Non nec underground?

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kevin o'brien

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my neighbour has installed aluminum overhead wire in a 1 inch conduit underground over a distance of 120 meters, or 300 feet. this will service his whole house. he wants to hook up to my transformer and i have declined him until i hear it will not cause damage. i have heard that the outer shielding on overhead allows the wire to give off heat and would melt the conduit if placed underground, and ultimately harm my transformer with constant load. this is being installed in a third world country where he could just pay a bribe to the company to hook him up, so regulations and policy are out the window. thanks for your help in advance!
 

hj

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I would be more concerned about the wire being in 300 feet of 1" conduit, because the might mean the wire is undersized for a "whole house" system, which WOULD overheat the wires and the PVC. Is YOUR transformer big enough for two houses?
 

kevin o'brien

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I would be more concerned about the wire being in 300 feet of 1" conduit, because the might mean the wire is undersized for a "whole house" system, which WOULD overheat the wires and the PVC. Is YOUR transformer big enough for two houses?
yes, it is a 15kva transformer, big enough for several. there are 3 grades of overhead wire sold here. sold by the meter and comes in 3 strands, two being shielded. mine is considerably heavier and i believe it is called #6. unfortunately, he bought the cheapest and lightest gauge. his house is quite small, running about 900 square feet.
 

Cacher_Chick

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Here we use a single main circuit breaker which is sized to the potental load of the residence. The wire is sized to that capacity, with additional consideration being made to the potential voltage drop given the type and length of wire.

300 feet of #6 aluminum would not be suitable for any common service in the USA.
 

kevin o'brien

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Here we use a single main circuit breaker which is sized to the potental load of the residence. The wire is sized to that capacity, with additional consideration being made to the potential voltage drop given the type and length of wire.

300 feet of #6 aluminum would not be suitable for any common service in the USA.
the markings on the wire just say wp 4 awg phelps dodge international. hope this info can clarify if it is safe to do so. the 3 wires seem extremely thin. only about 1/4 inch thick. kev
 
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