Electrical Service Entrance or Exterior Service Drop
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
- Electrical service conductors coming from the utility pole are often smaller than the service wires going into the main electric panel.
This is acceptable due to the fact the wires from the pole are "free to air" which means they can dissipate heat quickly.
Wires inside enclosed spaces such as conduit have little to no ventilation and need to be sized appropriately or excessive heat build up could result.
Please don’t confuse those rubber dipped gloves for gloves that are voltage rated!
Roof isn’t grounded he’s fine.
@@daikoku9747and wires are insulated
Good video.. just to clarify something that you said (pretty sure you meant the right thing, but may have said it backwards).. you said the larger wires "generate more heat being enclosed".. A better way to say it would be something like, "the enclosure will retain more heat, so the enclosed wires are required to be larger so they generate LESS heat, so the enclosure does not overheat."
doesn't code say 4 or more wires require derating to 80% and so on. doesn't that make it unneccessary to upsize this particular set of wires. although its never bad to size up but still not needed
@@JaRa911 I'm not sure.. you'd need to check the code.. I suspect that "free to air" wires from the poles have a completely different standard interior wires, and then once you get inside a conduit additional restrictions apply - at some degree of crowding you need to start derating the amount of current they're allowed to carry.. environment temperature is also a factor.
There are separate code tables for wires in conduit "not more than three current carrying conductors" 310.15(B)(16) and "in free air" 310.15(B)(17). 2017 NEC. For a given conductor size and rating, ampacity rating in free air is greater than in conduit or raceway.
By comparison: #2 USE 115 amps in conduit, and 170 amps in free air.
Makes sense too.
WOW... that's quite a difference.
Never ask an electrician about linework. Don't ask a plumber about your roof and don't ask a mechanic to do your taxes. Go talk to someone who knows what they're talking about.
I agree the level of ignorance displayed in this video can cause death by Darwin.
I hope you realize how stupid you sound considering he's 100% right about everything he's just said and there's no difference between an electrician and a lineman except for a license and voltage worked on...electricity works the same way no matter what....
@@TheTubejunky what level of ignorance? Everything he's said is 100% right
@@illwil2158 If you can't figure it out then choose another field of work. Im not going to do the work for you.
@@TheTubejunky lmfaoooooooo you clearly know nothing about electrical hahaha open a code book go look at free air wiring in the 310.16 table in the nec code and make yourself look stupid hahaha again everything he said is 100% right
It's called a "drip loop". The hot wires carrying the service hang down and loop so that water will drip off and not run into the pipe on the house.
We call it “weather head”
The weatherhead is the piece at the top of the mast. Basically a hood to shield from the elements. The drip loop is the literal loop in the wire going from the spliced area into the weather head. Loop should be pointed down of course since gravity will draw the water to the bottom of the loop, away from the weatherhead@texaswelder9957
The neutral is the neutral. Not neutral and ground. The grounding is done separate from the service drop using ground rods or rebar from foundation of building.
The neutral is your grounded conductor actually...
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 That wire is the neutral, period.
You bond it to the ground in the panel is a different topic of discussion.
@@urbanturbine First means of disconnect 😉
If wired properly, we can use neutral as ground wire.
@@urbanturbine If you bond a wire to any load wire is that wire anything but a load now? And when you bond to ground...? Hmmm, ok. Neutral and Ground are functionally the same. Neutral is simply the intended current return route for the proper circuit. Ground is a fail-safe return path. They both are at the same potential (or damn well should be - see ground loops).
NEC says you need 3 ft of clearance from the edge of a roof and also 8 feet above a roof unless it has a 4-12 slope which you standing on the roof means you don’t have the slope.
Good thing inspectors aren't code enforcers and depending on the year of build it may be grandfathered in to reflect the code of that year. Unless this is a brand new panel Install then service would need to be brought up to current requirements
@@themayorbnb This is also why it is against the law for a home inspector to state code in a video AND in a report....
If unsure its always better to go from a small wire to a bigger one as oppose to larger to smaller. A good electrician should already know that its in the NEC code BOOK
THANK YOU!!!
THIS is the only video i could find addressing this issue. I'm a painter and was scared AF Abt touching this line while painting or using my latter.
Bro that’s #4 triplex it’s good for 110amps you’ll never be able to pull that much on ur house so don’t overthink it
Good to know
the lines coming from the pole are number 2 or number 4 ACSR
You mean 4 or 2AL. ACSR would be Aluminum conductor, steel reinforced. Which this triplex service doesn’t have steel.
@@jakeriley2830 ya im used to saying ACSR
@@jakeriley2830 the blacks are 2 or 4 al
@@powerlinekidforsman9360 lol all good. Your just used to working that big wire. That’s all. Haha. We got mostly 477 and 795 ACSR where I work.
You answered my question. Thanks.
Or you can look in the NEC book and it states that .
Question Can I paint around them cable without being shock ?? Like paint exterior of the house
Thank you very much for that information
That mast should be higher than point of attachment I know that well at least in my state
Looks very sloppy there's not even the correct drip Loop. The drip Loop needs to be below the weatherhead and like I said there's not even a drip Loop. The purpose of a drip Loop is when it rains water will fall off on the bottom of the u-shape conductors. Also it looks like those wires are touching your metal gutter or at least they're very close? And as we know metal and electricity do not mix.
I love the triplex power lines wow that's amazing are you playing with sparkie can I touch it?
Great tutorial, but you should include a disclaimer to viewers to not touch any of the wires.
Main reason im here lol
I'm a licensed and certified electrician and I absolutely hate videos like this I search videos like this so I can give correct information when needed and to tell people not to trust the RUclips want to be electricians they see posting videos. I know this guy is not saying he's an electrician but he's doing things that he absolutely should not be doing. For starters the gloves that he has on they are 6going to do anything to stop him from getting seriously hurt or killed when and if he touches the wrong thing but videos like this sadly make others believe that things like this 9safe and they will be protected from shock and or death. The type of gloves we use to handle live wires are nothing like what he has on and require testing to make sure the6are safe to continue to use they are also not the inexpensive gloves like he has on in terms of price. The hot gloves we use ate also pretty expensive but for good reason. Bottom line please do not touch the wires going into f
Your home from the street and do not touch the wires in your home of you are not a licensed and certified electrician your life/safety and home and belongings all depend on you not messing with this so please don't.⚡👍✌
I touched electrical wires in my house, out on the street so many times with no gloves but I m still here laughing at life, die? People don’t die, they just upgrade to next level maybe like heaven.
@@RavenTheLabrador What say you about the safety aspects of trimming a tree/shrubs around these wires?
Just wondering when the last time any of my inspectors climbed a roof.
Lazy cheap ultility companies do not have to follow the NEC so get away with murder. They would rather have your house burn down then them have the proper size fuse but overfuse. Have seen them only use 4/0 aluminum wire that for us is only good for 200 Amos but seen them feed 24 row houses with ever house having either central AC or 3 or 4 window air conditioning so wire gets hot during summer days.
Is it safe to clean my gutter near these wires?
Was stationed at camp Irwin California near Barstow. Got brutal sunburn. Saw many sidewinder rattlesnakes and jack rabbits. Rained one day to the point of nearly flood stage and two hours later was dry. Once went into death valley. Army paid my way so I can honestly say i probably would not have visited there otherwise but if an opportunity arises I would recommend an exploratory visit.
How come there are 3 more insulators below, we’re they installed when triplex wire wasn’t a thing back in the day?
What if my service is underground?
Always wondered will these wires kill you if you touch them bare handed with a path to ground?
Sometimes
Yes. Many have due to aluminum ladder use and exposed wires.
@@jakeriley2830 highly likely* to kill you considered there is NO OVER CURRENT PROTECTION from the service transformer. Don't get comfortable with things that can kill you faster then your body hits the ground. No pun intended. Teaching others to be complacent with these Lethal amounts of current is truly more dangerous than them assuming it will. It may result in someone believing you and being electrocuted. That word means death btw. Not shocked or stunned but ELECTROCUTED.
I was wondering about the porcelain wire holder. It doesn’t hold the conductive wires. It holds a support wire which supports the conductive wires. Thanks.
It holds the neutral wire which is not there for support but to be grounded and allow return current
@@andycopeland7051True, although the bare neutral is ACSR wire, that supports the rest of the assembled cable, as in a messenger wire.
Whats the Link on the gloves u have on.... Are the durable for electrical work?
Good vid.
the mast bar is of the house and it came off the clamps. I was told its the owners problem not the city. what can I touch and not touch????
my plan was just to hold the bar back and put longer screws in it
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 i bought newer clamps and used longer screws. everything is held down strong and stable. im not sure how that happened. but its done👍🏼 thank you for your time sir
We had a storm last week and a tree landed on our service drop. The house still kept power. I was going to cut the tree up with a chainsaw after the insurance guy looked at everything. Then I noticed the support wire/ground/neutral was severed although the others were intact. I don't know much about electricity which made me not want to mess with it. I've called the power company. Was this the right choice? Is this dangerous?
Yes if the steel support cable is broken then that is very dangerous.
WHAT ARE YU TALKIN ABOUT ...SERVICE DROP TO HOUSE .....TAPS TO STACK WIRE ...
If I’m not mistaken the NEC code states that the weatherhead which is the turtleshell shaped thing needs to be higher than were the service cables are secured to the house are attached. Any other professionals want to chime in on this topic?
It’s called a weatherhead not turtle thing
Mr Panda obviously you dont know how to comprehend text. Read it one more time budd..lol
javier alejandro I apologize I didn’t see that
There is no statement made on the year of build so what year code of the NEC are you referring too and when were the specific requirements changed? Again home inspector not a code enforcer
yes I'm a professional and this point of attachment in reference to the weather head is WRONG. NEC 2020 230.54 (C)
Poking around a service drop isn't smart. Especially with only garden gloves on. Attempting to educate people on the internet when *_YOU YOURSELF_* are unfamiliar with electrical systems is a _play stupid games win stupid prizes_ award waiting to happen.
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665
After reading a number of comments you do understand how absurdly dangerous this video is to others as it was to yourself when creating this?!
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 So you're but hurt that I pointed out your ignorance and like a child you respond with a "Karen" insult. Perhaps I should just take your advice and act like a "Karen" and flag the video. With a attitude like that you're sure to someday win a Darwin award.
You mean licensed Elec-tricken.
I have a questions I need a Service entrance wire #2 AWG for a 100 amp service, I am a bit confused, Does this #2 AWG that I need will come (jacketed/bundled) meaning in a single sheath together with the neutral or do I have to buy them separate? Thank you for any recommendations.
If you are using conduit you can buy xhhw-2 #2 aluminum conducts as a single length and cut it to size. Be sure to leave yourself a 3-foot loop out of the Weatherhead/Service head and the conductor coming out to be used as a neutral make sure you tape it with white tape. If you are not using conduit then you can use SE #2 Aluminum Cable and you would need to twist the strands together to form the neutral.
What is the size of the wire for 200 amp service entrance. Thanks in advance
2-0 wire is used for
200 amp panel installs
Also the two wires, assuming that’s a new build would be 120 volts each carrying 100amps. Usually width of cable dictates amps. 100 1”, 150 1.25”, 200 1.5”.
And as a side note if that cable is live then he should not be touching anything with gardening gloves. 10 amps will kill instantly 99% of the time. So if either cable has a slight tear or any imperfections then his entire body inside and out would burn and his heart would stop.
For 200A service, it's 2/0 copper or 4/0 aluminum. 100 amp uses 2 copper or 1/0 aluminum. Earth grounds on 200A are 4awg to water or ufer, and 6awg is all that's required for ground rods.
A 100A service uses no. 6awg for all grounds.
I’m assuming the entrance cables are 2/0 cause of its panel amperage rate
@@philipwilliamshomeinspecti4665 will theses wires kill you if you touch them bare handed with a path to ground.
@@Katarinarabbit Those are insulated conductors but no one on here will tell you "go ahead touch it , it is ok" :)
Practice what you're going to say first
You really think that this deserves a video? All taps can be done on mismatched wire gauges that's why rating on the tap is dual numbered. I thought this video was about the service drop almost touching the gutter leader...
I'm sorry to hear about your being regularly and deliberately dropped on your head as a child. That explains your comment. Good try.
@@werquantum The OP took no offense at my comment because I offered helpful information related to his video; you on the other hand looking and acting fresh out of Bellevue's solitary confinement head shaved and shooting off your mouth at strangers without any context. Double your dosage and relax melonhead.
@@werquantum lol!
@@Order-in-Chaos In all fairness you asked why it deserves a video, like what kind of question is that? RUclips is a place of exchanging information, and I for one learned something here. After all, you could have just not clicked on the video lol. The rest of your comment, I thought was helpful though. You did throw a unneeded shade however, and get upset someone got offended by it...
@@SteezySquirel (edited) 🤣🤣🤣 Boy you're really serious about trolling people... Anyway now let's get back to your sexy legs; are they really sexy or do you need to edit that description as well?
You need to understand better the service drop from the utility company to the home, so you can do a better video 📹...............
Double 0 (ott)
This guy has no idea what he's doing!
And the fucking electric company wants to charge $300 to unhook the safety line that my neighbor Hooked up on my house without my. Permission... I paid for the point of attachment a.k.a. diamond plated I am just going to cut his safety line The little loop wire
Lot of bad things and misinformation in this video.
You’re just a home inspector
Huh lol
You really shouldn't be touching those wires as that is just a coating not insulation you can still get lit up bad .