200amp service to 150amp panel

[Richard Roshak]

Today I saw a 200amp service cable to a 150amp pushmatic with no main breaker. Never saw this before. Do you look at this the same as breakers, you can have a larger gauge wire but never a smaller gauge.

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[Jerry Peck]

Today I saw a 200amp service cable to a 150amp pushmatic with no main breaker.

The rating of the service is the lowest of the main disconnect, the rating of the service entrance cable, and the rating of the service equipment panel - and the rating of the service entrance cable and the service panel rating must be *at least* that of the main service disconnect.

The service panel with no main would need to have been a split-bus panel in which 6 or fewer breakers served as mains for the panel, in which case you had an unknown rating of the 6 or fewer mains, a 150 rated service panel, and 200 amp rated service entrance conductors.

That means that the service entrance conductors were rated higher than the panel rating, which is good.

The service panel rating was 150 amps you said.

The only question is: was that panel a split-bus panel rated for use as service equipment or was it not rated for service equipment and was a bad installation?

[Garry Blankenship]

If I understand your question correctly, I say yes. A wire can be larger than needed, but not smaller. The problem with larger than needed wire is being able to get it to legally fit into the termination point, ( you cannot trim off strands ).

[Robert Meier]

If I understand your question correctly, I say yes. A wire can be larger than needed, but not smaller. The problem with larger than needed wire is being able to get it to legally fit into the termination point, ( you cannot trim off strands ).

Yup, same reason you can use #12 or #10 conductors on a 15 amp OCPD.