Date: Fri, 31 Dec 2010 04:14:46 -0500
From: "Roger (K8RI)" <K8RI-on-TowerTalk@tm.net>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Fwd: Using aluminum wire [or aluminum clad
wire]
At one time there was a big push to use aluminum wiring in new homes,
but that expansion and contraction was causing poor connections with the
resulting fires is why Al wiring is now banned although as I said
before, except between the meter and breaker box. Even with 4 ought,
you have to retighten the big connections at the top yearly for the
first 3 to 5 years.
### Same deal here...AL is now toast...yet my last house did have
12 ga AL wiring all over the house. [built in 1972].
### We can't use 4 ought AL between meter + breaker box. It has
to be 3 ought CU. Since the distance from the meter to the 200A main
panel is typ short... I see no savings using AL. AL is a pita..used
anywhere.
## 2 ought AL IS used for the drop wire from street into the input side of
the meter..and that's it. Suck 50-100A... and the V drop on that 2 ought
AL drop wire is bad news. In my case, it's a mid span drop....which is also
on the other side of the street. Then it goes down the street aways..to the
pole pig. It's a long piece of 2 ought from meter to mid span. From that
point
to the pole pig... the AL wire is shared with my neighbours. Dunno if it's
still 2 GA or not from midspan to xfmr. How the heck 9 x homes can share
the same 50 kva xfmr...and all have "200A" service is beyond me. That's only
23 A per home.
## BTW... I bought several hundred feet of 10 ga 'alumoweld' wire..on sale
from SSON yrs ago for a project. I also have 12 ga alumoweld. The 12 ga
stuff
is good for > 1000 lb tensile strength... and the 10 ga stuff is 50%
stronger than the
12 ga stuff... 1600 lbs.
later... Jim VE7RF
I use a long extension on the handle of the large
allen wrench, a wee bit pf either noalox or never-seeze and really reef
it down. This is not a job for the Novice, As they say on the TV
programs, "Do not try this at home", but I've done it hot as well as
watching electricians do it hot. If you ever short out that 220 line
where the only fuse is at the transformer on the pole you will be lucky
to survive and not burn the house down. That transformer in my case is
supplying three 200 amp services. I once saw one of the plant
electricians slip and stick a LARGE screwdriver into an overhead buss
with that kind of capacity. There was a loud bang and then that whole
buss was slowly burning back like a fuse while growling like a D7 Cat.
Man, but that sucker was noisy, but at least I wasn't up there on the
step ladder with the electrician. <:-)) No he didn't get hurt...except
for maybe his nerves.
Their boss wasn't exactly happy either as he shut that whole room full
of production equipment down which probably ran at least several hundred
thousand dollars loss.
73
Roger (K8RI)
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