What Wire To Run From My House To My Garage For A 100 Amp Service

Stuck on what wire size for 100 amp sub panel to use? Does a 100 amp sub panel wire size correspond to a 100 amp wire? Or have you ever wondered what wire size for 100 amp service or what size wire do I demand for a 100 amp sub panel?

Desire to know the short answer? A 100 amp sub console wiring size requirement is #4 for copper wires and #2 for aluminum wires. Now, you may question what you should use for your wiring installation and what are the advantages and disadvantages of one wire type from some other. We'll discuss these issues beneath.

Wire Sizes

Wiring size requirements differ per amp rating of the circuit. For example, y'all may utilize a 10 AWG or American Wire Gauge for a 30 amp appliance, and a size 8 AWG for a 45 amp device. The size of wire you volition use will differ also depending on what particular electrical installation or servicing you will exist doing.

Before reading wire sizes, it is important to know the basic technicalities of electric installations. Many newbies or students without experience or advanced noesis may miss these easily and cause serious damages to appliances and or components.

American Wire Gauge is the standard when measuring wire sizes. Approximate just describes the thickness of the wire through numbers. The smaller the number, the thicker the wire will be and vice versa.

By that, we can say that the thicker the wire, the more amperage a wire can back up and deliver. Knowing this aspect or holding of wire can save you or your appliances from electrical damage, peculiarly brusque circuits or fifty-fifty fire.

Choosing the Right Wire

Depending on your preference, you may cull wires that you call back will suit your project with respect to safety and burn down chance. Nigh manufacturers put labels on wire coatings or insulation indicating the material'due south blazon and gauge.

Most houses use copper wires for wiring installations, including sub-panels and other electrical components. Bigger infrastructures, including electrical posts, use aluminum wires instead of copper.

Aside from burn down safety, infrastructure owners also take into consideration the economical aspect when choosing the right type of materials for their wiring system.

Due to abundance, the apply of aluminum wire, although less conductive, is widely accepted considering information technology offers a cheaper cost, unlike copper wire. Sacrificing a little flake of efficiency for the purpose of economic gain may be a tough call just a worthy shot.

For the purpose of comparing, here are the characteristics of copper and aluminum wires. This may aid you decide what to choose for your sub-console installation and too provide additional information that you may use for future electric servicing.

Copper Wire

Copper wires are extensively used in modernistic houses and infrastructures due to the wire's great conductibility and stability. Its stability and effectiveness in conducting electricity cannot be closely compared to aluminum wires or any other material, giving copper the best output when talking virtually efficiency in power, side by side to silver.

Silver wire is a meliorate selection in electrical conductivity than copper, but information technology is not widely used in houses and other buildings or infrastructures due to its disadvantages in other properties, such as a lower melting point compared to copper and a higher cost than any other usual conductors we are using.

Although silver is not that feasible in homes, its use was widely accustomed when it comes to technology. Special wirings and critical components are loaded with silvery wires because of the material's high conductive property.

Another factor why you should consider choosing copper wire instead of aluminum wire is that copper wire possesses high tensile strength — pregnant it has much higher resistance and protection against breakage. It also expands less at high temperatures compared to aluminum.

One drawback of choosing copper wire instead of aluminum wire is that copper wire somehow is heavier than aluminum when using the same volume. Copper wire is also costlier than aluminum wires, giving it a prominent disadvantage economically.

Aluminum Wire

If y'all decided to use aluminum wire for your 100 amp sub console, y'all should therefore utilize #2 aluminum wires to avoid malfunctions such as short circuits that may cause electrical harm to your components.

Aluminum wires are way cheaper than copper wires considering of the textile's abundance and disadvantages compared to copper wires. It is as well lightweight, making it much lighter compared to copper.

Looking on the negative side, aluminum wires are inefficient in conducting electricity. It is likewise malleable but not ductile, and prone to galvanic corrosion because it oxidizes faster than copper. All these aspects, amid others, make aluminum less desirable in residential buildings.

Electric malfunctions come up after human errors and from the usage of inappropriate wire sizes, materials, and substandard components. Moreover, opting for safer and more efficient materials will significantly contribute to risk reduction and mitigation.

Burn down Safety

If you are planning on installing or fixing sub-panels and came beyond a decision where you accept to cull whether to use copper or aluminum wires, these are the things you should consider.

• Copper is generally safer to utilise in electrical installations such equally sub-panels because compared to aluminum, copper does not expand easily like aluminum wires when current runs through the wires.
• The conductive property of copper makes information technology efficient in transmitting power or current from one terminate to another. Hence, the transmission does not crave much free energy that can exist lost in the process or transformed into a different course of free energy such as estrus that may lead to a burn.
• Materials you lot buy, may information technology be copper or aluminum wire, should pass the standard prepare forth by your authorities. This volition give yous plenty conviction that you are starting time your project on the right path.

Considering all prophylactic precautions, information technology is also best to know what y'all are really doing and the things you lot are about to deal with. Bated from fire safety, your physiological safety should be the top priority. In other words, before doing any electrical installations, you should exist attentive to things like:

• If you are not ready to do information technology, do non force yourself to do it.
• Equip yourself with more knowledge before engaging in these kinds of jobs.
• Gain experience and guidance from experienced individuals regarding the servicing you lot are most to practise.
• Phone call a professional electrician to practise the job for you.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you lot can at present respond the question "what size wire practice I need for a 100 amp sub console?"

Aside from that knowledge, know what precautions to have when installing or servicing your sub-panels or whatever other type of electrical components.

If you happen to be agape of risking electric amercement, keep in heed:

• If you are non ready to practice it, do not force yourself to do information technology.
• Equip yourself with more knowledge before engaging in these kinds of jobs.
• Gain experience and guidance from experienced individuals regarding the servicing you lot are about to do.
• Call a professional electrician to practice the job for y'all.

Source: https://www.galvinpower.org/size-wire-for-a-100-amp-sub-panel/

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