Main house wiring

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04-08-2008, 09:18 AM
pheonix1061

Main house wiring

I am rewiring my daughters home she just purchased. The home is 73 years old and I assume the wiring was added about 40 to 50 years ago. No grounded outlets at all. Thus the rewire job. I have almost completed the job, but have a few questions. I am installing a 200 amp service box. How many wires can I run through each hole in a header and can I run the main service cables through the walls. I am running out of space in the header above the service panel. The service panel is next to a walk through opening (no door) and I could run the service cableing through the header over the doorway and continue it through the adjacent walls and eventually through the exterior wall where the existing meter can is. The cableing will be three 3/0 wires and a ground wire (of what size I'm not certain it should be). Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Tom
04-08-2008, 11:01 AM
jwelectric

The service conductors are required to terminate outside or inside nearest the point of entry.

This means that they can not be routed around in the walls or any other place except where they come through the wall.

Remember that the service conductors do not have overcurrent protection so to run them on the inside of the wall would mean that there would nothing to blow or open in the event something went wrong.
04-08-2008, 03:19 PM
Speedy Petey

Quote:

Originally Posted by pheonix1061

The cableing will be three 3/0 wires and a ground wire (of what size I'm not certain it should be).

WHY are you running three wires plus a ground???
Is there an outside main disconnect?
04-09-2008, 08:15 AM
ked

How far away from the meter is your new 200 amp service panel? In my area the connection from the meter can to a main panel must be in rigid steel conduit!
04-09-2008, 01:04 PM
hj

disconnect

In this area there MUST BE a main disconnect at the meter whether it is just a disconnect or the circuit breaker panel with its main breaker. The utility needs the ability to disconnect the building at the meter if it becomes necessary.
04-09-2008, 04:41 PM
Speedy Petey

KED and HJ, with all respect, both of your scenarios are NOT typical for the majority of the country.

About the only assumption we can make is that the OP is from Phoenix, which would explain the four wire feeder.
04-09-2008, 05:30 PM
Furd

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwelectric

Remember that the service conductors do not have overcurrent protection so to run them on the inside of the wall would mean that there would nothing to blow or open in the event something went wrong.

I somewhat challenge this statement.

The service conductors ARE protected from overcurrent, albeit at the load rather than the source. They are NOT protected from short circuit.

I know it is a quibbling distinction.

What I wonder is if the original poster is "bootlegging" this new work or if he has a permit? Just asking such a question leads me to believe that his skill and knowledge level is insufficient for the work being done.

Pete, I don't think that we can even assume that he is from Phoenix. After all, he didn't state where he is from and he misspelled Phoenix in his screen name.