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How do you tell if you have 60 amp or 100 amp service?

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How do you tell if you have 60 amp or 100 amp service? Jonathan Grobe 05-29-2008
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Posted by bud-- on May 30, 2008, 4:37 pm
bud-- wrote:
> Jonathan Grobe wrote:
>
>>> You are correct. The service entrance cable will determine the
>>> service size. If it is aluminum, it should be #2, if it's copper #4.
>>> Anything smaller would be a 60 amp service
>
>> What is the diameter of #2 aluminum?
>>
>
> #2 wire is about 0.097" diameter.


Oops, read the wrong column. #2 wire (conductor - stranded) is about
0.292" diameter. This is reasonable compared to dpb's value of "roughly
0.25" which may be solid wire.

--
bud--

Posted by dpb on May 29, 2008, 5:15 pm
Jonathan Grobe wrote:
>> You are correct. The service entrance cable will determine the service size.
>> If it is aluminum, it should be #2, if it's copper #4. Anything smaller
>> would be a 60 amp service
> What is the diameter of #2 aluminum?

#2 is #2, whether it's Al or Cu -- it's the wire gauge and the gauge is
independent of material. Only the conductivity of Cu is better than Al
so can use smaller gauge wire compared to Cu for the same ampacity.

That said, #2 is roughly 0.25" diameter. See following link for table
of AWG dimensions.

http://www.rbeelectronics.com/wtable.htm

--





Posted by DerbyDad03 on May 29, 2008, 2:31 pm
> How do you tell if you have 60 amp or 100 amp service?
>
> The wiring in the service cable is aluminum. What sizes
> would be 60 amp and what would be 100 amp?
>
> I have an old size fusebox, with main on the left
> side and range on the right side. While right now
> there are 4 of the long 60 amp fuses in the fuse box,
> am I correct that probably the correct numbers should
> be 60 amp in the main and 40 amp in the range for a total
> of 100 amps--and that this is probably a 100 amp service?
>
> --
> Jonathan Grobe Books =A0
> Browse our inventory of thousands of used books at:http://www.grobebooks.c=
om

I'm not too familiar with fuse boxes, but in a typical breaker box,
the main breaker is sized to match the size of the service. If my main
breaker (the one at the top of the box that would kill the entire
house if thrown) is labeled as 150A, then I have a 150A service.

I don't think you'd have a service wire size that was rated higher by
any great extent than the main breaker (or fuse in your case) and
you'd better not have a service wire size that was rated lower.

Do fuse boxes not have a "main fuse" for the entire system?

Posted by RBM on May 29, 2008, 4:29 pm

> How do you tell if you have 60 amp or 100 amp service?
>
> The wiring in the service cable is aluminum. What sizes
> would be 60 amp and what would be 100 amp?
>
> I have an old size fusebox, with main on the left
> side and range on the right side. While right now
> there are 4 of the long 60 amp fuses in the fuse box,
> am I correct that probably the correct numbers should
> be 60 amp in the main and 40 amp in the range for a total
> of 100 amps--and that this is probably a 100 amp service?
>
> --
> Jonathan Grobe Books
> Browse our inventory of thousands of used books
> at:http://www.grobebooks.com

I'm not too familiar with fuse boxes, but in a typical breaker box,
the main breaker is sized to match the size of the service. If my main
breaker (the one at the top of the box that would kill the entire
house if thrown) is labeled as 150A, then I have a 150A service.

I don't think you'd have a service wire size that was rated higher by
any great extent than the main breaker (or fuse in your case) and
you'd better not have a service wire size that was rated lower.

Do fuse boxes not have a "main fuse" for the entire system?

His particular fuse box has two main disconnects, and it was common for
split buss breaker panels to have up to six main disconnects. The common
misconception is that the total amperage of the main disconnects cannot
exceed the rating of the service entrance cables. Theoretically you can have
a 200 amp service with six 100 amp main disconnects.



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