Extension Cord Gauge Electrical Question...?
Why do you need a larger gauge cord when doing long runs? Like Christmas lights for example, 8 amps worth at the end of a 200' run of 14 gauge cord. Besides the voltage drop, which I don't think would hurt the lights, how is it a safety hazard? Please explain, thank you. :)
Extension Cord Gauge Electrical Question...?chicago theater8 amps on a 200' run? You should be using a 10 gauge cord. The danger comes when your trying to pull too much amperage through the wire. Fire results when too much amperage travels through a wire. Amperage is electron flow through a conductor. If too much amperage flows through a wire, enough heat can be generated to melt and burn the wire insulation or surrounding materials.
Extension Cord Gauge Electrical Question...?met opera opera theater
electric wire is for electricity is what pipe is for water. the heavier/bigger it is, the more it could carry. the longer the run, the more resistance is in the wire and therefor you need a heavier wire to compensate for it. hope this helps|||Any time you over work something there is an opposite effect. If the cord is too long and there is a voltage drop do to resistance and you risk the chance of over heating the extension cord and whatever is plugged into, causing a possible fire. I would spend a few more dollars on a 12 gauge cord, this way you have enough and a little more to do it safely, Keep the both ends dry and out of the weather For something that long|||Basically, it's pretty simple. Picture a pump, pumping water. The recepticle where you plan to plug in the lights is the 'source', and the cord is the 'pipeline'. The SMALLER the 'pipe' diameter, (cord size) the HARDER the pump has to work to send the water on it's way. Hence, hard work = HEAT. Wire gauge for that 'load' and that distance should be NO SMALLER than 12 gauge. Remember, get 2, 100 footer's, dont get a bunch of shorter cords, . I dont know where you will get a 10 Ga extension cord though, unless, through a contractor supply house, then be prepared to pay BIG-BUCKS !|||The voltage drop is exactly why you would use a larger gauge cord.... at 200' the voltage drop on 14 AWG is roughly 10 volts.... the NEC only allows 3% or 3.6 volts on a 120 volt circuit. This is due to Ohms law.... the lower the voltage the higher the amperage.... and you will also increase the resistance of the entire circuit due to the distance the voltage has to travel through the wire. Now your question of 8 amps on 14 AWG @ 200' would probably not hurt a thing, but you also need to remember that most christmas lights are not made with 14 AWG wiring but usually 16 or 18 AWG depending on the quality of the lights. The allowable amperage of this wire is well under the allowable rating for 14 AWG of 20.... which could cause the wiring on the lights to break down if it is not fused. This is why most lights have a maximum of 3 amp fuses in the plug end and also why you can only attach 3 strands together without blowing a fuse. They don't put the instructions on the cords just so you will go out and buy an extension cord... but to actually to protect your home from a fire hazard. Hope this answers your question.|||The wire will over heat if it's not the right size and eventually burn out you Christmas lights. It might also shock you or start a fire. Stores sell new wet/dry 90' cords with a built in circuit breaker that will kill the power if things start to over heat because your pulling to many amps. Here is what I would use. An outdoor 200' long cord that can handle 7-10 amps would need to be 10ga wire.
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