Basic electricity

Thread Starter

buble

Joined Feb 21, 2005
2
Hy, this is my first post. I hope you can help me with this question i have for some time. I live in Argentina, here we have 220 volts. I have in my room were i live:
. My PC, with a 250 watts power supply.
. Air conditioner, it says on the label 2500 watts.
. Sound system, 190 watts.
. 5 light bulbs of 60 watts each.

My question is about the cables, the gauge (diameter) is, i dont know, 2 or 3 milimeters.
Is this enough? How can i calculate the diameter of the cable for this type of requirements? Can i use this formula: P = (I)2 R
What is the resistance of each diameter of cable?

I hope this isnt too basic to be asking here. Thanks in advance for any help!
 

mozikluv

Joined Jan 22, 2004
1,435
hi

are you referring to electrical wires? are you planning to make an extension wire outlet? :)

if you are going to make an extension outlet what appliances do you intend to connect?
 

n9xv

Joined Jan 18, 2005
329
For a typicall residential wiring scheme resistance is not a factor unless your trying to run a couple hundered feet to a single circuit. Here in the U.S.A. the standard Wire size for 220/240-volt circuits is AWG #10. AWG stands for American Wire Gauge. In Europe I think they call this BWG for Birmingham Wire Gauge. The diameter of #10 solid copper wire is 2.59-mm, #12 solid copper wire is 2.05-mm, and #14 solid copper wire is 1.63-mm. These are the three sizes of wire used here in the US for typical residential lighting and power circuits. Based on what you said in your post (2 or 3 millimeters) it sounds like your using #10 wire.


>>>>>>>> Reminder <<<<<<<<


NEVER trust your thoughts when it comes to wiring, always check it with a voltmeter to see if it is "hot". Ensure that the breakers in question are switched off. Before switching the breaker back on, unplug everthing from the new circuit (light bulbs, TV, appliances, etc.) and do a simple (POWER OFF) continuity check. All should check open. No dead shorts.

Good luck
 

Thread Starter

buble

Joined Feb 21, 2005
2
Originally posted by n9xv@Feb 22 2005, 03:07 AM
For a typicall residential wiring scheme resistance is not a factor unless your trying to run a couple hundered feet to a single circuit. Here in the U.S.A. the standard Wire size for 220/240-volt circuits is AWG #10. AWG stands for American Wire Gauge. In Europe I think they call this BWG for Birmingham Wire Gauge. The diameter of #10 solid copper wire is 2.59-mm, #12 solid copper wire is 2.05-mm, and #14 solid copper wire is 1.63-mm. These are the three sizes of wire used here in the US for typical residential lighting and power circuits. Based on what you said in your post (2 or 3 millimeters) it sounds like your using #10 wire.
>>>>>>>> Reminder <<<<<<<<
NEVER trust your thoughts when it comes to wiring, always check it with a voltmeter to see if it is "hot". Ensure that the breakers in question are switched off. Before switching the breaker back on, unplug everthing from the new circuit (light bulbs, TV, appliances, etc.) and do a simple (POWER OFF) continuity check. All should check open. No dead shorts.

Good luck
[post=5492]Quoted post[/post]​
Thanks n9xv, i can breathe easier now jeje. I dont know much (obviously) about electricity but i ll learn about voltmeter. Goodbye!
 
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