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| Subject - What IS 2-2-2 aluminum wire ? | |
| ssmith1627 |
I understand some of the lower gauge wiring, 12-2 being 12 gauge with two insulated conductors, 14-3 having three conductors, etc. But what is 2-2-2 wire ? I don't understand the significance of that third digit. Hope you don't mind such a basic question ! Steve |
| kbsparky | You are most likely looking at a piece of type SE style U cable. A flat cable assembly consisting of 2 insulated XHHW conductors, wrapped with a bare, third conductor covered by an outer sheath. The designation 2-2-2 merely states the size of each conductor. |
| lctrc789 | Kb, is right 2-2-2 is more then likley a SE or SEU cable assy that merely has three # 2 conductors in it 3 # 2 conductors. SER cable could be Marked as 2-2-2/6 Meaning it has 3 # 2 conductors and one # 6 wire for grounding. |
| ssmith1627 | Thanks for the answers guys. It wasn't a wire I had seen. I have an electrician coming out tomorrow (Tuesday) to install a sub panel in my garage. He had said we could use 2-2-2 aluminum wire to run the 80-90 feet from my main panel in the crawlspace to the spot in the garage where the box would go. I just wanted to understand what that meant. Now you have curious about whether or not a ground is running in that same cable -- like mentioned above 2-2-2/4 or 2-2-2/6. Will be interesting to see him install it -- educational. Somehow my dad never taught me these things ! haha Steve |
| lctrc789 | If it is for a sub panel he is installing it should be 4 wire and the grounds and neutrals in the sub panel have to be seperated for one another unlike the main panel. Ask him what his plans are for this and keep us posted on what you have, good luck to you on this project. |
| ssmith1627 | Yeah, that's what I've read in the articles on the net about installing a sub panel. It's my home and I'm comfortable running wire for new circuits but wasn't comfortable getting this sub panel installed properly so I have someone coming out to do that. I just want to watch it being done and was trying to understand as much as I could ahead of time. Hopefully he'll be a nice enough guy that he won't mind me hovering around the whole time.....hehe. And yes, 4 wire would make sense to me instead of 3 wire. But I guess you could use 3 wire (2-2-2) if you intended to ground the box separately up at that end of the house ? Drive a stake into the ground and ground it there ? I'll know more tomorrow. Thanks for the feedback. Steve |
| kbsparky | quote: Nope, nadda, nein, zippo, zilch. Don't even THINK about using that SEU cable for a sub-feed. It ain't gonna fly 
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| ssmith1627 | I'll leave it to the electrican guys. I was just trying to understand what was what. All the books I have just relate to wiring lights, switches, outlets and such. They don't talk about the bigger stuff. Even if they show a sub panel installation it's just a 30-60 amp service and wiring accordingly. I'm just a freak who likes to figure things out and understand them. I read whatever I can find and ask questions. But like I said, wasn't something I wanted to tackle on my own and I have someone coming to the house tomorrow. So instead of driving you guys crazy with questions, I'll wait and talk more to him. Thanks, Steve |