![]() ![]() Note that the gauge can sometimes vary between aluminum and copper wires. In the chart below, we outline what gauge wire you need for the maximum amperage, or strength, of the electrical current. For any questions, always consult a certified electrician, as well as your local electrical codes. Please note that the information within this article is intended only as general guidelines. The chart below will tell you approximately what wire size is needed for the amount of power that will be running through the line. Precise wire sizing is essential for circuit breakers as it helps determine how much electrical current can flow through it and how much resistance it has. Wire gauge is measured from high to low with higher numbers meaning a smaller wire size. AWG is the standardized system of this measurement. Gauge is a measurement of a wire, specifically its diameter. The most important part that will be covered here is the gauge, sometimes referred to as AWG (American Wire Gauge). Here’s how to determine what size wire you need for your breaker. That is not true unless you are dealing in 3-phase "delta", but you won't have that in a residence.Whether you have a 30 amp or a 40 amp breaker, wire size is important. ![]() Some people believe that running /3 lets you carry more power. Therefore running /3 cable is a waste of money unless a) the heater says it requires it, or b) you expect in the future to fit something that would require it. Water heaters, A/C and electric heaters usually do not. 3 cable has an extra conductor, allowing 240V and also a middle neutral, making both 120V and 240V available. You usually don't need /3 cable for heaters Otherwise it depends what your loads can tolerate - resistive heaters are very tolerant of voltage drop for instance motors not so much. So below 120' you never have to worry about it. First, nobody cares about drops less than 3%, and that happens at around 120' length (round trip) on most wire sizes. It may be desirable to limit voltage drop by using larger wire than required. Over long distances, wires can have "voltage drop". But you must stay with the breaker size determined by the need of the heater, as we did above. There are some good reasons to do this, like the possibility of upgrading heaters later. ![]() You can use larger wires if you really want to. The minimum wire size for 50A is 6 AWG copper, or 4 AWG aluminum.The minimum wire size for 40A is 8 AWG.The minimum wire size for 30A is 10 AWG.That will be the size of your circuit and breaker. Take your instructions or derated amps number and round UP to the next larger size of 30, 40 or 50. ![]() That is because it is a continuous load and runs the wires pretty hard.įor instance, if the heater was 30 amps, multiply that by 1.25 and get 37.5. Now derate that Amps number by multiplying it by 1.25 or 125%. Again you divide that by 240 to get Amps.
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