Attach 2-2-2-4 to breaker panel?

[tankd0g]

Can any tell me what you need to attach 2 and 4 AWG wire to a breaker panel? the 40A breaker in the panel will not take wire that thick and I doubt it's rated for aluminum anyway. I assume there is some sort of intermediate junction box you can use?

 

[Alchymist]

Why are you putting 2-2-2-4 on a 40 amp breaker?

 

[tankd0g]

Why are you putting 2-2-2-4 on a 40 amp breaker?

Because it's the cheapest way I can find to run 160' and I want to be able to upgrade it later.

 

[Falcon67]

You could pull to a 6x6 located next to the panel and splice out of that. A 60 or 70A breaker that will take that wire is a whopping $40 at Home Depot, which may not apply in your location. By the time you do all the wig-wag to splice 2-2-2-4 to 6 or something, conduit, fittings, etc, etc you could just have a breaker and be on to the next project.

 

[tankd0g]

You could pull to a 6x6 located next to the panel and splice out of that. A 60 or 70A breaker that will take that wire is a whopping $40 at Home Depot, which may not apply in your location. By the time you do all the wig-wag to splice 2-2-2-4 to 6 or something, conduit, fittings, etc, etc you could just have a breaker and be on to the next project.

The problem is that my panel is obsolete Canadian ITE Blue Line and I can't find a 60 or 70A for it, if one ever even existed. Home depot has a compatible 40A for $90, but that's it. I don't want to tear the house panel out just yet but I will need some kind of power in the garage for now. I assumed there was some kind of terminal block I could buy with suitable lugs but I haven't found anything.

 

[madosta]

Eh... you could look at polaris taps, but they are expensive and should accommodate different size wires.

I would make sure you leave enough wire for your new panel though.

 

[Norcal]

The use of a 6X6 box as suggested earlier is like trying to stuff 25 pounds of **** in a 5 pound bag, undersizing a box is about one of the worst things to do, but when dealing w/ a loadcenter (centre in Britspeak ) that is obsolete, a J-box & Polaris connectors or split bolts to reduce the wire size may be the only choice other then change out the panel.

 

[tankd0g]

The use of a 6X6 box as suggested earlier is like trying to stuff 25 pounds of **** in a 5 pound bag, undersizing a box is about one of the worst things to do, but when dealing w/ a loadcenter (centre in Britspeak ) that is obsolete, a J-box & Polaris connectors or split bolts to reduce the wire size may be the only choice other then change out the panel.

I have a 12x12 and some connectors, I'll have to see if I can find these Polaris connectors anywhere. I'd still rather have a rigid terminal block but I guess it's only temporary anyway.

 

[pattenp]

If you have space in the panel you can do the splice in the panel using a short stub piece of wire to fit the 40 and use splice/reducer for the splice. Tape up the splice well.

 

[Falcon67]

I used these for terminating the neutral and ground at the service entrance panel leading to the shop, but I've not seen anything like for a breaker

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Square-D...utral-Lug-Kit-QO70ANCP/202495831#.UVGrUFeQP74

I used the blocks pictured above to splice my 2-2-2-4 where it exiting the house.

 

[tankd0g]

I guess alternatively I could leave my house panel in place, split the 00 wire coming off my meter into a panel and split it 100A/60A or 100/100. I'd have to get the meter pulled for that of course. Has anyone seen a box that would provide a 200A shutoff and split the feed two ways without buying a full load center and breakers?

 

[Falcon67]

That would work - or IF your utility allows for double tapping the meter, just double tap out to a 100A box and terminate the shop feed there. That's what this is, comes right out of the meter can. Utiltiy installed too.

 

[tankd0g]

That would work - or IF your utility allows for double tapping the meter, just double tap out to a 100A box and terminate the shop feed there. That's what this is, comes right out of the meter can. Utiltiy installed too.

Do you know if they just doubled up on the conductors in the lugs on the meter base or were there two sets of lugs? I know on my panel the 00 wire is so thick it barely fits in the lugs, so there's no room for another wire, otherwise I would probably just go off that, I'm not sure what it looks like on the meter side.

 

[Falcon67]

They doubled. I didn't get a pic of the meter side but a 200A meter has pretty big lugs. We're on a co-op. We pay a bit more, but they are a friendly bunch. The cost of the above was zero $ and he pulled the box out of the truck.

 

[tankd0g]

Thanks, something else to consider.