shower. He laughed and lived to tell about it. :happyyes:
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Suicide Showers .... Common below the US Borders .



Don
 
it has always puzzled me how they allow those electric shower things. In what mind does it make sense to have water in direct contact with high amperage electricity. In any case the showers do have a ground wire but it never gets connected since almost nothing has ground.
 
wanttolearn said:
it has always puzzled me how they allow those electric shower things. In what mind does it make sense to have water in direct contact with high amperage electricity. In any case the showers do have a ground wire but it never gets connected since almost nothing has ground.
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I will be heading down south soon . I usually rent a Motorcycle and travel . The Suicide Showers are everywhere . They usually have a half exposed Knife Blade Fused Switch , mounted in the shower area above the shower head .

The worst one I saw was the shower Light Switch , was the old type with exposed wire terminals on the front of the switch ... with no switch plate on ! A metal drain pipe and a hot water heater on the the shower head with disco above . They have 240v and 120v shower heaters .

You learn to never reach in a dark space for a switch ... never put shoes on without inspecting ... ect .

Third World Rules .



Don
,
 
wanttolearn said:
No Ecuador has no NEC of any kind. People do whatever pleases them, sadly.
Well the biggest meter available is 125 amp.
I calculated off the bat that the amperage would be higher then 125 but i used american appliances a guide since its not easy to find that info here.
We must install inductions stove tops so thats 4O amps then an electric oven another 4O amps. a tankless water heater which i was calculating would be around 3O amps. Those are the biggest loads. Some other things like a washer and drier etc.
So that calculation barely provides anymore amperage for anything else. I know that if i bring in someone to do the conduit work they will want to do it one. I already had a guy come in and install 1 inch conduit for all these high load appliances and he said i was crazy and it was a waste of time to plan that far ahead. So i want to be sure of how i can make a proper installation so that in future i wont need to get new conduit.
The biggest problem is the concrete walls which need someone who knows how to work with concrete in order to break the walls makes 3 inch holes and then fill it with concrete again. So If i need 2 inch conduit, its best to do it now and not worry.
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Are you doing a actual load calc or just adding up breakers? 125A will power a lot when it comes to houses. I tested my house with everything possible turned on, this includes a double electric oven and two electric clothes dryers. The most I could get to was 79A.

Your not going to need 2 inch conduit for anything besides main feeders. 3/4 inch will be all you need for any of the rooms.
 
well im adding up what i estimate to be the usage load.
Thats the point in installing the wiring from the meter into the breaker box. It currently only has a 3/4 inch conduit to feed the only breaker box. Would i need to use 2/O or 4/O wire so that in the future i dont need to make anymore holes. I would end up with 4 wires i imagine, two phase wires, one neutral and one ground wire. What sizes should i have for the wires to make sure the conduit fits.
 
wanttolearn said:
well im adding up what i estimate to be the usage load.
Thats the point in installing the wiring from the meter into the breaker box. It currently only has a 3/4 inch conduit to feed the only breaker box. Would i need to use 2/O or 4/O wire so that in the future i dont need to make anymore holes. I would end up with 4 wires i imagine, two phase wires, one neutral and one ground wire. What sizes should i have for the wires to make sure the conduit fits.
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Sounds like there is no code, so whatever size you want works. If you size it per NEC, it is somewhat conservative compared to what actual load conditions may end up being, but that is also necessary in a country where people will sue you for anything you do that is not up to some recognized standard - especially if they have a problem and can claim it was caused because of your installation methods.

If you figure out how much peak load you have and how long it typically lasts, you could calculate how much heating you may expect in a particular size of conductor/type of raceway. You will also likely find that heat level surprisingly lower then you may expect based on what NEC typically requires us to install for the same load level. If you are encasing those raceways/conductors in concrete, you also reduce the risk of it starting a fire should your calculation be too low.

My guess is the 125 amp meters is largest they typically use for residential or other light single phase services, they certainly have some higher capacity users that are commercial or industrial type of users. May occasionally be some huge mansion that gets larger capacity service as well - but maybe is supplied and billed like a commercial or industrial user.
 
This thread started on a fine line, and I believe that line has been crossed. This forum exists to help electricians and engineers in their job-related tasks use the NEC in their professional duties. It is not a dispensary for DIY and How-To advice for people outside the profession, even if they are "thinking about maybe doing this full time some day."

Just because you claim to be in Ecuador, and as far as permits, licenses and codes all bets are off, does not change our minimum standard that if you ask for advice here you at the very least be in apprenticeship under a competent journeyman or master electrician. Ostensibly you are going it alone in this venture, doing it yourself, which on our end means you are on your own.

Good luck in your project.
 
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