OhioIsEverywhere
New User
- Location
- Ohio
- Occupation
- DIY'er
I recently purchased a Reliance Controls 50A manual transfer switch model A510C (https://www.reliancecontrols.com/pr...a-2-1p-20a-6-1p-15a-circuits-metal-gray-a510c) and had some concerns wiring it to the PB50 flanged power inlet (https://www.reliancecontrols.com/products/reliance-controls-pb-series-power-inlet-boxes-50-pb50). I noticed that the feed wires for the transfer switch are 10 gauge and they would not stay secure when inserted to the PB50 and screwed as far as I could without damaging the hex bolt or the trapezoidal bond that is pushed by the hex bolt. Everything I've found said that 10 gauge is not rated for greater than 30A (https://www.google.com/search?q=10+gauge+stranded+wire+amperage). I do see some exceptions like at different temperatures the rated amperage is a bit higher but nothing close to 50A. Also when searching what gauge wire I should be using for 50A service I find 6 gauge (https://www.google.com/search?q=10+gauge+stranded+wire+amperage). At this point I'm concerned about the 10 gauge wires not securing to the flanged inlet:
Your can see that the neutral and ground wires are 8 gauge versus the red and black are clearly 10 gauge. I reached out and was contacted by a Reliance representative and he collected some basic info over email and I sent him the pictures, then we spoke on the phone and and assured me 10 gauge was fine and had Reliance Controls' blessing for 50A. He suggested that I could just fold the wire to increase the thickness so it would fasten securely under the hex bolt. Naturally this seemed odd - the wire should get fastened in there without any modification in my experience. I thought about it some more and responded the next day saying I still had concerns of pushing 50A through those two wires (with the fold) because I couldn't find anything saying that was within rating - basically the same I mentioned in the above paragraph. His response was:
Your can see that the neutral and ground wires are 8 gauge versus the red and black are clearly 10 gauge. I reached out and was contacted by a Reliance representative and he collected some basic info over email and I sent him the pictures, then we spoke on the phone and and assured me 10 gauge was fine and had Reliance Controls' blessing for 50A. He suggested that I could just fold the wire to increase the thickness so it would fasten securely under the hex bolt. Naturally this seemed odd - the wire should get fastened in there without any modification in my experience. I thought about it some more and responded the next day saying I still had concerns of pushing 50A through those two wires (with the fold) because I couldn't find anything saying that was within rating - basically the same I mentioned in the above paragraph. His response was:
I have monitored my home energy usage and even with the heat pump water heater, well pump, and HVAC running at the same time I wouldn't get anywhere near 50A but I wanted a second opinion and am curious if you all have any insight. He also stated that I should not replace the 10 gauge with 8 or 6 because it will void any provided warranty and I agree with that.
