Is there voltage on the neutral?

[iaov]

Bigger wires = less resistence. Not only do you not want equipment operating under voltage, you do not want the current to be limmited by the resistence of the conductors.

 

[LarryFine]

This now makes me wonder why is it important to upsize for voltage drop? I can understand you don't want your equipment operating on too small a voltage but is that the only reason?

In a nutshell, yes. Remember that the waste product of voltage drop is heat. That means that a portion of your electricity cost is heating wire, and not producing the desired output of the load.

Now, if the desired product is heat, and the wires are withinh the heat envelope, there's no waste; it's merely partially displaced. But, if the equipment in question is air conditioning, and the wires are within the cooled space, you're spending extra money.

When it comes to, say, lighting, unless you're going to upsize bulb wattages, the voltage drop saves a few pennies. But, if the load is one where the lowered load voltage reduces the output, say electric heat, then the heat must run longer, and there's the loss.

When it comes to heat, it takes a certain amout of power to produce a given amount of heat to replace a given amount of heat loss over time. The lower the power used, the longer the heat must run to replace the lost energy.

If it takes 10Kw per hour, a 20Kw heater will need to run 50% of the time, losses (see?) aside. If the heater is only 10Kw, it will run constantly. Theoretically, buth scenarios should cost the same per month to heat the space.

 

[zog]

Current is the flow of electrons and voltage is the electromotive force.

Misconception, electrons dont "flow" they just move back and forth, the energy transfered between them is what "flows"

 

[johnny watt]

Current flow is the flow of charge.
I think that there are experiments that show that electrons do ?flow? but at a slower speed then the velocity of propagation of charge.

 

[ptonsparky]

Another reason to upsize for voltage drop is to ensure that short circuit protection operates in a timely fashion. We want the fuse to become the current limiting factor and not the resistance of the wire.

 

[rattus]

Misconception, electrons dont "flow" they just move back and forth, the energy transfered between them is what "flows"

Zog, consider the CRT. Electrons boil off the cathode and are pulled toward the screen at a relatively high velocity. These electrons must flow in order to create an image on the CRT screen. Yes, there is energy change as well.

Electron velocity in wires is relatively low because the concentration of free electrons is quite high.

 

[monkey]

Well I sure want to thank everyone for the great responses, sure can be hard trying to understand something so seemingly simple, eh?
I will wait for the next opportunity to bring up some of this info to him. Thanks again everyone.