Hello, everyone!
I'm having a little difficulty recognizing the correct way to size wires. I looked at the American Wire Gauge table, but it seems overly simplified compared to some other sources such as this calculator. The calculator asks for the current, temperature limitations based on insulation type, conductors/strands, etc... and the AWG table is used to find wire gauges based solely on current requirements. I would tend to trust the linked calculator above over the AWG table, except it appears to only go as small as #14 gauge wire. I need to be able to calculate accurately and safely down to #28 gauge wire. I wish I knew the formulas used by the calculator or the standard formulas used by professional electricians to size wire gauges based on various pieces of information.
To clarify, I'm very hesitant to settle with the AWG tables because they seem overly simplified. I believe strands, temperature specifications, and conductor type (copper vs aluminum, etc) are a few of perhaps several more important factors to consider.
Please provide assistance or explanations for proper and accurate wire sizing. Thank you!
I'm having a little difficulty recognizing the correct way to size wires. I looked at the American Wire Gauge table, but it seems overly simplified compared to some other sources such as this calculator. The calculator asks for the current, temperature limitations based on insulation type, conductors/strands, etc... and the AWG table is used to find wire gauges based solely on current requirements. I would tend to trust the linked calculator above over the AWG table, except it appears to only go as small as #14 gauge wire. I need to be able to calculate accurately and safely down to #28 gauge wire. I wish I knew the formulas used by the calculator or the standard formulas used by professional electricians to size wire gauges based on various pieces of information.
To clarify, I'm very hesitant to settle with the AWG tables because they seem overly simplified. I believe strands, temperature specifications, and conductor type (copper vs aluminum, etc) are a few of perhaps several more important factors to consider.
Please provide assistance or explanations for proper and accurate wire sizing. Thank you!