Wire Identification

On second look with my glasses on! its : "essex 4-4-4 type se XHHW CDRS 600volt" Then this marking repeats. What if not a sub panel was this for? Cheers, G

Type SE = Service Entrance

SE cable is used to connect the power company's lines to the meter base, and the meter base to the service entrance panel (main panel). Four conductors are not necessary at that point, because the fourth wire originates at the main panel, not at the utility transformer. A feed from the main panel to a subpanel needs four conductors.

That said... you might *have* four conductors -- three insulated conductors with a wire mesh sheath wrapped around them.

If it just listed the three numbers, it would indicate only three conductors, so it probably wasn't for a sub panel, at least a 120/240 volt sub panel. It could have been for an air-conditioning condenser unit or heat pump

Some kind of BODACIOUS heat pump there with 100a service.

What 100 amps, it's only good for 65

"It is common practice to ground the sub panel AT the subpanel, there is no need to run a ground from the main breaker box. This also saves copper."

So ... Is this indeed common practice/code?

Not grounding to the originating panel is only permitted for a separate building (like a garage). And probably won't be allowed for separate buildings in the 2008 NEC.

-- bud--

Thanks very much bud.. So, would we be able to use a separate ground from main to subpanel and still use the wire? It just wouldnt be routed the same way, as the

Bud-- wrote:

Running a separate ground is ok, BUT it must follow the same path as the cable.

Close, but no cigar: Code requires all conductors to run in the same cable, conduit, or raceway. If the cable is already in a conduit, fishing another wire through the same conduit meets this provision of the Code. Simply running another conductor parallel to an existing cable does not.

Hmmmm. That's contrary to what I was told locally by my electrician. He told me I could run a 4/3 NM and staple a bare #6 right next to it . (this is all inside of course) Of course if there was a 4/3 w/ground, that'd be great.

Have your electrician look at NEC 300.3-B

(An inspector could allow it.)

-- bud--

ok, thanks for the ref.

This inspector would point you to 300.3(B)(1) and 250.130(C) When retrofitting a ground to ungrounded systems there is latitude in several articles you can take advantage of. If you can deal with the possibility of physical damage most thinking inspectors would rather see a grounding connection than not having one, even if the method is less than perfect. Just deal with the physical protection.

In new work we want to see the conductors grouped in one wiring method.