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Electrical Wiring
Ask questions here about proper wiring and electrical installation here.
4,935 Questions
Would incorrect size terminals cause wires to burn out?
What causes wires to burn in terminal strips is the lack of tightness between the set screw and the conductor. A loose junction will start to arc. Minor at first but as the oxidisation from the heating and cooling continues the resistance of the joint becomes higher.
As the resistance becomes higher the more amperage is needed to flow through the joint to operate the load. The heating of the conductor will get high enough to melt the insulation from the conductor. Once the insulation is gone this becomes conducive for a short circuit to occur.
If the wire gets hot enough and the circuits breaker does not trip, the wire can completely burn off from the terminal strip and the circuit will open.
Why do we have to use appropriate accessories in wiring?
To eliminate short circuiting, to enable and supply reliable and correctly rated power supply, fool proof handling of connection points and equipments during the time of servicing and maintenance.
Is wiring of an automobile or aircraft covered by the Philippine electrical code?
These types of vehicles will have their own regulations as to their wiring, as governed by the manufacturer of the equipment. The building that the vehicles are stored in will be under the electrical code mandate.
It is an electrical lighting distribution board that is used in India. It is similar to the lighting distribution panel board used in North American homes.
It is unclear what you as asking about as fuses are rated in Amperes not Ohms. A fuse that measures 4 Ohms would be defective (not good but not fully blown open either).
Can a wire be wrapped around a screw clockwise or counter clockwise?
Well, it CAN be wrapped either way, but because standard screws tighten when turned clockwise:
- if the wire is wrapped around the screw clockwise tightening the screw will pull the wire tighter around the screw
- if the wire is wrapped around the screw counterclockwise tightening the screw will push the wire away from the screw making it loose and maybe even popping the wire out from under the screw
Which is better double insulated or grounded?
It is best to use both, then usually grounded, then double insulated is just OK.
When barrier is used as a controlled access zone it must be from the edge?
You are absolutely correct.
What is the difference between bell push buttons and light switches?
The difference between bell push buttons and light switches is the voltage and current that they can legally handle. Bell push buttons are used on low voltage systems, usually up to 24 VAC and a current in the milliamp range. Light switches operate in the range from 120 to 347 VAC and a range from 15 to 30 amps.
In the electrical trade devices that are used to support a cable or conduit entry into an electrical device are called connectors. These can be called strain relief,sealtite, EMT, or BX but they are all called connectors
When the word gland is used it usually refers to the wiring of explosion proof devices. When making a wire end, the conductors are fed through an empty gland that is twisted on to the end of the explosion proof cable. Into this empty gland is poured a epoxy type compound that hardens itself around the conductors. The hub of the fitting slides over the gland and is screwed into the threaded hole of the device that connects to the cable. By sealing the cable in this method, explosive gasses or dust that might seep into the electrical device is prevented.Pyrotenax, a mineral insulated cable, is one type of cable that uses this method of sealing its cable ends. These type of wire ends are also used with Tech cable that are used in explosion proof areas.
Can an iron nail replace a wire in a circuit?
An iron nail can replace a short length of wire in a circuit if the points of contact of the nail to the rest of the circuit have no rust or corrosion and good connection can be made. Using solder to join the nail to the circuit can help make a good connection.
However, if this is for a scientifically controlled experiment fine as long as its very low voltage. If you are considering high voltage . DO NOT ATTEMPT IT. Its extremely dangerous
How many volts can transmission wire carry?
Transmission voltages are usually considered to be 110 kV and above. Where higher capacity is needed the line conductors are grouped in to three and four groups per phase leg. Voltages less than 33 kV are usually used for distribution by the utility companies.
The utility company then supplies the transformers to drop the voltage even lower so that it can be brought to homes to be used by their customers.
The transmission lines are of a composite arrangement. ACSR, Aluminium Conductor Steel Reinforced.
Can ROMEX be used with wood construction for a three story hotel?
Depends on the state you live in and the local regulations.
How many watts can install in 1000 microfarad?
Zero watts can be installed in 1000 micro farads. Watts are the product of amperage times volts. Micro farads is a value used in talking about capacitance.
Will a GFCI work properly using a 2 wire plug?
Yes, Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters were specifically designed to provide protection against harmful electrical shocks on circuits without the third wire ground. They cause a circuit breaker to pop if the magnitude of the current is not the same in both the hot and neutral wires (indicating current leakage to something else like a person or water).
However they also happen to make grounded three wire circuits even safer than they already are.
What is the advantage of stranded wires?
Flexibility is the main advantage of stranded wires; however for high frequency AC (i.e. radio frequencies), stranded wires increase the surface area, minimizing the skin effect (i.e. high frequency current avoiding the core of a wire, increasing its resistance at that frequency). This is not an issue at typical power frequencies (e.g. 60Hz) as the skin effect is still insignificant at those frequencies.
The reset button only resets the built in circuit breaker in the power strip section of the surge protector. If it quit working then you may have pressed it too hard and broken the circuit breaker's mechanism (this is hard to do but possible) and the device is now scrap. Replace it with a new surge protector.
Pressing reset by accident is really very unlikely to break the circuit breaker's mechanism, but I didn't see what you did.
How much current will a 120 VAC wall outlet pass through a connected 20 ohm circuit load?
The equation that you are looking for is I = E/R. Amps = 120/20 = 6 amps. This is one of the basic equations of Ohm's Law.
Will navel jelly do damage to the rubber on electric wires?
Rubber has not been used on wires for decades. The insulation used today is a crossed linked poly vinyl that has excellent insulation properties and has a much better wear factor that the rubber ever had. Navel Jelly will not affect this type of wire insulating material.
What percentage of wind energy is used in the UK?
Approximately 9.3% of the UK's electricity requirement.
What size wire do I need to run a 20 amp circuit 650 feet?
It's going to take a whopper of a wire to run a 20 amps 650 feet. I'd feel more comfortable if a journeyman electrician would come by to access my answer. But, my calculations show it would take 4 AWG wire to do it. If you want you could run two 7 AWG wires in parallel.
Why does my refrigerator keep tripping the breaker?
The most likely possibility is the refrigerator has a problem and needs to be fixed.
Another possibility is the refrigerator is on a circuit that does not have enough current capacity to operate it and other appliances that are on the same circuit.
What kind of breaker should I use for a 1250 Botany Jacuzzi Tub?
You use the correct size breaker that matches the wiring. The correct amperage will be listed in the owners manual for the tub.
What is a poor conductor of electricity and is used to coat wires?
In low voltage wires, the insulation factor of the coating determines the wire's voltage rating. A wire coating of cross linked poly vinyl is used as an insulation. High voltage transmission wires uses no coating on the wire
