[R-390] Some progress
Joe Foley
[email protected]
Mon, 6 Jan 2003 16:32:19 -0800 (PST)
Same up here, Cec,
I still use copper for industrial, especially where
heat or big loads may be a problem, but all overhead
stuff is aluminum, also factor in the weight, 750
copper being VERY heavy.
Now, the West Coast may have different problems due to
the almost constant west winds off the sea, this may
be a concern several miles inland, too. The same not
considered on the East Coast, maybe not on the "South"
Coast either.
North Coast, of course, more problems with ICE
loading!
Joe
--- Cecil Acuff <[email protected]> wrote:
> Greetings group,
>
> I work for Southern Company...the largest Public
> Electric Utility in the US
> and to my knowledge all of our service entrance
> cables are Aluminum
> "Tri-Plex" which consists of two insulated
> conductors and one bare...all
> twisted together. I can't speak for what is
> installed in higher current 3
> phase installations. Can't say I have seen any
> copper cables at all in our
> warehouses besides direct burial control cables used
> in substations and
> generating plants.
>
> Most folks don't know it but all of the lines you
> see overhead including the
> large 100KV and 500KV transmission lines are built
> with Aluminum (bare)
> conductors. Copper is no doubt better from a
> conductivity standpoint but
> it's way too expensive to use for transmitting and
> distributing electricity.
> I will tell you that the Aluminum that is used is
> not the soft, flexible
> aluminum you might think of...it's some alloy that
> is like Hard Drawn copper
> is to standard copper. You can't hardly bend the
> stuff. Must have better
> corrosion properties as well...I have looked at
> conductors that have been in
> the air for years and show little corrosion or
> pitting, a good report for
> the area I live in....Gulf Coast. (read salt air)
>
> Cecil Acuff
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Bob Tetrault <[email protected]>
> To: Joe Foley <[email protected]>;
> <[email protected]>
> Sent: Monday, January 06, 2003 12:25 PM
> Subject: RE: [R-390] Some progress
>
>
> > I think there must be some regional error here
> Joe, as all of my service
> > entrances from the pole have been copper, even as
> late as 96.
> >
> > California and Oregon
> >
> > Bob
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: [email protected]
> [mailto:[email protected]]On
> > Behalf Of Joe Foley
> > Sent: Sunday, January 05, 2003 10:38 AM
> > To: [email protected]
> > Subject: Re: [R-390] Some progress
> >
> >
> >
> > --- polaraligned <[email protected]>
> wrote:
> > > Well, maybe Joe can expand on this, but I
> believe
> > > aluminum wiring
> > > is OK if done right. That means using devices
> > > designed for aluminum wiring
> > > and
> > > using the right compound on the connections. I
> > > think most electrical
> > > services use
> > > an aluminum feed from the pole to the panel.
> The
> > > busses in the panels on
> > > many
> > > services are aluminum. And the electrical
> inspector
> > > will want to see a
> > > proper
> > > compound on the service connections.
> > ++++++++
> > Yes, all the way through.
> >
> > Still aluminum isn't as good as copper, mostly
> because
> > of the connections. Aluminum is softer than
> copper
> > and the connections should be tightened regularly
> as
> > they come loose due to vibration, even in a house,
> > also from heat cycling, whether from using the
> circuit
> > or just winter/summer variations. The outlet
> nearest
> > the main entrance is the one most prone to having
> the
> > screws come loose because of the wall being
> vibrated
> > by slamming the door! The kitchen counter will be
> the
> > next worst, repeated plugging and un-plugging and
> high
> > current draws from the appliances.
> >
> > Then this for owners of BIG radios, or lots of
> radio
> > equipment:
> >
> > I posted this to the T-368/BC-610 list:
> >
> > House service neutral?
> >
> >
> > Happy New Year everyone!
> >
> > During the discussions of the size circuit needed
> to
> > run a
> > transmitter such as a T-368/BC-610 one important
> item
> > was
> > overlooked. That is the condition of the neutral
> wire
> > going from the
> > panel out to the pole. Many times this is allowed
> to
> > deteriorate to
> > the point where it is no longer safe to carry such
> a
> > large 120 volt
> > load. In an overhead service the neutral is the
> group
> > of wires
> > wrapped around the two hot wires inside the
> service
> > entrance cable.
> > If the covering of this cable has disappeared, for
> > whatever reason,
> > those wires are open to corrosion damage which may
> not
> > take long to
> > cause them to disappear altogether! This is often
> not
> > considered by
> > the average homeowner.
> >
> > What will happen if this fails is that 240 volts
> will
> > be acrossed all
> > of the 120 volt circuits with the appliances
> making a
> > voltage
> > divider. What voltage each appliance sees will be
> > determined by its
> > impedance. Some will go POOF, some will just get
> hot
> > enough to burn
> > the house down.
> >
> > A 21 amp load being cycled on and off repeatedly
> will
> > certainly
> > stress an already weak neutral.
> >
> > ALL newer houses, I mean 30 years old, have
> aluminum
> > service entrance
> > cables! They haven't made copper service entrance
> > cable in 40
> > years! How long has it been since the bolts in
> your
> > panel and meter
> > socket were tightened? Are they tight enough to
> pass
> > enough current
> > to trip the breaker? Got any "blue" terminals?
> Melted
> > plastic?
> > Smoke trails up the siding?
> >
> > If its not moving, GROUND IT!!,.......... does
> your
> > service actually
> > HAVE a ground?
> >
> > Joe
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > __________________________________________________
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