Ways to Determine Electric Service Voltage thru Service Entry Examination
Article Source: HealthSnare.com
There is one effective way to know the available electric service voltage in a building by merely looking at the overhead electrical wires at the service entry. You will have an idea on the amount of voltage available inside the building by looking at the overhead aluminum SECs and wiring. The subject of visual examination of the aluminum service entry cables and wiring also involves inspecting the electric meters, meter base, electrical service panel, the main switch and other specific aspects of the service entry.
Although you can tell right away the service voltage of a particular area by looking at the wiring, you should also consider looking at the other details that could tell the amount of volts in the building such as the service panel, the main switch, the electric meter, the electric base etc.
But this article will focus on determining the volts available at the service entry by plain eyesight. In ordinary terms, the service entry cable is also known as the service conductors. The underground conduit, on the other hand, is called service lateral. With simple visual assessment, you can tell right away that there is an electrical service of 240V because there are three wires attached to the building. Two of these wires have 120 volts each which sums up to the 240V while the third wire is the grounded or electrically charged conductor.
Typically, an aluminum wiring that has 240V includes three connected wires that are attached to the service conductor. These three wires with 240V come from the two wires with 120V or the hot legs and the electrically charged conductor which becomes the third wire.
To determine if the building has an electric service of 120V, look at the service entry wiring and you will only find two wires. One of the wires supplies the volts needed while the other wire serves as the service lateral.
But to mix it up, you cannot really rely on mere visual examination because some entry points can have all the three wires which would make you think that there is 240 volts available in the area. However, there are cases where out of the three wires, one of the wires may be dislodged at the utility pole.
There can be 240V supplied to the aluminum wiring with only two wires but they are not commonly used in he US but in some rural buildings in Canada. The 240V is supplied to the building using a lengthy exclusive wire.
The ground conduits of 240V with only two wires do not come from the utility company's line but only comes from the building. This could be hazardous and precisely the reason why it is rarely applied in the urban areas of United States. However, such system of ground connection can still be found in the properties found in rural areas.
About the Author
Article Submitted By:
Erica Taylor
Html View
Total views: 2
Word Count: 486
Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2010 Time: 3:16 AM
Publish/Share this article
To use this article on your site click here to get the HTML code |Remember: The article body, title, author bio and links may not be changed or removed. By publishing this article, you agree to all the terms in our Terms of Service.
Rating: Not yet rated
