-> You cannot argue with the "more is better" argument, but 100 amp
-> service requires #1/0 wire, and 200 amp requires #3/0. This cable is
-> not cheap,
Having recently (within 3 years) done this, I've found that isn't quite
true, at least around here. I was astonished to find out the principal
difference in price was due to the insulation type - direct burial stuff
being the most expensive, ordinary being cheapest. The difference in
price between 1/0 and 4/0 was a few cents per foot!
-> is a hassle to work,
Absolutely. The electrican cursed me roundly trying to bend the 4/0
stuff through the electrical boxes.
-> requires major conduit,
Conduit seems to be a matter of local code. Around here it was only
required from the mast to the service entrance. The rest is all romex,
which is just fine here.
-> and gives you no advantage unless you are drawing that kind of
-> current.
Electrically, you're correct. On the other hand it gave me the warm
fuzzies, so it was worth it to me... <grin>
P.S. to the list - Electrical codes in the USA can be *very* localized,
even though most communities pay lip service to a national code.
Something okay on one side of town may not be on the other side of town,
depending on zoning. If you move outside the city limits you may be
subject to county or state codes, or no codes at all.
Why should you care? Nowadays most homes are bought with loans, and
the loan companies are getting really picky about wiring, plumbing,
foundations, and the like. It's not unusual for a loan to be held up
contingent to repairs or upgrades to the property.
The other reason is, most insurance companies have provisos that allow
them to not pay off if they can prove a fire was caused or exacerbated
by non-code wiring. That $5 worth of wire and 50 cent wall socket you
used to add that extra outlet in the garage might cost you everything
you owned.
If your house or shop catches fire due to bad wiring and it spreads to
someone else's property you may be open to lawsuit.
I'm a firm believer in my right to do whatever I cannot be stopped from
doing, but I'm aware of the consequences too. I talked to my insurance
company. I paid an electrician for his opinion before I started, and I
paid him to come back and check my work before he wired the service
entrances and some other stuff I wasn't real confident with at the time.
Then the city's code inspector came in and signed it all off.
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