Question for electricians

[jlinder]

Re: Question for electricians

U.L compliance is completely voluntary by the manufacturer.

Right, I missed that. Thanks for the catch

 

[levittownnick]

Re: Question for electricians

Odd. A 20ga wire with a 23amp draw is not code. Suprised that they could sell it this way. Who is the manufacturer? Is it the original cord or maybe was it a replacement?

Ampacity is insulation, voltage drop & temperature dependent as well as other factors. The power supply cord may well be rated for the current even though the same size wire in the wall may not be suitable.

 

[dvandsm64]

Re: Question for electricians

Just remember the breaker is there to protect the wire not what you plug into it.

Put a box next to panel and use a 10 gage cord or run a new wire or new circuit

this is exactly rite . the breaker is there to protect the wire from being over heated.

 

[tswiczko]

Re: Question for electricians

Not sure about the plug but the receptacle I installed is a 10ga 30A. Strangely enough the cord
on the heater is 6' long and 12ga.

That's O.K. you are only pulling that 23 amps through six feet of number 12 cord, a short wire will offers less resistance than a long wire.

from the breaker in the panel to the outlet is much more than six feet so you need a heavier gauge wire to get the current to the outlet safely.

 

[bigdee]

Re: Question for electricians

Not sure about the plug but the receptacle I installed is a 10ga 30A. Strangely enough the cord
on the heater is 6' long and 12ga.

The 6' cord has sranded instead of solid wire which increases the rating somewhat. But levittownick is correct that it is the insulation that determines the current capacity of a conductor. Also the NEC does not regulate appliances. Appliance cords are also out in the open and not concealed so a 20 degree rise above the ambient temperature is not an issue.

 

[wifisher]

Re: Question for electricians

I have a 20A 240V circuit with 12ga wire that was designed for a air compressor in my shop. I tried to run a 23A 240V space heater that's rated at 4200/5600 watts off this same circuit. (not at the same time as the air compressor). It will pop the 20A breaker after 10 min. of running. I switched to a 30A breaker which solved the problem.

I KNOW that 10ga wire is needed for a 30A circuit. Is it dangerous to temporarily run this heater this way until I get around to pulling a new wire? The wires at the breaker are not getting hot and the heater will never be running unattended.

you say that your heater is rated at 4200/5600 watts. Just run it at 4200 watts and you are pulling less then 20A. Should be around 18A.
if you run more than rated amp on your wire you may get a lot more heat than you want