Service Drop Cable Size

[Kissi Asiedu]

I need help in determining what cable size to use for an overhead service
drop. In the third world country where I want to use this cable, the utility
company does not supply the cable. It is a 3000 Sq ft house, 3 phase power
and 200 Amp main breaker load center. Also can I use SER cable?

Thanks

 

[SQLit]

I need help in determining what cable size to use for an overhead service
drop. In the third world country where I want to use this cable, the utility
company does not supply the cable. It is a 3000 Sq ft house, 3 phase power
and 200 Amp main breaker load center. Also can I use SER cable?

Thanks

not enough information to provide any real help.
SER is not rated for overhead to my knowledge.
A triplexed cable with a messenger would be my first choice.

 

[Kirk Johnson]

I need help in determining what cable size to use for an overhead service
drop. In the third world country where I want to use this cable, the
utility company does not supply the cable. It is a 3000 Sq ft house, 3
phase power and 200 Amp main breaker load center. Also can I use SER cable?

Thanks

Voltage?

Kirk Johnson - The Goatse Man

 

[Kissi Asiedu]

It's a house, I said 200amps because the 2000sq ft house
I live in here in the US has a main breaker of 200 amps.
Please advise if that is too much for a house. Any sugestions ?

 

[Kissi Asiedu]

Voltage is 220-240

I supose 220 between phase and 380 triphase power but why 200 amps is that
a single factory or you have a child land tell more if you want help

 

[Andrew Gabriel]

It's a house, I said 200amps because the 2000sq ft house
I live in here in the US has a main breaker of 200 amps.
Please advise if that is too much for a house. Any sugestions ?

Might help if you said where it was, but most first world
countries don't give homes 200A supplies, and most third
world areas won't have the infrastructure to supply it anyway.

 

[[email protected]]

Be careful about comparing amps. In many places, the utilization equipment
runs on 220-240 volts rather than 120. Their toaster oven, microwave oven,
space heater, etc. draw half the amps, but equally on both lines. Ours draw
twice the amps, but typically on only one line and neutral. We may not use
both sides of the system equally, but the highest line amps determine the
service ampacity requirements.

Ben Miller

When we talk about service amps in the US it is still going to be at
240v so the fact that we internally split it out to two 120v rails is
not important.
It will affect the number of amps at the outlets though.
I am sure the typical US home will use a lot more watts than most
Europeans.
A dollar will typically buy somewhere between 7 and 10 KWH in most of
the country although there are still pockets of higher or lower rates.
We don't have prohibitive tax rates on big users.

 

[Ben Miller]

Might help if you said where it was, but most first world
countries don't give homes 200A supplies, and most third
world areas won't have the infrastructure to supply it anyway.

It is becoming common in the US. In fact, any new service drop the utility
installs in my area will handle 200 amps. To upgrade, you just install your
new meter and service panel.

Ben Miller

 

[Anthony]

andrew@a17 (Andrew Gabriel) wrote in @news.aaisp.net.uk:

Might help if you said where it was, but most first world
countries don't give homes 200A supplies, and most third
world areas won't have the infrastructure to supply it anyway.

Hrm...I've been installing 200A services to homes in the US for at least
20 years...in the last 5-8 years 300A or 400A is not uncommon. The
utility company really frowns on anything under 200A for a residence.

In todays world in the US, 200A is probably barely enough, imho. If you
figure in the heating/cooling, clothes dryer, range, water heating, etc
and you can get pretty close with just the major appliances which have a
high likelyhood of being in use concurrently. The lifestyle now is such
that many families are only home for a few hours a day, wherein most
household chores must get done. This is not taking into account all the
entertainment equipment.

--
Anthony

You can't 'idiot proof' anything....every time you try, they just make
better idiots.

Remove sp to reply via email

 

[Kirk Johnson]

andrew@a17 (Andrew Gabriel) wrote in @news.aaisp.net.uk:



Hrm...I've been installing 200A services to homes in the US for at least
20 years...in the last 5-8 years 300A or 400A is not uncommon. The
utility company really frowns on anything under 200A for a residence.

In todays world in the US, 200A is probably barely enough, imho. If you
figure in the heating/cooling, clothes dryer, range, water heating, etc
and you can get pretty close with just the major appliances which have a
high likelyhood of being in use concurrently. The lifestyle now is such
that many families are only home for a few hours a day, wherein most
household chores must get done. This is not taking into account all the
entertainment equipment.

US is just one country, I think the post said 'most' first
world countries.

I Think you will find that most first world countries have domestic
supplies around the 50A-80A range.


Krik Johnson - Stretchin it wide since 1977.

 

[Ben Miller]

I Think you will find that most first world countries have domestic
supplies around the 50A-80A range.

Be careful about comparing amps. In many places, the utilization equipment
runs on 220-240 volts rather than 120. Their toaster oven, microwave oven,
space heater, etc. draw half the amps, but equally on both lines. Ours draw
twice the amps, but typically on only one line and neutral. We may not use
both sides of the system equally, but the highest line amps determine the
service ampacity requirements.

Ben Miller

 

[Kirk Johnson]

In the US a 200A main breaker theoretically supplies 48kVA of power.
It doesn't matter if you look at it as 2 120V circuits or 1 240V circuit,
it's still 48kVA. In reality somewhat less since the two legs aren't
going to be perfectly balanced and you're limited by whichever leg draws
the most current.

Assuming you live in a 220V or 240V country, 200A on 3 hots will supply
132 to 144 kVA. Much more than you'll likely need. In theory, to have
the same 48kVA power available, all you'd need is a 67-75A main breaker.
Again, the 3 legs aren't going to be perfectly balanced, but this is
similar to the two 120V legs in a US service not being perfectly
balanced, either.

What LARGE power users will you have? Electric range/oven/dryer? Electric
hot water? Electric heat (cringe)? Air conditioning (is it hot there?) ?

Most 220/240v countries will have a single phase supply, so 48KVA is 200A.

Krik Johnson - Stretchin it wide since 1977.

 

[Kissi Asiedu]

In the US a 200A main breaker theoretically supplies 48kVA of power.
It doesn't matter if you look at it as 2 120V circuits or 1 240V circuit,
it's still 48kVA. In reality somewhat less since the two legs aren't
going to be perfectly balanced and you're limited by whichever leg draws
the most current.

Assuming you live in a 220V or 240V country, 200A on 3 hots will supply
132 to 144 kVA. Much more than you'll likely need. In theory, to have
the same 48kVA power available, all you'd need is a 67-75A main breaker.
Again, the 3 legs aren't going to be perfectly balanced, but this is
similar to the two 120V legs in a US service not being perfectly
balanced, either.

What LARGE power users will you have? Electric range/oven/dryer? Electric
hot water? Electric heat (cringe)? Air conditioning (is it hot there?) ?

Yes its very hot there, and I will use Electric range/oven/dryer/hot water
and Air Conditioning.

 

[[email protected]]

It seems that the service for an American home is in the range of
100A-400A at 240V. Let's say 200A. The capacity is then 48 kVA.

In Sweden a home has a service in the range of 16-25A @ 400V (3 ph).
Let's say 20A, which gives some 14 kVA. That is about 30% of the
American.

An average Swedish home of 150 sqm (1600 sqft) uses 27 700 kWh per
year, of which 1 000 kWH is the lighting, 5 000 is for the hot water, 5
700 is for household use and finally the heating takes 16 000 kWh.

Let's assume that the ratio between service size and annual electrical
usage in a home is the same. Then the American home would use 27 700 /
0,30 = 92 000 kWh per year.

According to you, a dollar buys between 7-10 kWh. Let's say 8 kWh as an
average. Then an American home would use some 92 000 / 8 = 11 500
dollars worth of electricity per year, or about $1000 per month.

Sigh, American wages are higher than ours...

A typical "all electric" home in Florida would have a $200 a month
bill when the A/C was running. We oversize our services as a general
rule. The house may have a 200a service but the utility will probably
have a service cable closer to 100a capacity although they do have
"free air" around it so they get away with smaller wire. Our side will
be 4/0 al (107.2mm) the utility will use #2al (33.62mm). They know we
are not using 200a. My bills show 1700-1900kwh a month.
A/C, hot water, cooking, spa and a pool.

 

[Anthony]

[email protected] wrote in @g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

According to you, a dollar buys between 7-10 kWh. Let's say 8 kWh as an
average. Then an American home would use some 92 000 / 8 = 11 500
dollars worth of electricity per year, or about $1000 per month.

Sigh, American wages are higher than ours...

Lets also note, that the figures I gave were for service sizing, and not
actual load. While the peak demand can sometimes approach the 200A @
240V, the average usage is going to be very considerably less.
I don't know about the rest of the country, but in my area, you would be
lucky if the whole family was home and awake, more than 4-6 hours a day
(probably closer to 4). [Both parents working, after-school activities
for the young ones, etc.]
But still..you have to size the service for peak potential demand.

--
Anthony

You can't 'idiot proof' anything....every time you try, they just make
better idiots.

Remove sp to reply via email

 

[[email protected]]

Like anywhere else, where you live affects your electric bill. Some
have mentioned a typical US Bill of $200/month.

I would argue that that figure is not typical for the US

That is my typical bill in SW Florida with an all electric home,
including 2 pumps to provide water. It is my only utility bill other
than Tel/Com.

 

[Peter Analby]

Sigh, American wages are higher than ours...

No they just have larger bellys and waste a lot of energy.

 

[Beachcomber]

Voltage is 220-240

Like anywhere else, where you live affects your electric bill. Some
have mentioned a typical US Bill of $200/month.

I would argue that that figure is not typical for the US. I live in
a 1400 sf house in the Pacific Northwest, Gas Heat, Gas Hot Water,
A/C, electric dryer, electric range. My electric bills are $50 to
$60 per month... less during the spring and fall months. This is
typical for the region for a house of this type.

Climate probably plays the biggest role in how much your energy bills
are going to be. Also whether you have gas or electric. Gas has
traditionally been more cost effective for heating and hot water, but
recent big increases in NG prices have narrowed this advantage.

Here in the PNW, we are lucky to have cheap hydro-power and although
it is not cheap, more wind power is coming online.

Parts of California and New England have some of the most expensive
electricity rates in the USA.

Beachcomber

 

[Kissi Asiedu]

I have not got any suggestions as to what cable size and type to use for the
service drop. Its a 3 phase power, 220-240 Volts and 200 Amp Load Center.
Any suggestions will be very much appreciated.

 

[Don Kelly]

----------------------------

I have not got any suggestions as to what cable size and type to use for
the service drop. Its a 3 phase power, 220-240 Volts and 200 Amp Load
Center. Any suggestions will be very much appreciated.

If the country does not have any standards, then go to either British or
North American (US or Canada) standards which should be safe.