Electricians: How many volts run through this?

Anyone know how many volts run through the wire that runs from the outside electric meter box , to the circuit breaker panel ? Got to replace the 2 heavy wires that run from the 2 electric meters , and go into the Basement where the circuit breaker panels are located . The grey rubber coating on both heavy wires has worn off , and need to be replaced.

You need 4/0 service wire.
That gray outer jacket will get rough looking but the insulation on the wires can still be okay, might pay to have it checked by a sparky.

What size is the main breaker

You have to do a load calculation on the house and size accordingly. Or you can over size by measuring the exsisting cable (not housing) and buy a size larger. Be sure to buy appropriate type wire. (SE, USE, ETC.)

There are 2 circuit breaker panels. Each 100 Amps.

Here is a couple of pictures showing the condition of the Service entrance wire( I think that is what it is called. Looks a bit more than rough looking !!

Not to be mean or insulting but if you are asking the question you probably aren't qualified to perform the job. Could burn the place down or worse kill yourself.

Just remove the wires and take a piece to the lektrik wire store.

Each leg should have 110 volts running through it. I am not sure how many amps it would be.

Why do you have two electric meters? I have two legs that run from my meter to the panel.

Upper and lower unit.

I am assuming that both wires need to be replaced.

AND they should both be in their own conduit. Who installed those cables?

Each wire runs to a separate electric meter. Top wire is for the upper and bottom wire is for the lower unit.

As an inspector. Get with the local jurisdiction. The inspector that gives the up or down will be the horses mouth you want the information from, I see a lot of wrong internet information that causes people to pay twice. Different jurisdictions have some different rules, some are wildly different above and beyond the NEC, NESC, etc.



Owl

You need more than new wires!!!!! That is a disaster waiting to happen. Plus I'm confused you keep saying upper and lower panel. You got different service for a basement ? Better hang on that's not an easy NOR cheap fix. Wires are breaking down from the sun because THEY AREN'T supposed to be in the sun !!!!

X2

How big are those? Those look like old cloth covered Romex.

240 volts Not that this will help.

Yuk! 100 precent should be in conduit! Hire an ibew electrician and you won't be disappointed. If one of my fellow ibew brothers or sisters installed that I would have them boarded! Asking to get a person or dog killed.

It will involve pulling the meters and running the wires in conduit/ pvc pipe. Plus if that wire feeds each meter then it's not big enough . 4/0 3 wire plus a ground would be a lot bigger than that coming from a meter to a panel.
Oh yea where is the ground wire?

That looks like wire feeding an outside heat pump rather than a meter base.

I think you are actually wanting the amperage that is traveling through them. That is where a good electrician and a load calculation for both service panels comes in. Your local code department will have the code requirements for the 100 amp service panels.

"220, 221, whatever it takes"

that looks sketchy AF. Get a pro in there....youre in over your head mate

THIS!

National Grid
NYSEG
Or
Rochester gas and electric,
Perhaps another provider?

Depending on local codes, the service cables may or may not be required to be enclosed,
Inspectors will have a say as well.
Hired a licensed electrician from your area and have it done right.

This is a 2 unit apartment?

I have 2 service entrances, 1 for main house, the other for family member unit
Both services are on my house, with entrance cables in conduit, but not below the meters
Inspector recommend it that way.

Yep, this is one of the worst amateur hour jobs I have seen in a while. No way this is legal or up to code in NY.

In order to replace those wires you are going to have to have your electric service provider pull the meter so you can replace the wires. You could pull it yourself, but, you will need to get them to replace the tag on the meter box. My guess is they will require an inspection before they will ok it. Something to look into, Does your electrical work have to be done by a licensed person? Possible not, but, you will likely have to have it inspected. You could pull it, replace the wires and have them put their tag back on it with little problems. Unless the place burns down and your insurance company discovers that it was not up to code. Then they deny the claim.

To me, it looks like you are only running 110 to each of your panels. Hence the 100 amp breakers.

This does not appear to be an emergency. I would look into your local codes. Find out what needs to be done. Do the work and have it inspected if need be.

Im a qualified electrician, as im sure others who have posted answers are. And we all knew the moment we read your initial post question that you have no business attempting to do this yourself. Listen to us - you don’t understand the basics. Dont do it. Get someone who knows why your question illustrates your ignorance to do it. Might sound mean, but its not, its honesty and trying to help you stay alive and keep you from causing yourself a world of trouble. Don’t mess with this, you are in over your head mate!

Be concerned with the amps when sizing wire.

Older service entrance conductors were often ran stapled to the side of the house just like that... But conduit is the way to go.

I would need to see the system from the meter to both panels to give you an accurate estimate of all that is needed.

And any info I gave you may be null and void depending on your local inspector, if you have one.

200 amp service is the basic standard for most homes these days. That means 2/0 copper or 4/0 aluminum.

Mike

240 volts phase to phase 120 phase to ground.

Getting 3 estimates tomorrow from REAL Electricians. House was built in 1870, so who knows when those 2 outside service lines were installed. Got two 100 Amp circuit breaker boxes in the Basement 100 Amps for the lower unit and 100 Amps for the upper unit. When we bought the house years ago, there was just two 60 Amp fuse boxes in the Basement. (Three 20 Amp fuses in each fuse box.) When we ungraded the electric, we went with 100 Amp circuit Breaker panels. Didn't need 200 Amps for each unit.

"In over my head" That is why I am getting three estimates !! Electric and me DON'T MIX !!

On a more conciliatory note canvas, I understand the DiY way of life. Many times I have learned my way through something, and it has been fine. Unfortunately electrical is not something you can safely and reasonably do that with. You made the right move.
I do think a real electrician could guide you through the process, and with maybe a couple of hours of qualified help you could do the job. The work itself isn’t too difficult, but the knowledge of how and why and what not to do is essential in this case.
Good luck!

If you blow the fuse on your transformer, your volts will be zero along with some of your neighbors.

Meter will spin really fast for second too.

Pretty confused by a lot of the comments. It’s SEU Cable folks. That’s the way it’s mainly ran in residential applications, and as far as asking where the ground is. Well I’m not going to go into that.

Electrocution waiting to happen there

Get a pro to at least come out and give you an estimate, then you will have an idea of how it needs to be done and what materials you need.

Thank you, Pasadena. If it were me and in a pinch, I would cover up that sheath with a good garden hose or a split conduit and call it good. I’m sure the conductors and ground are just fine.

Once the wires hit the building shouldn't they be in conduit, mine are.

Yep, the only thing wrong there is the sheath on the SEU has deteriorated from sun/weather. The neutral is still in tact. The conductors still have their sheathing on. Good gravy, most of the services in the neighborhoods built from the 60’s through the early 80’s have SEU going up the house, bent over( because a weather head is not required) and strip the sheath, twist the neutral and the power company takes it from there.

“You going to let him live with you if lightning hits his house? That’s a burn down if lightning or power surge fries those wires”

And you think a 1/32” thick sheath is going to make a difference if the house is hit by lightning?

Appears he has the lightning covered. See!

SEU is an unarmored Style U flat service electrical cable with two-phase conductors and a concentric neutral. SEU typically has an oval shape because of the stranded neutral conductors that wrap around the cable to create an oval shape.




How your electric system works

You will need a 1/0 size aluminum wire for 100 amp service. Be sure to either run it on the inside or run it in conduit if it's on the outside.

Google why those snake oil fixes went out in the 1970"s THEY ATTRACK LIGHTNING !!!

Got 2 electricians coming over for estimates this weekend, and early next week.. Might try to get a 3rd estimate if these seem high.,

At least my electric don't look like this mess...

Now, I will admit that the #2 picture is not THAT BAD

In the 52 mark of the video, I have seen worse !

Good all you can do at this point. IF and big IF you got the money I'd have ONE 200 amp put in do away with that whole double panel . You may have to if you get it inspected. If a license EL does it and don't want it inspected he's not worth the plastic his license is on .

Conduit is required for mechanical protection of the conductors. Meaning, so the conductors are not damaged by something hitting them. Plastic conduit probably burns as good as siding. We should run a test.

If you are worried about mechanical protection, which you should be near the ground, put some u-guard over the conductors. Not telling you this is code.

What? They do not attract lightning. They provide a path of least resistance to ground if the structure is struck. If your philosophy was sound, every cellphone tower, skyscraper, grain silo, barn would be bombarded by lightning strikes.

It was used too much when it was new.

Canvasback asked how many volts are in those wires so he could decide what wires to replace them with. At that point, we should be stopping him right there because clearly he does not have the qualifications to understand what is going on. I would likewise assume he does not know which codebook his inspector/utility uses, let alone what those codes are, and at that point my advice is always to seek qualified help. If he has a friend who is qualified and willing to guide him through the process and supervise to be sure it is right, he could do the grunt work and save some money. Otherwise he needs an electrician to do it.
If the electricians or wanna-be electricians want to do some pecker measuring and show off snippets of their knowledge, that might be fun for a while…. Im just glad to hear that the OP is doing the right thing.
A man’s got to know his limitations.

I believe Canvasback has the ability to learn. I could be wrong.

So, you read the whole thread, decided to tell the op to do what he has already said that he is going to do and then talk about people measuring their peckers? What is the point of your response?

Well i didn’t just read the whole thread, I had already posted earlier on the thread, as had others, that he needed an electrician for this one. Then after several people kept giving advice that was going to give him about enough to make him dangerous…

There really is no reason to even answer the initial question beyond “your in over your head”, especially after all that had been said earlier in the thread, because he asked the wrong question for sizing wire.

And yes i have no doubt canvas can learn all of this! After all, it is only a small part of rocket science. I would say 6 months of on the job training could get an average person to the point where you would be ready to do this job. Maybe less if one has unusually high ability in the trades. Maybe a month if all you are doing is service installations every day if you are starting from scratch and asking questions.

I did not intend to offend anyone. But its true, I got a little snarky. I wanted to drive home the points that while we can tell him snippets, he needs more than that, and an electrical service is not something to learn ones way through. Heck i do some pecker measuring myself sometimes, and it can be fun for a while. Just want to be sure our fellow trappers don’t get fried, and I think that has been accomplished. I’m done now and probably should have been a couple posts ago.