Quote:
Originally Posted by rgano
WAIT A MINUTE! You are planning to hook large wire for umpteen feet to carry a heavy load and run a much smaller wire into the apparatus at the last foot or two? Seems to me the smaller wire is still carrying a load larger than designed for.
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You misunderstand.
The smaller wire size is that provided by the manufacturer and is more than adequate for the current for the very short distance it has to finish travelling to the motor. The Vdrop in that very short section will be absolutely negligible.
The discussion is for the distance BETWEEN that short final section and the supply point which is many feet away and for the proper means to connect the supply and the load wires. It is that long run that may create excessive Vdrop and it is that which is the concern here.
As for that very short final section that actually enters the load, the motor, that is very common since no mfgr. knows how far it will be from the supply point to the actual load. They supply a short section which is adequate for that load and that short lead length. It is fully adequate for the load.
It is up to us, the installer, to ensure that the supply wiring between the load and the panel is adequate since that can be very different from one installation to another. The wire must be sized to keep Vdrop in line with the motor needs.
THe load HAS NOT CHANGED. THe 16A load is easily handled by that short section.
The problem has been solved by reading the instructions properly, replacing a too small fuse with the proper unit and installing an adequate size wire, a #10, which is more than adequate for the load and still allow for minimal Vdrop.