Supporting SER cable

M

Martin Lighting

Member
Location
South Florida
Occupation
Electrician
What do I use to attach SER cable 4/4/4/2 to the tension wire? I increase the feed size from the meter room weather head to the panel weather head. There’s a tension cable going rigid to rigid. I’m just not sure what to use to support the SER cable to the tension cable.
 
I don't really see where it specifically states how far apart the fastening should be where a guy wire is used. I would go with 4'6"
 
Dennis Alwon said:
I don't really see where it specifically states how far apart the fastening should be where a guy wire is used. I would go with 4'6"
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From what I’ve read it’s 12” from connections and 48” in open space I’m just trying to figure out what to use. They seem to use a continuous wire that doesn’t weather but the supply house has no idea what it is. The SER cable runs parallel to the guide wire and then there’s another wrapped around both holding the SER cable to the guide wire. The job is near salt water so the support wire is going to have to be weather resistant.
 
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Is it the guy wire that you are asking about? That would take some figuring or at least some thinking. Depending on the span and weight of the wire.

If you use Quadraplex then the ground wire would have the steel built in it. With triplex it is the neutral that has the steel guy wire so I assume the quad uses the bare ground.
 
Something like this .... The steel wire can be seen in the middle and you use those connectors shown next to it.

1717966646047.png 1717966747629.png
 
Dennis Alwon said:
Is it the guy wire that you are asking about? That would take some figuring or at least some thinking. Depending on the span and weight of the wire.

If you use Quadraplex then the ground wire would have the steel built in it. With triplex it is the neutral that has the steel guy wire so I assume the quad uses the bare ground.
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IMG_6685.png
 
There’s already a guide wire. I need to attach the SER cable to it. I believe I can just twist the SER around the guide wire and use a wedge clamp on the ground.
 
I would do away with the old guy wire and use the wire I showed. I have never seen ser cable where the jacket didn't wear away from the sun
 
I agree that quadplex is preferable to SER. But SER is a code method and quadplex is usually a non-listed method.

If you are forced to use SER, then the term you are looking for is "messenger wire" or "strand" (for the existing guy type wire) and "lashing" (for the method used to secure the SER to the strand).

A lashing contraption is a big high dollar device normally only used by the phone and cable co. It spirals lashing wire tightly around the strand plus the cable. Maybe you could borrow or rent one.

Another alternative might be to use a number of separate insulators and individual open wires, THHN, XHHW, or even bare. This was commonly done in the past.
 
Birken Vogt said:
I agree that quadplex is preferable to SER. But SER is a code method and quadplex is usually a non-listed method.

If you are forced to use SER, then the term you are looking for is "messenger wire" or "strand" (for the existing guy type wire) and "lashing" (for the method used to secure the SER to the strand).

A lashing contraption is a big high dollar device normally only used by the phone and cable co. It spirals lashing wire tightly around the strand plus the cable. Maybe you could borrow or rent one.

Another alternative might be to use a number of separate insulators and individual open wires, THHN, XHHW, or even bare. This was commonly done in the past.
Click to expand...

What do you mean that quadraplex is not a listed method. It most certainly is
 
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