wires and wattage

[cuddlefishjams]

I have a quick question for all you electricians out there... I have these shop cables that end in bulb sockets and it says on the cable that they are rated for 60w max. I would LIKE to put splitters on them and run CFL bulbs in them over 60w. maybe 80w? (actual bulb rating, not the incandescent equivalent). is that too hot for them? is this dangerous?



I thank you for your replies

 

[FreezerBoy]

What's the wire gauge? It will be stamped into the wire. Are you sure the rating isn't for the sockets?

 

[crizzo]

It would also be helpful to know how many sockets are on that cord and how many cords are you planning to run in series or connected to one another from the same socket.

sorry if I am stepping on your toes Freezerboy, I Just thought the extra info would be helpful.

 

[cuddlefishjams]

well basically what I bought are two of these shop light fixtures. so they are a single socket attatched to a power cord that I have plugged into my power strip. the tag wrapped around the cord says 60w max. I will check the guage of the cord... right now!... the cord says 18AWG, 105c (tempurature rating I suppose) and 300volts. it should be okay then right? or should I check the socket rating as well? I was just running it with 85 watts of CFLS and the cord didn't feel warm to the touch beside the ambient tempurature of my micro cab. right now it has a splitter with a 40w (150w equivalent) and a 45w (200w equivalent) plugged into it. I am mostly worried about overwhelming that power cord and starting an electrical fire. when I get my Fresh2 titanium coated CFL's in the mail I intend to run each socket with two bulbs, a larger one no more than 45w. and one of the Fresh2's at 26w.

thanks for your replies! I am still trying to get my first micro cab off the ground. need all the info ahead of time that I can get!

cheers!

 

[FreezerBoy]

sorry if I am stepping on your toes Freezerboy

No apologies. It's called looking out for each other.

I'm not a real electrician, nor do I play one on TV but, I've got several 300 watt halogen floor lamps that use 105ºC 18 AWG SPT-2. Maybe the warning has something to do with cable length?

 

[madpenguin]

Are you sure your not reading a tag that is wrapped around the cord? If so, it's more than likely talking about the fixture itself. Just about any cord under the sun is rated for atleast 6 amp. That's 720w @ 120v....

The ampacity of a cord has just as much to do with the insulation as it does actual copper thickness. 105c is pretty high so I wouldn't sweat it. TBH, I don't know of any cord that is only rated for 1/2 an amp.

If you can find a cord designation like what freezerboy posted, I can tell you exactly what it's rated for.

eg - SPT-2 18/2 is rated at 10A 300v and suitable for damp locations.

 

[cuddlefishjams]

the part about being '60w max' was what I read on the tag wrapped around the cord. which is what had me worried as I had full intentions of running more than 60w through that cord.

the specs that I've posted in response to freezerboy's post are what I read on the cord itself.

 

[cuddlefishjams]

I suppose it's the fact that it's a combination of two elements that makes it a bit confusing. especially for me as I have absolutely no conception of electricity ratings. between the cord and the socket that is attatched to it... the tag wrapped around says not to exceed 60w... but the ratings printed into the cord suggest that the cord can take more than that.. I have the socket itself clipped up onto the ceiling of my cab but I will try to get in there for a look to see if there is anything printed on it that might help illuminate..

thank you all again for your assistance!

 

[cuddlefishjams]

well after looking at the socket itself and the splitter that I have attatched... they both say 660w on them... assuming they can both handle up to 660 watts?

 

[sparkjumper]

That 60W rating is for the lamp socket not the cord

 

[cuddlefishjams]

I think maybe the 60w rating was printed on the cardboard packaging that is long discarded.. but based on (and I thank you all for encouraging my persuit of the actual ratings on cord and socket and splitter) what I've found out I think it is safe to assume that there will be no risk in using these shop light sockets for my grow cab!

my next question for you all might be about the distance that my lights are from the top of my (wooden) cabinet and how safe it is to have such heat so close to the top of my cab.

lets say that while running the lights for a couple of hours I felt that the top of the cab was HOT. and I could feel it from above the desk wherein my grow cab is built. I intend to throw some mylar in along the surfaces of my cabinet... but should I worry about the heat coming from these CFL's inside my desk? it's MDF ranger wood for the most part... at least half an inch thick all around. the lights are 1cm or 2cm from the wood on the top of the cabinet due to how I've mounted my lights. will a 12 hour session have any chance of igniting this? (I worry hella much about stuff... this cab has to be MEGA secret as my landlord will accept my rent payment not 5 feet away from it on the 1st of every month)

thanks again ICmag'ers

 

[PharmaCan]

That 60W rating is for the lamp socket not the cord

This is the post you should pay attention to.

PC