Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/09/15
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On Fri, Sep 15, 2006 at 05:42:54PM -0700, Brian Reid wrote: > > The electricians who came this morning to replace it said that it > had been built with wire that was far too small for the > application. The circuit was 240 volts, 100 amperes, but > it had been wired with AWG 3 wire (5.83mm). The electrical code > requires AWG 0 wire for that, and suggests AWG 00 (1cm) wire. Although it has been quite a few years since I last messed with electrical construction design, I am pretty sure that #3 wire is the normal size to use for a 100 amp circuit. A quick check of the online National Electric Code 2005 Edition verifies this (for no more than three current-carrying conductors in a raceway, based on an ambient temperature of 30C). Not knowing the details, I should probably not say more than if they asked for a 100 amp circuit and got #3 wire, they got no less than they asked for. If they said they had a 100 amp _load_ and got #3 wire, then they have a legitimate gripe. If they don't understand the difference, they need to do their homework or hire a pro. :-)