Stranded 12/3 good enough for 12 +/- amps of 220/240

[DIGITALHIPPY]

cable seams fine. its a well insulated water resistant stranded coper 12/3
the end next to the timer is a tad warm to the touch and it drew concern.
its worth it to invest in a new cable if i need it.
2800w's
1k 4.5amp
600 2.5 x3 =7.5 amp
----------
total 12 +/-1 amps

 

[Guest]

The slight warmth you feel is not abnormal. Keep your power cord short and make sure the connection at the panel is to a 20A breaker. You're OK!

 

[DIGITALHIPPY]

The slight warmth you feel is not abnormal. Keep your power cord short and make sure the connection at the panel is to a 20A breaker. You're OK!

thanks man. i was worried.
its actualy on a 60A 240. its just pre-wired like that.
its a home made cable so i made it exact size, thanks.

didnt want to leave town for 4 days and come home to a burnt house....
Hippy

 

[Guest]

Please explain to me what "HOME MADE" is, (as in 3 independent strands?, non armored? What are the full ratings markings on the sheathing?) I was under the impression that you had 12-3 armored (shielded) of commercial manufacture.

And you have it hooked to a 60A breaker? Not a 20A?

Don't leave town just yet, you may well have a problem.

Ty-Stik

 

[hydrorascal]

http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm

 

[DIGITALHIPPY]

Please explain to me what "HOME MADE" is, (as in 3 independent strands?, non armored? What are the full ratings markings on the sheathing?) I was under the impression that you had 12-3 armored (shielded) of commercial manufacture.

And you have it hooked to a 60A breaker? Not a 20A?

Don't leave town just yet, you may well have a problem.

Ty-Stik

im sorry but a picture is 1000 words.








so tell me if i have to go to home depot and pick up some 10/3 or 8/3 because i think it do.
i flip/flop between 3 600's and 1k or 3 600's and 400, 2 600's etc...
but now im at max. 2800w's. 1k& 600x3

 

[DIGITALHIPPY]

on the sheeth of the cable it says '300v' and 12/3
i got it at home de-pot with some 220-V ends plugs and mis stuff.
im extremely handy with making things.
4 gang electrical box.

i have 1 inch section stripped off the sheeth of the individual wire and wraped around the screw for the imput voltage.

the 30amp breaker is the a/c line. 6300W, im sorry i thought it was 50.
i just unpluged my a/c and added my home made cable. its 17 feet long.

*edit
its also stranded coper not solid, is solid better? i know its less flexable.

 

[Guest]

So you have attached 3 wires that are 12AWG to the 30amp outlet that the A/C was formerly plugged into, if so the wire is under rated (20amp) and can overheat with a heavy load and ignite the sheathing without tripping the 30amp breaker. 10AWG for 30amp

I have seen your layout before and it seems to be carefully planned/laid out. Regarding stranded vs solid copper, for all intent and purposes the wire is rated on its capacity to transmit electrical energy, not its physical makeup/design.

Hope that answers the Q.

 

[DIGITALHIPPY]

so the cable shouls be rated for the same amperage as the outlet its pluged into?

but 12awg is fine for my 12 amps of 220..?
ive got no intentions of pulling anymore juice.

looks like that wire guide rates my cable for between 9.3-40 amps?
how can that be?

 

[Guest]

1. Not necessarily, while 12awg (20amp) is common for residential runs the duplex receptacles you plug into are 15amp rated.

2. Partly yes, 12awg is fine for 12 amps draw---------you still need to replace the 30amp breaker with a 20amp as it is rated to protect the wire used. Your intentions however well thought out are unsafe and can be extremely expensive, even deadly.

3. Didn't understand your last Q., what guide?, NEC?

 

[yamaha_1fan]

I think the most important thing TY is saying is that the breaker is too big. If the wire can handle only 20 amps, but the breaker trips at 30, you have an issue. If the wire overheats and pulls 25 amps, the breaker is not going to trip and the wire is going to burn and possibly make a fire.

Ty correct me if I am wrong but the proper breaker should protect against any defects in the wiring.

 

[PharmaCan]

Braided wire is designed for applications where vibration occurs. A solid wire can break from vibration, a braided wire won't. Braided wire can be used in place of solid, but not vice-versa.

You should definitely heed the advice about matching the wire size to the breaker. Otherwise, your wiring looks pretty damn sanitary.

You might want to check the rating on your timer. Personally, I'd never use one of those cheesy little $6 timers for anything with any kind of load, but maybe your timer is better than it looks - it's impossible to tell from the photo.

PC

 

[DIGITALHIPPY]

Braided wire is designed for applications where vibration occurs. A solid wire can break from vibration, a braided wire won't. Braided wire can be used in place of solid, but not vice-versa.

You should definitely heed the advice about matching the wire size to the breaker. Otherwise, your wiring looks pretty damn sanitary.

You might want to check the rating on your timer. Personally, I'd never use one of those cheesy little $6 timers for anything with any kind of load, but maybe your timer is better than it looks - it's impossible to tell from the photo.

PC

its funny you said that-im out of town now- i actualy bought 3 new 240 timers, there rated for 4800 watts but i felt after 2 years or so i should replace it, so i put a timer on each light.
there about 20$.
yea so that 'home made' 4 pack of 240 plugs has 3 timers in it.
i actualy like it i stagered the turn-on of my lights 2 hps's come on 1 h b4 the mh and there off for 1h in the middle of the day. i figue ill shave about 120-170kwh /crop with this technique. also put a new timer on one of my a/c units so ill reduce power useagethat way. thanks for the advice on the guage of cable. my last grow place had a 20amp 240 circuit. this place happens to have a 30(15x2).
i feel safer now, thanks for your guyses help.

pharmacan thanks for the props on the cableing i spent close to 200 on odd-n-ends
i like makeing sure things are solid.
good gear last a REALLY long time.

 

[PharmaCan]

DIGITALHIPPY - your original post implied a 60 total amp breaker - 2 x 30 amp. If you are 30 amp total, 2 x 15 amp, you are fine as far as wire size/circuit breaker rating is concerned.

PC