PVC As A Riser?

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TeddyAdkins

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Location
WV
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Industrial Electrician
I work as a steel mill electrician but I bought my first house and it currently has a 100 Amp screw in fuse service. I'm going to upgrade it to a 200A service and have bought the materials but I've nevee personally done a service before. Some guys I work with have installed many services and are going to help me but we're not positive if I can use the PVC I purchased going up from the socket to the loop.

I bought aluminum 4/0 and 2 inch sch 40 PVC. The incoming wires are being supported by an anchor/insulator in the brick so the PVC doesn't need to hold the load of the conductors.

So can I run 2 inch sch 40 PVC up my house or do I need emt?

(The hub for the meter is metal, with a male connector and pipe glue I can use that hub right? Or do I need a plastic hub as well?)
 
The subject of the hub and threads has been on this forum for a while now. That's quite a can of worms. I am not aware of a non-metallic hub for meter sockets.
 
hbiss said:
Unless your POCO or local codes say otherwise, PVC is fine. Will last a lot longer than EMT too.

-Hal
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What exaclty does POCO stand for and can i find my local codes somewhere besides the inspector not passing it when I'm done?
 
As long as it is not used as a mast and is OK with the POCO and local code. As others said, it is fine NEC wise.
You need to use a PVC weather head or you are going to have bonding compliance issues.
 
Knuckle Dragger said:
PVC male adapter with pipe dope on the threads and aluminum composite hub on meter is standard.
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That's how many of the services around here are done sans the pipe dope. As Texie said NG as far as the listing goes. The only complaint way I see is use a short metal nipple in the hub and then one of these to transition to the PVC.
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POCO is Power Company. :cool:
 
That is how we do it here. But if you don't "dope it" it can and probably will leak.
I have no problem with what you are showing me with the female adapter and threaded nipple. I might even try it next time.
I have seen the threads on 2" wet connectors fail if they when they are not doped.
 
I bought aluminum 4/0 and 2 inch sch 40 PVC. The incoming wires are being supported by an anchor/insulator in the brick so the PVC doesn't need to hold the load of the conductors.

So can I run 2 inch sch 40 PVC up my house
 
The rules our POCOs use is if you can get the right height without penetrating the roof, you can use PVC. But you must use an eye bolt all the way through the wall for the attachment point.
 
PVC will fade if it's in full southern sun for most of the day but unless the POCO prohibits it you will be fine. The POA (eye bolt) has to be secured into framing, not sheathing.
 
Knuckle Dragger said:
That is how we do it here. But if you don't "dope it" it can and probably will leak.
I have no problem with what you are showing me with the female adapter and threaded nipple. I might even try it next time.
I have seen the threads on 2" wet connectors fail if they when they are not doped.
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I don't care if it leaks, it is still going to leak less than how much condensation will likely form inside and run down the inside of pipe anyway. Might not be as much condensation with PVC as with metal raceways, but will still happen.
 
kwired said:
I don't care if it leaks, it is still going to leak less than how much condensation will likely form inside and run down the inside of pipe anyway. Might not be as much condensation with PVC as with metal raceways, but will still happen.
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To each his own. I'm not a PVC riser only lectrian.
I care and it can leak alot. When the bottom edge of a clapboard or shake is butted up against the threads going into the hub it will go all the way to the panel
I have never noticed condensation dripping from the inside of a PVC riser onto to meter terminals before. I sure it happens under the right circumstances.
 
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