Aluminum service entrance cable?

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charlietuna

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A friend is having a house built and asked me to look it over??? 200 amp panel fed by Aluminum Entrance Cable. Phase legs and neutral are properly terminated under the panel's lugs, but the service bond wire within the Service Entrance Cable(which is reduced in size from the manufacturer) has had three strands cut off in what looks like the installer had problems getting the bond into the bond bus lug. My question is: isn't this Service Entrance Cable's bond wire sized per the code???
 
The EGC is SER cable is normally sized per 250.122 for the normal OCP for the phase conductors provided the phase conductors aren't paralleled.
Is there an overcurrent device ahead of the cable you are questioning ?
 
No disconnect - it comes directly from the outside meter socket - into the panel main lugs with a 200 amp main breaker. This conductor is bare and smaller in size than the other three..
 
Guess I'm a bit confused then. Assuming this is a single phase service, there is no need for the 4th conductor. The neutral conductor is normally sized per 230.42 (C) and 250.24(C). Your reference to the "service bond wire" makes me think you are referencing a 4th conductor that you would have in a 4 wire SER cable. That cable is sized per 250.122 and is not normally large enough to satisfy 250.24(C).
If the cable you describe is between the meter and the service panel, the grounded (neutral) conductor is used as your bonding means and would be sufficient.
 
The service entrance cable IS four conductor and runs from the outside meter can to the inside residential, single phase panel via a two inch schedual 80 PVC raceway. Three conductors(aluminum) are the same size, black, red and white. The forth conductor(aluminum) is reduced in size and is bare within the cable assembly. Thanks for your help! Charlie
 
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