Neutral Wire Under sized?

[ChrisO]

I hope this has not been asked before, I've searched for hours for the answer to this question and I am at a loss.

I have a 200A service coming in ( 100A per hot line giving me 200A @ 120V to distribute).

I am adding some circuits today, but I saw that my neutral wire is 1 AWG Aluminum and THW making it 75C

The charts tell me that my neutral can handle 100A with this particular type of wire.

Is it me or is this wire under the Amperage rating I need, I assumed I needed something that can handle around 200A ?

If I were to theoretically max my service or close to it. Pulling 100A from each hot wire, how does this 100A Neutral wire come into play?
Was it indeed underrated? And can I only pull 100A combined total from the two hot legs safely?
Or do neutral wires work differently in terms of capacity. I am lost at the moment.
After calculating the constant loads, I am still safe. But purely from an educational stand point, I would really like to know.
Thank you for any light you can shed on this!

 

[roger]

The forum rules do not allow us to answer DIY questions so I am closing this thread in accordance with the rules.

This site is designed for:

• Contractors
• Electricians
• Engineers
• Inspectors
• Instructors
• Other electrically related individuals

* This NEC� Forum is for those in the electrical and related industries. Questions of a "How-To" nature by persons not involved in the electrical

Roger

 

[charlie b]

I will only briefly add that your math is wrong. I infer your are discussing a 120/240 volt, single phase system.

I have a 200A service coming in ( 100A per hot line giving me 200A @ 120V to distribute).

100 plus 100 does not equal 200, in the context of this physical situation. It adds up to 100. Similarly, a 200 amp service will give you 200 amps per hot line. As was mentioned earlier, we are not allowed to assist DIYers. So I will leave it as a homework assignment to prove (or disprove, if you can) what I have said. This thread will remain closed.