new aerial cable

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bond

Member
To izack,charlie and derwith.Why can I not put bare aluminum (the neutral)in an underground service pull,a few specifics please and where,where,where is it in the code.much appreciated. Thank you
 

stamcon

Senior Member
Re: new aerial cable

Bond, '99 NEC 230-30 Exception (d), allows the grounded conductor to be bare aluminum where it is part of a cable assembly identified for underground use in a raceway or for direct burial.
 

izak

Senior Member
Location
Springfield, MO
Re: new aerial cable

i cannot find it in the code... but im sure im not looking well enough
i cannot think of any reason why you could not do it tho...
 

charlie

Senior Member
Location
Indianapolis
Re: new aerial cable

III. Underground Service-Lateral Conductors
230.30 Insulation.
Service-lateral conductors shall be insulated for the applied voltage.
Exception: A grounded conductor shall be permitted to be uninsulated as follows:
(a) Bare copper used in a raceway.
(b) Bare copper for direct burial where bare copper is judged to be suitable for the soil conditions.
(c) Bare copper for direct burial without regard to soil conditions where part of a cable assembly identified for underground use.
(d) Aluminum or copper-clad aluminum without individual insulation or covering where part of a cable assembly identified for underground use in a raceway or for direct burial.

From the 2002 NEC Handbook:
Exhibit 230.23 shows various applications of bare grounded service-lateral and service-entrance conductors for underground locations. Aluminum or copper-clad aluminum conductors must be insulated if run in a raceway or direct buried, unless they are part of a cable assembly identified for the use.
 

derwith

Member
Re: new aerial cable

Bond, The reason bare aluminum is not allowed underground is because, in damp locations, it corrodes. The aluminum oxide that forms on the outside as well as the inner strands eats away at the aluminum.

That is one of the reasons for 230.30 (d).
 

bond

Member
Re: new aerial cable

Thanks to you all, Im getting smarter with you guys around. I rave about this web site and cannot wait till I can help others one day!! While IM here I have a good one for, what is the real story? the other day at a trade show I was talking to an Electrician who was called out to a condo with all the wiring going crazy. Brighter than normal lights , dim lights, funny readings every where,hot to ground ,ground to grounded,things not working etc,etc. She checked all possibilities then gave up and called the power company,they came out and told her the service did not have a grounding electrode, she drove a couple in and all was fine.Ive already been through alot of the grounding and grounded principles,theory etc etc.This is not my question.The point im trying to make is why does it seem to be a debate with how important it is having that grounding electrode(not just for lightning) whats all this with potential balancing out the neutral with the grounding electrode? is this real or not ?how come i have seen services operating fine without the ground rod.why does mike holt think its useless to have a ground rod good for only lightning and then some say the potential between the ground and grounded? Whats the real story or is all of this still being discoverd,Im just curious ,thanks again. OH I forgot she also mentioned never to drive a ground in basements seeing the soil is most likely dry and not a :confused: very good contact, what if there is sump pump? just curious, I guess this is enough.thanks again
 

stamcon

Senior Member
Re: new aerial cable

Bond, the problem in your story was not because of a lack of a grounding electrode system. The electrical system will function perfectly without a GE, that is until something else goes wrong(lightning, open neutral,...). Lights going bright or dim is usually a bad neutral condition.
 

charlie

Senior Member
Location
Indianapolis
Re: new aerial cable

One of the problems with getting a story third or fourth hand is really knowing what actually happened. I suspect that the electric utilty found an open neutral along with some other problems that were repaired. If a ground rod or two was driven, so be it. I don't believe that could have been the real problem. :D
 

hurk27

Senior Member
Re: new aerial cable

There is no way that could have been the real problem as a ground rod will not fix a lost neutral problem. if it did it had to one very balanced panel with less than 4.8 amps of unbalance current on the neutral, or that ground rod was driven into a water pipe ;)
 
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