Buba is just asking

[504-1]

Would 2/0 triplex overhead wire, be safe to use as underground run through conduit? (price is cheap so I have to ask) No inspection required.

 

[JMOR]

(quoted from post at 23:49:38 11/07/13) Would 2/0 triplex overhead wire, be safe to use as underground run through conduit? (price is cheap so I have to ask) No inspection required.

o for it. I've seen it direct burial work for a decade. NEC code.....well that is a different topic.

 

[Chris(WA)]

The issue would be heat. That triplex is intended to be run outdoors where it would cool in the air. If you are not going to draw rated amps (200 Amps)The wire will probably never heat and you would never have a problem.
Just sayin ya know....

 

[Anonymous-0]

With 2/0 triplex you have two hots and a neutral. What are you going to use for your ground????????

May work if you use it only for a 120 volt supply. 1 hot 1 net. and bare for ground.

 

[Mike M]

A few years back we took the overhead wire down and reran it underground thru conduit to a different location. Worked out fine.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Come on, No Bubba would ask an electrical question, he would just do it. Bubba's don't shive a get about using an NEC decoder ring. Perhaps he would duct take the neutral wire, use metal conduit as a ground, metal fence posts or pipe as a grounding rod.

 

[John T]

It will "work" to conduct electricity, hey its three conductors, BUT THATS NOT ITS INTENDED NOR NEC PROPER USE!!!!!!!!!!!!

1) First of all, it has ONLY two insulated conductors plus a bare conductor. Its intened to supply 120/240 volt single phase three wire service from typically a pole mounted utility transformer to the home service entrance panel and the 2 UnGrounded Conductors are insulated while the Grounded Neutral Conductor is bare.

2) Its ampacity would have to be derated if it were enclosed in conduit as its labeled ampacity assumes its in free open air.

3) Far as I know (but NO warranty Im Code rusty) if you run an equipment GroundING Conductor inside an underground conduit IT NEEDS TO BE INSULATED AND NOTTTTTTTTTTTTTT BARE

THEREFORE you couldn't (if the NEC matters to you) use it underground in conduit for even 120 volt ONLY service because the 2 insulated conductors would have to be Hot UngrounDED Conductor and the Neutral Grounded Conductor BUT WHAT ABOUT THE NEED (as far as NEC is concerned) FOR AN INSULATED EQUIPMENT GROUNDING CONDUCTOR??? All you have left is that bare (intended for Neutral) conductor.

BUT NOTE IT WILL WORK its your money and your call NOT any of us here and it will work even if NOT Code proper, so do as you please. Its still three conductors and each will conduct electricity and I'm sure Billy Bob and Bubba and many others have done it before and YES IT WORKS

NOTE Once more I'm basing my answer on my "belief" that you need to use an insulated GroundING Equipment Conductor in underground conduit (if NEC matters that is) and if that's NOT true you could get by with the bare conductor for use as the Equipment GroundiNG Conductor in which case 120 volt single phase service could be supplied in underground conduit PROVIDED THE AMPACITY IS DERATED SINCE ITS NOT IN FREE AIR!!!!

Another thought, I don't think twisted triplex is NEC permissible underground at all !! for that you need UF (Underground Feeder) or USE (Underground Service Entrance) cable NOT aerial twisted triplex!!!

STILL YESSSSSSSSSS IT WOULD "WORK"

Best wishes n God Bless

John T Too long retired Electrical Engineer and code rusty so no warranty !!

 

[504-1]

Well that answers my questions, and here are my replies. The first deal(used direct bury) was 40 feet short, the other deal, for overhead wire has already been scraped,so the next deal was a trip to Lowes.
They beat everybody in town by at least .25 per foot, and some by .40.
None of the local wholesale suppliers would match the price, I never thought that would happen.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

If you could find a price cheaper than lowes, take proof, and lowes will price match it plus you get another 10%. Can't beat that. Get a lowes credit card and they will take another 5% off whey you check out.

Vets get another 10%.

Use the system. LOL

 

[John T]

Ive bought wire at Lowes also and found the same, their price beat the local electrical supply houses............and they have that nice huge wire supply machine with all those different rolls of wire woooooooooo hoooooooo

John T

 

[Dusty MI]

I needed some electrical supplies, a couple that I knew Lowe's not have, so I went to an electric supply house.
One thing was a 100' of 3/4" EMT that Lowe's do carry, so I asked for a price, 2.70 a stick, Lowe's gets 3.12.
When we were loading at the supply house, they handed me a bundle of 1/2" EMT. I said no it's 3/4". We checked and they had priced 1/2", I may have mis-spoke when I asked. The best the supply house could do was 3.50 a stick.


Dusty

 

[Patrick Potter]

In TX you can run your 2/0 wire under ground as long as it is in electrical conduit, the feed from the meter to where ever it's going is suppose to berried at least 3' to the top of the pipe anything I believe is 2' and unless it states "direct berry" it is suppose to be in electrical conduit.

Sorry about the spelling if any misspelled spelling is not my strong point.

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 18:42:03 11/08/13) If you could find a price cheaper than lowes, take proof, and lowes will price match it plus you get another 10%. Can't beat that. Get a lowes credit card and they will take another 5% off whey you check out.

Vets get another 10%.



Use the system. LOL

Yeah, use the system until it runs all the local competition out of town then watch prices shoot up.

 

[varmint]

(quoted from post at 11:42:32 11/12/13)

(quoted from post at 18:42:03 11/08/13) If you could find a price cheaper than lowes, take proof, and lowes will price match it plus you get another 10%. Can't beat that. Get a lowes credit card and they will take another 5% off whey you check out.

Vets get another 10%.



Use the system. LOL

Yeah, use the system until it runs all the local competition out of town then watch prices shoot up.

i heard that , happened here a lot

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 18:42:03 11/08/13) If you could find a price cheaper than lowes, take proof, and lowes will price match it plus you get another 10%. Can't beat that. Get a lowes credit card and they will take another 5% off whey you check out.

Vets get another 10%.

I would pay an extra 5% to support the local guy.

Use the system. LOL

 

[Ozlander]

(quoted from post at 11:42:32 11/12/13)

(quoted from post at 18:42:03 11/08/13) If you could find a price cheaper than lowes, take proof, and lowes will price match it plus you get another 10%. Can't beat that. Get a lowes credit card and they will take another 5% off whey you check out.

Vets get another 10%.



Use the system. LOL

Yeah, use the system until it runs all the local competition out of town then watch prices shoot up.

You going to give him the difference in price. If not, it's not your business where he spends his money.

 

[IH2444]

(quoted from post at 14:42:32 11/12/13)

(quoted from post at 18:42:03 11/08/13) If you could find a price cheaper than lowes, take proof, and lowes will price match it plus you get another 10%. Can't beat that. Get a lowes credit card and they will take another 5% off whey you check out.

Vets get another 10%.



Use the system. LOL

Yeah, use the system until it runs all the local competition out of town then watch prices shoot up.

I have seen em run the competition out and they still keep lower prices than I can get by driving a couple of hours to a supplier in a large city with lots of competition.

The real suppliers will stay around in the larger cities since Lowes does not carry commercial stuff, just home type stuff.
No 3 phase, 500 MCM, etc stuff.