Electric wire size type

[Dave Sherburne NY]

Gonna run an overhead 100 amp 220 service between the shop and a pole barn. Need to know wire size to use inside the shop in conduit to the outside weather head at the eaves. Eaves are 16 ft. I wanna use what the code requires.

 

[buickanddeere]

Underground is vastly superior, is it possible? No over head to be beaten by weather or caught by equipment. The underground also allows proper separation of the ground and neutral. Those darned old triplex services that tie the ground rod and neutral together at the remote service cause livestock to suffer tingle voltage.

 

[Kellyss]

Hello- I agree with buickanddeere about the underground aspect. The aluminum Service entrance cable I would recommend is 2/0-2/0-2/0-1. This cable is good for 135 amps at 75C. That short of a distance will not be an issue.

 

[Dave Sherburne NY]

I'll have to rethink this, have to check to see if it's possible to go underground. It's less than 20 feet but the ground is almost solid rock.

 

[kcm.MN]

As you have a lot of rock in the area, you'll need some very strong conduit, or to bury it in a trench that is backfilled with pea gravel or maybe sand - something that won't punch a hole through the conduit if you drive a heavy load over. Doesn't sound like you can get the wire very far down.

You might consider instead burying the wire/conduit, adding a little backfill, then laying some plate steel over the run to distribute load over a larger area.

Code usually has restrictions on what you can do in an area like that, so I like that you said you want to pass code. Code = "[i:07f38a76ab]minimum[/i:07f38a76ab] acceptable standards", by the way.

 

[kcm.MN]

And as you were originally thinking, it might be better in your situation to make that short 20' run using overhead. Sounds like a lot quicker and less expense. Just watch the height - make sure it's high enough to never be in the way. And if you go overhead, would be smart to make the run so that it could be dropped or replaced without it being an act of congress - should the need ever arise.

 

[buickanddeere]

Could run four plex instead of three plex to keep the ground and neutral separate .

 

[buickanddeere]

Could run four plex instead of three plex to keep the ground and neutral separate .

 

[Stuart]

Are you saying all livestock on farms with 3 wire systems suffer tingle voltage??