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Electrical Wiring
Ask questions here about proper wiring and electrical installation here.
4,935 Questions
Can you run electricity 1000 feet and run a barn?
I think you need to clarify whether you mean whether it's possible to do, or whether it's allowed by law/codes.
It is certainly possible to do. The amount of copper (size and number of wires) needed depends on what you mean my "running a barn." The more electrical power you need to run the barn the more copper you must lay along the 1000 feet.
I don't know about wiring codes and restrictions.
When do you test the portable GFCI?
GFCI devices should be tested either monthly or in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations. ----
If you do not understand the work well enough to accomplish it yourself properly and safely, don't try it. Consult a professional electrician, as they are proficient enough to do it properly and safely. When working on electrical circuits and equipment, make sure to de-energize the circuit you will be working on. Then test the circuit with a definitive means to make sure it is off (multimeter with metal tipped leads, voltage tester with metal tipped leads, etc., not a non-contact tester, which is non-definitive.)
How much more electricity does an electric cooktop use than a gas cooktop?
An electric cooktop uses a great deal more electrical energy than a gas cooktop. The electric portion of the gas cooktop runs the electronics (clock, timer, ignitor, oven light, etc.), and these are small electrical loads. An electric cooktop uses more electrical energy cooking a batch of, say, pasta sauce, than a gas cooktop would normally use in a month or two. There just isn't a good comparison as there is such a broad difference in the electrical usage of the two units.
What are the causes of fire in electrical circuits?
Overloading the circuit or a device like a power strip will cause the wiring to heat up at it's weakest point and can result in fire, it can also cause insulation to melt resulting in an electrical short.
1,760Wh
In the electrical trade a device can be described as any thing made or adapted for a particular purpose in the trade. It could refer to a piece of mechanical or electrical equipment that is used within the trade. For example electrical boxes, light fixtures, receptacles, plugs could all fall under the definition.
What size of cable to connect a 1500 watt power converter?
I assume you are asking about an inverter that uses a 12V battery to supply 120VAC. If so, depending on the efficiency of your inverter, the battery current will be around 130 to 140 amps at full load. For that current, the smallest cable you would want to use is 2/0 (two-ought). If your cable length is over 5 or 6 feet you would want even larger cable, perhaps 4/0 to minimize voltage drop. Make or have made the proper crimp lug terminations at each end of the cable. Do not scrimp here! Improperly made connections will generate heat, and could ruin the equipment or even start a fire. If the wiring runs through a vehicle chassis, then be sure to install a fuse at the battery! If cables this size were to wear through on a sharp metal edge and short together, there will be more than enough heat generated to start a fire. Be safe!
What voltage outlet do you need for a gas range?
The answer depends on the make and type of gas range and the country in which it is to be used. You must read the installation instructions for the appliance or read its rating plate.
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Installation of gas appliances is not a D-I-Y job! If you have not been trained and licensed it is very dangerous to attempt to do this kind of installation work.
In many countries of the world it is illegal to work on gas appliances unless you are a trained and licensed gas fitter.
So you should call a licensed gas fitter to do this work.
In a 480 Volt 3-phase power supply what is the voltage between each lead?
Assuming this is a WYE connected system: (Most commercial/industrial services are) Your question answered it: 480 volts. The phase to phase voltage on this system is 480 volts and the phase to ground voltage is 277 volts.
Answer
The 'leads' you refer to are more-properly called 'lines', and the voltage between any pair is called a 'line voltage' (not a 'phase voltage', as stated in the original answer). The rated voltages of three-phase systems, regardless of whether they are three-wire (delta) systems or four-wire (star/wye) systems are always quoted in terms of their 'line voltages'. So, to answer your question, the line voltage ('voltage between leads' ) of your three-phase system is 480 V. If your system is a four-wire star/wye system, then the phase voltage voltage, or 'line-to-neutral' (not 'phase to ground') voltage is the line voltage divided by 1.732, i.e. 277 V.
What wire size is needed to 125 amp load for 340 feet?
== == 125 Amps is a very heavy current load for a household circuit so this 340 ft run may be for some industrial plant or equipment... You really should know how to handle wiring size calculations already before you install that kind of stuff.
<><><> To do a proper calculation, working voltage is needed, whether it is single phase or three phase and whether the wire is copper or aluminium. Single phase - 125 amps at 120 volts, copper wire #3/0, 125 amps at 240 volts, copper wire #1 Three phase - 125 amps at 480 volts, copper wire #4 ----- As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed. Before you do any work yourself,
on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,
always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized. IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB
SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY
REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
=== === == == The process of replacing the equipment that comprises your service is simple and straightforward.
1. Get a permit.
2. A trained person cuts the service conductors so that they don't interfere with the utility company lines [so they can splice back in]!
3. Remove the circuit conductors from the old panel.
4. Demolish the old service.
5. Install the new service.
6. Reconnect the circuit conductors.
7. Tie the new service cable back into the utility lines.
8. Call for inspection.
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As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.
Before you do any work yourself,
on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,
always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.
IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB
SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY
REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
What watt of a bulb can a 9 volt use?
9 volt alkaline batteries are not really meant for heavy discharge loads, and are not normally used to power lamps. The practical limit for any reasonable battery life would be about 0.5 watts. At this power level, you could expect athe battery to last only 2 to 3 hours for incandescent, and maybe up to 5 hours for an LED.
What is the meaning of wiring type class a?
This is a wiring method used primarily in Fire Alarm systems. It means there are two paths for an alarm to be detected. A Class A circuit will have two wires from the alarm panel to the detector (heat, smoke, etc.) AND two more wires that go from the detector back to the panel. The detector now has two paths to report an alarm. The official definition states that any single wire break shall not prevent the alarm signal from reporting to the panel. Since both ends of the circuit end up back at the panel, it can directly monitor the wires for breaks. The alarm panel must be a model designed for Class A circuits. The other type of circuit found in fire alarm systems, Class B, omits the return wires and has just one path for the alarm. Class B circuits have a resistor placed at the end to provide supervisory current to monitor the wires for breaks. Class A and B can also be applied to alarm notification circuits, like bell, horn, speaker, and strobe circuits. Same principles apply, only in reverse. Now the signal goes from the panel to the notification appliance.
What are the advantages of shell type transformers?
this type of transformer used special low loss steel to minimize eddy current losses and reduced leakage flux.
How can I convert standard American 240 volts 3 phase to 1 phase 2 wires 1 hot and 1 neutral?
It doesn't need to be converted. The 240 Volt single-phase electricity is there already to operate any single phase devices. New breakers, the right size of wiring and a new wall outlet are what have to be installed to add a new single phase 240 Volt circuit to an existing breaker panel which already has a three-phase supply. For safety reasons only a trained and licensed electrician should work with this equipment. <><><> Careful! The statement above can be misleading. The Asker is obviously not from the US, he thinks US 240V is three phase, when its really single-phase. But note that he wants to convert to single-phase with one hot and one neutral. This is consistent with European standards with 230V single-phase where one wire is hot and one wire is cold (neutral). You cannot connect a European 230V appliance directly to US 240V because this would connect a hot wire to the appliance's grounded connection, potentially making the chassis components hot! So, while it is true nothing needs to be done to convert US 240V service to single-phase (because it already is), it is not correct to imply that US 240V can be used where you want 240 volts with one hot and one neutral. This would require an isolation transformer or other approved international voltage converter. For more information see the answer to the Related Question Can you plug a 230V 50Hz appliance into a 240V 60Hz outlet? shown below <><><>
As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.
If you do this work yourself, always turn off the power
at the breaker box/fuse panel BEFORE you attempt to do any work AND
always use an electrician's test meter having metal-tipped probes
(not a simple proximity voltage indicator)
to insure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.
IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB
SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY
REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
What is the line loss of 4 ACSR when the voltage is 14400 volts?
It doesn't really matter what the distribution voltage is. Line loss is dependant on the current through the conductor. #4 ACSR (aluminum conductor, steel reinforced, used in electrical transmission), has a typical resistance of 0.399 ohms per 1000 feet, and a maximum ampacity of 140. At max load, the I^2 * R loss would be about 7.82kW per 1000 feet of cable, or about 123kW per mile of 3-phase distribution. A 14,400 volt 140A system delivers about 3.48MW at unity power factor, so this represents about a 3.5% loss per mile, which is why 14.4kV is used for distribution, not transmission. Most likely, the cable would reach thermal limit well before 140A, and so would never be loaded to the max ampacity, so this is the theoretical max. At a more reasonable current, line loss would be correspondingly less.
What causes electrical shock in pool?
something is not grounded, more then likely a handrail or ladder is the culprit, if your handy take a digital volt meter and put black probe in the pool water and red one on the metail rail and you will see a low reading probaly around 10volts. to fix this dig up handrail and throw it away or ground it.
i would reccomend a electrician
Can you use 14 2 grounded wire on a 15 amp circuit for 2 receptacles and 1 pull chain light?
14-2 is rated for 15 Amp circuit. You can design a 15 Amp circuit to carry about 1440 Watts. The average outlet uses about 180 Watts and your pull chain is 60 Watts. You should have plenty of room on this circuit.
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As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.
Before you do any work yourself,
on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,
always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.
IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB
SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY
REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
How much for copper wiring that is not stripped?
As below, call the recycler to find out what the current price is. See the copper scrap index under related links to see if their prices are fair. Some recyclers will try to give you next to nothing if they think you don't know what your scrap is worth. <><><> Call your local metal recycler. Prices vary widely across the country, and change day to day. Any answer here would be meaningless.
What are the principles of analog single phase wattmeter?
An analog single-phase wattmeter is a device which measures the power transmitted from source to load in the circuit.
The simplest type is an ammeter whose scale is calibrated watts. This device can provide satisfactory indications of power generated or consumed if:
A) The line voltage is known and varies little under any conditions where an indication is needed, and
B) The circuit uses direct current (DC), or alternating current (AC) where the load is purely resistive.
An application where such a meter would provide useful indications of power consumed is a circuit connected to a well-regulated 120 volt source, AC or DC, has a load consisting of incandescent lamps and/or heating elements and the meter is calibrated to 120 volts. If the line current is 9 amperes, the meter indicates 1080 watts. It works on the formula E x I = P, where E is the electromotive force in volts, I is the line current in amperes and P is the power, in watts.
This type of meter has a number of shortcomings. If the mains voltage varies, such as when few loads are connected the voltage may be higher than 120 and the instrument will underestimate the power. When the mains are heavily laden, the reverse is true. If the voltage is well-regulated, this error may be small enough to ignore as it can be less than that of the meter movement, especially where the effort and expense of obtaining precise readings is not justified.
If the circuit operates from a AC source and the load is an electric motor, this type of instrument will indicate the apparent power, in volt-amperes but this will differ from the true power, measured in watts.
The cause of this difference is the inductance, or opposition to change in current flow inherent in magnetic devices such as motors or iron-core fluorescent lamp ballasts. In motor circuits, the current will lag in time behind the voltage and the amount of this lag depends on a number of factors, chiefly the type of motor and the torque demanded from it. In the case of lamp ballasts, the lag is affected by ballast design, ambient temperature, age of the bulb, etc.
We can calculate the difference, or power factor, between apparent power and true power if we know the lag angle (360 degrees = 1 cycle):
Watts = VA x Cos(q)
or,
True Power = Apparent Power x Power Factor.
One way determine the lag angle is with an oscilloscope, which can indicate the amplitude of the voltage, current and their phase relationship. This method is rarely used for AC power circuits as an oscilloscope is costly, requires a skilled operator and these three values must then be plugged into a formula to determine the true power.
The method long used for practical measurements is the dynamometer-type wattmeter. This is a meter movement which has one coil which is in series with one conductor to the load, usually it induces a magnetic field in the stator and has relatively few turns of large-diameter wire. The second coil is attached to the pointer and suspended in the magnetic gap of the stator. It has many turns of fine wire and is connected parallel to the load. A magnetic field in either coil by itself will produce no movement of the pointer, as its flux is unopposed. The torque produced, and the degree of deflection of the pointer is the result of the interaction both of amplitude and of phase of the two magnetic fields, one related to current and the other to voltage. Thus it remains accurate for variable voltages, currents and phase relationships.
An example of this instrument's value: A certain home has a central air conditioner. On a muggy evening, the homeowner measures the current at 21 amperes using a clamp-on type ammeter and the voltage at 234 VAC, for an apparent power of 4194 VA. On a sweltering summer afternoon the compressor demands more torque from the motor driving it, so 23 amperes and 228 VAC is seen for 5244 VA.
Now let's check that power factor. In the first case the lag angle is 45 degrees so the true power is 2966 watts. As more torque is demanded from the motor the lag angle changes much more than the current, so in the second case if the lag angle is only 15 degrees, the true power is 5065 watts.
As we can see from this example, the ammeter can provide us with useful information on choosing the size of the conductors, transformers, alternator windings or circuit breaker ratings for motor circuits but only a very rough guess as to the actual energy consumption.
Incidentally the electric meter which the utility company uses to determine the monthly household electrical use is a variation of the dynamometer wattmeter movement and the rotation of the wheel is in proportion to true, not apparent power.
Recent advances in microelectronics allow construction of dynamometers using semiconductor devices to measure voltage, current and phase relationship and such a device may be less expensive to construct than the traditional meter. Also they can provide a digital display, eliminating parallax and scale interpretation error.
What does double pole mean on a cooker control unit?
"Double-pole" refers to the type of switch used to disconnect the cooker from the incoming household electricity supply.
Only by using a double-pole switch can the cooker's connections to both the live (or "hot") and neutral supply wires be switched on and off simultaneously.
Where do I ground if there is No ground coming out of the box?
The question doesn't say what "the box" refers-to: is it a wall box for a socket outlet or is it for a switch - or is it actually the main circuit breaker panel for the building or apartment?
You can add a safety ground wire to any wall box - to connect appliances back to the ground on main breaker panel - only if there is a main grounding wire installed at your main breaker panel.
You can't add a safety ground wire to any wall box, to connect appliances back to the main breaker panel, if you don't already have a ground wire installed at your main breaker panel. If that is the case, your wiring must be at least 50 years old. It is time to consult with an electrician...
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As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.
Before you do any work yourself,
on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,
always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.
IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB
SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY
REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
Just by asking this question that shows you are probably not quite ready to take on this particular task.
The safest answer anyone should give you is NO, leave it alone , don't even think of doing this!
You may or may not get lucky and receive some more information in an answer here!
If you hope to get enough information on this site to be able to do this job properly and safely, please do not rely on getting accurate information about such a potentially dangerous subject.
Really, don't do this one yourself. Electricity is far too dangerous to handle if you have not been trained how to do this work. If you put just one wire in the wrong place you risk being killed by electrocution or you could even start a house fire.
How to do this job depends entirely on the Wiring Codes or Regulations for the locality (Town/State) and on the exact location of the appliance you wish to install. If it is anywhere that is subject to water splashes or spray - such as in any room supplied with running water pipes, like a kitchen, bathroom, shower room, etc., or in a pool-side area - in many places nowadays it is actually illegal to attempt to do this kind of work unless you are already a licensed electrician.
If you don't want to go to your local library or bookstore - to find and read some books about electrical wiring and appliances and how to install them safely, and to find out about your local Wiring Codes and Regulations - then the best advice anyone should give to you is to call a licensed electrician either to do the job for you or to advise you what you may be allowed to do yourself.
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The appliance needs a 240 Volt supply. The supply wiring described in this question could either be 120 Volt with ground or 240 Volt without neutral.
To allow the new appliance to be used safely it needs to be upgraded or replaced by a licensed electrician who would install new wiring and circuit breakers along with an outlet that would all comply with your local wiring codes. Call an electrician to do this job.
IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB
SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY
REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
If you do this work yourself, always turn off the power at the breaker box/fuse panel BEFORE you attempt to do any work AND always use a meter or voltage indicator
to insure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.
