I know, this is beyond the scope of the NEC.... but when I saw these feeders, I just felt that some rule, someplace had to be violated:

(Look to right edge of frame)



Service is 800 amp single phase 240, to a commercial laundry. All feeders are like this, over entire length: insulation cracked and peeling, held in place only by the 'wrap' around the bare neutral (ASCR).

[This message has been edited by renosteinke (edited 10-08-2006).]

Pretty scary to work around I see. I wonder If they would do anything If ya called the POCO about that (doubtful) I have had an experience with those cracking wires before and I never get more comfortable with them. Here in Cali (well some parts) they allow the EC to make connections at service weatherhead and so when you go to do it and see that One was so bad I had to tape the phases they were just too bare to handle.

I actually watched a residental service cable explode in a shower of sparks one night back in Florida. was spectacular. Old area, no fuses on the transformers anywhere. This kept firing up for a good 30 minutes or so before poco arrived to kill power and replace the cable.

hard to tell from the pic, but was it all the insulation, or just the clear outer shell? I see that breakdown all the time, but the main insulation is still fine. just a thought.

There was never any clear outer shell..just a grey outer insulation. It is cracked clear through, exposing serious amounts of bare conductor.