Gary,
For a household where humans live you cannot get away from NEC wiring unless
you build the house yourself with cash and no building permit. IOW, forget
it!
For a barn you can wire any way you see fit. I designed my barn wiring on
actual current measurements, not NEC specs. The 50A breaker is not really
needed on the lighting circuit. It is what I had for the mains box at the
time. The mains breaker box is no longer manufactured and a new 30A breaker
costs about $50. In the barn there is another breaker box with breakers to
match romex size (14ga-15A, 12ga-20A). This box feeds all lighting/outlet
circuits. Unless there is a total load of 50A continuous on this secondary
box (highly unlikely), the 10ga wire is not going to heat up and burn down
the barn.
Keith NM5G
-----Original Message-----
From: towertalk-bounces@contesting.com
[mailto:towertalk-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Gary Schafer
Sent: Monday, January 24, 2005 10:11 PM
To: keith@dutson.net
Cc: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] RE: TowerTalk Digest, Vol 25, Issue 139
I don't follow your logic here. The #10 wire that he had is ok for a 30 amp
breaker. Which by the way (the #10 wire) is "a little more than 1/2"
as you advocate, for the 50 amp breaker but was obvious it was not heavy
enough for the 50 amp water heater.
Also why would it be ok to use smaller wire in a barn with too large a
breaker on it? Barns do burn too.
73
Gary K4FMX
Keith Dutson wrote:
> This is not a house, no humans live in the barn. The electric water
> heater is a pulse unit, only about 30 percent average power drawn from
mains.
>
> Keith NM5G
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: towertalk-bounces@contesting.com
> [mailto:towertalk-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Gary Schafer
> Sent: Monday, January 24, 2005 8:49 PM
> To: keith@dutson.net
> Cc: towertalk@contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] RE: TowerTalk Digest, Vol 25, Issue 139
>
> Why do you think the wire rating should be any different than in the
house?
> Wire size should be rated for the full amount of the breaker. A 15 amp
> breaker will not trip at 15 amps immediately. It takes several minutes.
> Some it takes almost twice that to ever trip them.
> An electric water heater is a pretty constant load.
>
> 73
> Gary K4FMX
>
>
> Keith Dutson wrote:
>
>>Barn wiring is pretty simple. Your wire needs to be rated at a bit
>>above half the breaker amperage to handle the anticipated constant
>>amperage. Max current only happens when lights are first turned on
>>and
>
> motors/fans start.
>
>>It's not like a house where you would be running several appliances at
>>one time.
>>
>>Keith NM5G
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: towertalk-bounces@contesting.com
>>[mailto:towertalk-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Mike Maddox
>>Sent: Monday, January 24, 2005 3:34 PM
>>To: towertalk@contesting.com
>>Subject: [TowerTalk] RE: TowerTalk Digest, Vol 25, Issue 139
>>
>>
>>
>>A funny story along this line...
>>
>>I was looking out the window toward the barn one night and saw all
>>lights going from bright to dim for a second or two, then back to
>>bright,
>
> etc.
>
>>They were so dim it is almost as if someone was flicking the light switch.
>>My XYL had just finished riding horses with some friends, and they
>>were taking saddles off and putting the horses back in the stalls.
>>
>>Later while we were having supper I remarked about the lights. She
>>said it was the water heater. Seems she installed one of those
>>"instant" water heaters. The next day I went out to see the heater.
>>It
>
> is 230/240V, 50A.
>
>>The mains to the barn is ONE 50A circuit on 10 gauge romex!
>>
>>No, my XYL is not a ham. I'll let you guess the color of her hair.
>><grin>
>>
>>The heater now has its own 50A circuit.
>>
>>Keith NM5G
>>
>>
>>Hope you are now using 6 gauge wire for a 50 amp circuit. 10 is rated
>>for 30 amps. There are a lot of those kind of set ups around. Maybe
>>it's the horse<sense>! I've got a horse fanatic nearby that only has
>>a 60 amp service to her house (a total electric house) and 60 amps
>>going
>
> to her barn.
>
>>Can't understand why parts of her walls get hot, and electric
>>appliances don't seem to last very long. Gave up trying to explain it
>>to
>
> her.
>
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>
>>See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers",
>>"Wireless Weather Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free,
>>1-800-333-9041 with any questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>TowerTalk mailing list
>>TowerTalk@contesting.com
>>http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>
>>See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers",
>>"Wireless
>
> Weather Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041
> with any questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
>
>>_______________________________________________
>>TowerTalk mailing list
>>TowerTalk@contesting.com
>>http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>
> See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers",
> "Wireless Weather Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free,
> 1-800-333-9041 with any questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
>
> _______________________________________________
> TowerTalk mailing list
> TowerTalk@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>
> _______________________________________________
>
> See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless
Weather Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any
questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
>
> _______________________________________________
> TowerTalk mailing list
> TowerTalk@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>
>
_______________________________________________
See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless
Weather Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any
questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
_______________________________________________
See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless Weather
Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with any questions
and ask for Sherman, W2FLA.
_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
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