Service Conductor Size

[Roger Frazee]

What do you pronounce when you want 2 awg copper and not 2/0?

[Von Bickley]

What do you pronounce when you want 2 awg copper and not 2/0?

I call that #2 ( No. 2)......

[Roger Frazee]

Ok I think I see what is confusing me... awg...
as mentioned earlier is the acronym for american wire guage at which all wiring is measured in the USA.. On a service conductors outer covering it will say awg 2/0. I've just never seen 0 sizes pronounced awg. I'll try that at my supply house next time it will be interesting to see what I get.....

[Rod Sheridan]

Roger, it's not awg, it's pronounced "ought"

Regards, Rod.

[David G Baker]

Think maybe the Southern accent maybe involved in the awg verses ought? The NEC is the final determining factor in the awg/ought question. I have resided in several locations in my life time and have done quite a bit of electrical work. In each place it has always been 2/0, 4/0, etc for any sizes larger than #2 AWG.
Another thing I have noticed is how amazing the interpretation of the NEC changes depending on the electrician or inspector that is asked questions about electrical pratices.

[Roger Frazee]

Yes... what confused me was missing that Von meant he pronounced 'ought' as 'awg' so therefore 2 awg is the same as 2 ought in Vons world. It was seeing him type it 2 awg and not clarifying that he was speaking of the pronunciation that threw me.
If you invoiced it in written form as 2 awg you would not get it as 2/0 awg.

[Von Bickley]

Just a question now. When I go to the supply house and ask for 50 feet of 4 ought entrance cable, what do you guys ask for?

Do you ask for 50 feet of 4, foward slash, zero? I'm not asking to make anyone mad, I'm just curious.

[Roger Frazee]

I ask for 4 ought (pronounced).. (4/0 written)...service and then what style I want. You said you asked for 4 "awg" not 4 "ought".

I suppose if I ask my supplyman for 4 awg (pronounced) he is going to say "where the hell are you from South Carolina".....

[Von Bickley]

Now that we have solved this problem, we can move on.

Hope ya'll have a good day......

Southern by the grace of God.....

[Roger Frazee]

I'm laughing right along with you ...Von. I do believe I owe you an apology.....

[Von Bickley]

As long as we are all still friends..... Now what was the OP's question and did he ever get an answer.

Take care Roger.....

[Chris Padilla]

LOL! A little entertainment on a Wednesday!

[Roger Frazee]

Yep, we answered it.. clear as mud...

It's 4 'ought' aluminum for 200 amps everywhere but South Carolina where it's 4 "AWG" ......

take care yourself

[Chuck Thoits]

I ask for 2 ought and I get (as marked on the cable) 2/0 AWG

[Peter M. Spirito]

Von lives in South Carolina, Roger is in Kansas and Chris is in California. I am in Florida and my wife comes from North Carolina. Von is asking for and getting the right wire. Its just that in SC when an electrician goes to the supply house he says "gimme soma dat 4awg wyr" and he walks out the door with 4/0.

Its all in the accent.