just a quick ? for the sparky's out there

[joe fresh]

12 awg copper wire is good for 20 amps at max load, meaning 16 amps would be the safe max, ny question is pretty simple...

if my 12 awg wire is about 14" long going into the timer from the power supply box, am i ok to hook up 4 1kw to the timer? 4kw is roughly 16.6 amps @ 220v, so i was wondering since my supply wire is so short would this be ok?

 

[Holdin']

Technically you're just over that threshold... technically...

But if you're not planning on adding more lights and a new circuit/wire is a major PITA I would go for it, personally.

 

[rives]

Joe, the 80% rule applies to the breaker, not the wire, and is directed more toward eliminating nuisance tripping from manufacturing differences in the breaker. In fact, you can get breakers that are listed for full load at continuous duty, but they are difficult to find.

Running #12 wire at up to it's full rating isn't an issue.