Power cords
- Thread starter Flowki
- Start date
Gorillabilly
Well-Known Member
where are you?? Country?
Nappertunity
Well-Known Member
The wire depends on the amperage and distance you need it to go, as well as the size of the outlet. What are you trying to run?
JoeBlow5823
Well-Known Member
12 gauge cords rated for 20 amps if we are talking USA. Well worth the money to be on the safe side and never draw more than 75% of what a cord is rated for (if its rated for 20 amps, never draw more than 15 through it)
Gorillabilly
Well-Known Member
man it depends. Im an electrician of 30 years, you gotta give me more info. Its like asking what the best weed is? Too broad a question.
JoeBlow5823
Well-Known Member
True but if were talking basic 120v grow equipment in USA, 12 gauge 20a is the way to go.
NukaKola
Well-Known Member
I ran 6AWG to a 50A subpanel to a shed not quite 100’ from my main panel.
I have a 4 light controller hardwired for 240v 30A w/10AWG.
Then I have 4 outlets on a 120v 20A breaker for more demanding 120v equipment and 8 outlets on a 120v 15A breaker.
I wired up a relay w/ trigger cord to run my AC safely on a cheap timer, might not have been necessary but cheap insurance.
I run my low power accessories such as inline fans and submersible pump on a harbor freight 4ft 12 outlet power strip. It has nicely spaced outlets so fitting multiple timers and fan controllers next to each other isn’t an issue.
Also have an automatic fire extinguisher mounted to the ceiling just in case
I have a 4 light controller hardwired for 240v 30A w/10AWG.
Then I have 4 outlets on a 120v 20A breaker for more demanding 120v equipment and 8 outlets on a 120v 15A breaker.
I wired up a relay w/ trigger cord to run my AC safely on a cheap timer, might not have been necessary but cheap insurance.
I run my low power accessories such as inline fans and submersible pump on a harbor freight 4ft 12 outlet power strip. It has nicely spaced outlets so fitting multiple timers and fan controllers next to each other isn’t an issue.
Also have an automatic fire extinguisher mounted to the ceiling just in case
JoeBlow5823
Well-Known Member
So the only "power cord" your running is the HF power strip.... Which i wouldnt leave anything from Hazard Fraud plugged in. Pretty sure this guy is just asking about extension cords...
NukaKola
Well-Known Member
The majority of power strips are made in China just like everything else. What makes harbor freights any worse? I've used tons of stuff from harbor freight.
JoeBlow5823
Well-Known Member
I use tons of their shit too, i just wouldnt leave any of it plugged in. I dont skimp on power strips. I always go for a good 20 amp unit.
NukaKola
Well-Known Member
14AWG is fine for my accessories, I'm not even pulling over 5A on it. AC has it's own dedicated 20A and lights have their own 30A.
JoeBlow5823
Well-Known Member
I just dont trust their gear.
Gemtree
Well-Known Member
Flowki
Well-Known Member
I run 3 extension reels as ''main lines'' (the extra wire is spun out). Then I use those just like a wall socket, I run 1 small bar strip extension from each, and then spread the load. All extensions are comfortably under max load and are surge/thermal protected. I've checked them fairly regularly and never had any signs of melting.
I think it's about time to renew though, so I guess I am asking if the above is safe to repeat again?.
I think it's about time to renew though, so I guess I am asking if the above is safe to repeat again?.
NukaKola
Well-Known Member
How long are the runs? What AWG wire?
Are the extensions running from outlets that are on different breakers?
Flowki
Well-Known Member
I believe one is about 25M and that is rated to 3400W. The other two might be longer as they are rated to 2400W. Obviously next time I would ensure highest W load on all if using extensions in this way is acceptable. I could definitely get away with shorter cables, maybe 15M max but at the time this is all they had and I was below 75% max load+ thermal cut out on all so figured it was good.
Two of the main extensions run to a double wall socket, one of them run to another double wall socket, all within the same room. I don't know if this has them on the same breaker or not.
I don't know what AWG means.
I'd love to have dedicated power lines but I don't think that's going to be an option for me, due to not knowing somebody suitable. So I guess I am looking for what people would consider the safest way to run this with cables. As I've said I've never had a problem so far but I'm concerned this may just be luck.
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NukaKola
Well-Known Member
AWG stands for the gauge of wire. 14AWG is standard for 15A, 12AWG for 20A, 10AWG for 30A and so on.
If the extensions are all leading to outlets in the same room chances are they are on the same breaker. It is standard in the US for rooms to be on a 15A 120V breaker which equates to 1800w (1800 x 0.80) or about 1440w for safe continuous operation. So although your extensions are rated high, if they are indeed all plugged into outlets on the same breaker, I wouldn't exceed 1400w.
To test this go to your main panel and try to find what breaker that room is connected to, hopefully they are labeled. If not, flip one breaker at a time and check if the outlets are still powered. When you find the correct breaker most likely all the outlets will lose power. If only one loses power and the other does not then you know they are on separate circuits/breakers.
If all the outlets are on the same breaker and you are running more than 1400w I would try to run one of the extension cords to a different room/outlet. Sometimes adjacent walls are on the same breaker so make sure that the new outlet is still powered when you flip the breaker off for the outlets you are currently using.
OldMedUser
Well-Known Member
AWG is the gauge of the wire. Standard house wiring for 120v is 2/14 which translates to 2 conductor wires, (they don't count the ground wire), and a wire diameter of 14 gauge. Smaller number means thicker wire so a 2/12 will carry more power safely than an 2/14.
It's most likely that the 2 duplex plugs you are using are on the same circuit if in the same room but not certain. You should map out your breakers by flipping off a breaker to that area and using a circuit tester or just a reading lamp to see which plugs have power or not. Almost 20 years ago I used a 3/12 240V cable to run a spare line into my grow room. I split the 2 load lines to separate duplex plugs in one box and shared the neutral between them so I have each duplex on a 15amp breaker. On one I run up to 3 x 400W HID lights and maybe a fan and the other can be used for my heater but it's on the other line that was already in there that runs the sump pump. The heater has two switches for 750W each and I only use one at a time so I'm good to also have other stuff like the exhaust fan, 50W aquarium heater and a small aerator plugged in as well. I like to warm and aerate my RO water that I use for my potted plants.
Almost 20 years and I've never blown a breaker so it must be working OK. I had bought a provincial electrician manual before messing around with wiring to make sure I didn't burn my house down. Anything I wire up I make sure is to code.
@NukaKola explains the rest quite nicely and posted his as I was doing this. lol
Flowki
Well-Known Member
That all makes sense, thanks for taking the time. I will check the panel and uk codes to see where I am at, thnx again.AWG is the gauge of the wire. Standard house wiring for 120v is 2/14 which translates to 2 conductor wires, (they don't count the ground wire), and a wire diameter of 14 gauge. Smaller number means thicker wire so a 2/12 will carry more power safely than an 2/14.
It's most likely that the 2 duplex plugs you are using are on the same circuit if in the same room but not certain. You should map out your breakers by flipping off a breaker to that area and using a circuit tester or just a reading lamp to see which plugs have power or not. Almost 20 years ago I used a 3/12 240V cable to run a spare line into my grow room. I split the 2 load lines to separate duplex plugs in one box and shared the neutral between them so I have each duplex on a 15amp breaker. On one I run up to 3 x 400W HID lights and maybe a fan and the other can be used for my heater but it's on the other line that was already in there that runs the sump pump. The heater has two switches for 750W each and I only use one at a time so I'm good to also have other stuff like the exhaust fan, 50W aquarium heater and a small aerator plugged in as well. I like to warm and aerate my RO water that I use for my potted plants.
Almost 20 years and I've never blown a breaker so it must be working OK. I had bought a provincial electrician manual before messing around with wiring to make sure I didn't burn my house down. Anything I wire up I make sure is to code.
@NukaKola explains the rest quite nicely and posted his as I was doing this. lol