200 amp service on 100 amp wire

[Submaster]

I'm doing some work for a lady and she told me she had some electrical work done; unfortunately, there were a number of problems, which I won't enumerate. The question I have is: She use to have a 100 amp service with #2 wire, the panel was upgrade to a 200 amp service and the #2 wire was left in place as the feeder. Is this permissible? or does the feeder need to be upgraded as well?

 

[Dennis Alwon]

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[charlie b]

I will reopen this thread only long enough to give you a specific answer to your question. No, a #2 wire is not sufficient to carry a load of 200 amps. But that is not the whole story. It is possible that a panel that is rated for 200 amps might be carrying a load well below 200 amps. You size the wire for the calculated load, not for the rating of the panel. What is needed here is for an electrician to perform a service load calculation. Then, and only then, can it be determined whether the service (or feeder, whichever it is) conductor is undersized.

Having said that, I am closing this thread again, for the reason that Dennis gave earlier.