Using a 32 feet long cable
- Thread starter lince
- Start date
wiseguy316
Well-Known Member
Longer the run the thicker the wire. What gauge wire is it?
wiseguy316
Well-Known Member
10 gauge would be what I would use. That would be good for at least a 50 ft run.
wiseguy316
Well-Known Member
10 is 2.59mm in diameter, 5.26mm2 cross sectional area. I think you need heavier wire.
wiseguy316
Well-Known Member
.75mm2 is only rated for 6 amps, that will not work for a 32 ft run.
woodsmaneh!
Well-Known Member
Voltage drops over distance and your lights are sensitive to this so be careful, fires suck
http://www.nooutage.com/vdrop.htm
this will tell you what you need.
http://www.nooutage.com/vdrop.htm
this will tell you what you need.
wiseguy316
Well-Known Member
what you need to be concerned with is amps, not volts.
lince
Well-Known Member
For most 120/240V systems using cables of adequate ampacity, voltage drop is not a concern unless cable lengths are well over a hundred feet.
if that's true then for 32 ft there should be no problem ¿?
4mm2 = 25 amps
It's true that 6 amps may not be enough but 10 could be fine, wouldn't it ?
wiseguy316
Well-Known Member
1000 watt light will draw 8.2 amps constant. So no 10 is still not enough, you need a 30 amp cord for that distance.
woodsmaneh!
Well-Known Member
Here is an example
If you run out over 200 feet of wire for the job in hand, you should jump up a wire size in order to have sufficient voltage at the other end. For example. Let's say you are going to wire and outbuilding for your workshop and you need only 120 volt receptacles at the shop end to run your power tools. Power tools run at the nominal voltage of 120 volts, but they operate within a range, say 108 to 128. This allows for how close your are to your distribution companies source. I don't know what your starting voltage is so that's why the rule of thumb. To your outbuilding you only need #12 to carry 20 amps for your tools and lights etc. If you have to exceed that distance, then you would jump up to #10 in order to have sufficient voltage at the other end. If you are starting at 115 volts at your house, and are running 100 feet, I would still up the wire size. You can't go wrong by going one size bigger on your wire. When in doubt, always consult a qualified electrician.
The formula for voltage drop is Vd=KIL/CSA where Vd stands for voltage drop, K stands for the resistivity factor of the material [I think copper is around 7 and aluminum 11], I is the current in Amperes, L is the round trip length of conductor, CSA is cross-sectional area of the conductor in circular mils
If you run out over 200 feet of wire for the job in hand, you should jump up a wire size in order to have sufficient voltage at the other end. For example. Let's say you are going to wire and outbuilding for your workshop and you need only 120 volt receptacles at the shop end to run your power tools. Power tools run at the nominal voltage of 120 volts, but they operate within a range, say 108 to 128. This allows for how close your are to your distribution companies source. I don't know what your starting voltage is so that's why the rule of thumb. To your outbuilding you only need #12 to carry 20 amps for your tools and lights etc. If you have to exceed that distance, then you would jump up to #10 in order to have sufficient voltage at the other end. If you are starting at 115 volts at your house, and are running 100 feet, I would still up the wire size. You can't go wrong by going one size bigger on your wire. When in doubt, always consult a qualified electrician.
The formula for voltage drop is Vd=KIL/CSA where Vd stands for voltage drop, K stands for the resistivity factor of the material [I think copper is around 7 and aluminum 11], I is the current in Amperes, L is the round trip length of conductor, CSA is cross-sectional area of the conductor in circular mils
woodsmaneh!
Well-Known Member
Where it really counts is in building code.
Wiseguy were talking about the same thing but electrical guys say voltage drop, if the voltage drops so do your amps. But it's amps that kill you not voltage.
Anyway you cut it thicker is better.
Here's a wire site that talks about some interesting aspects of not using the right wire and has a chart with wire size and voltage/amp drop....
http://www.alanwire.com/tech/voltage.html
Wiseguy were talking about the same thing but electrical guys say voltage drop, if the voltage drops so do your amps. But it's amps that kill you not voltage.
Anyway you cut it thicker is better.
Here's a wire site that talks about some interesting aspects of not using the right wire and has a chart with wire size and voltage/amp drop....
http://www.alanwire.com/tech/voltage.html
wiseguy316
Well-Known Member
If voltage drop isn't an issue, is heat? It should be. Trust me the cable you have is not safe to use if this situation.
wiseguy316
Well-Known Member
I agree with you, i was just trying to get my point across to him and I had some cross referencing to do for metric cable sizes.
woodsmaneh!
Well-Known Member
Your going to try it I know you will so do this plug it in and fire it up, after 10 seconds or so grab the plug where the light plugs in and hold it tight in your hand, if you feel any heat get bigger wire. Check it every 5 min for 15 min if still cool should be ok.
wiseguy316
Well-Known Member
Even if it was a 600 watt light it will draw 5 amps, on a cord rated for 6 amps. Best of luck, hope you listen. Better not plug a 1000 watt up to it.
wiseguy316
Well-Known Member
Woody...."if the voltage drops so do your amps."
If the volts supplied drops don't the amps have to go up. More resistance will create the need for more amps to supply the same voltage. I think you may have typo'd that.
If the volts supplied drops don't the amps have to go up. More resistance will create the need for more amps to supply the same voltage. I think you may have typo'd that.
lince
Well-Known Member
hehe, thanks for the info guys, I was just asking coz I wanted to know about it, the real case is actually 32 ft cable 6 amps and just a water pump connected to it. But I wanted to know about it in case I have to build something like that in the future for some bigger equipment, out of curiosity.
So don't worry about my hands and cables, they won't burn
So don't worry about my hands and cables, they won't burn
