soow cord on equipment
- Thread starter joe
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dana1028
Senior Member
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- San Francisco Bay area
Re: soow cord on equipment
Joe - if you take a look at your Skil Saw...it draws 13A...yet the cord on it is a #16 or #18....if you look strictly at the tables in Art. 400 these cords are not sized properly...but when these pieces of equipment are tested at UL (or other lab) they are tested to those standards unique to the tool/appliance/equipment. Those standards dictate the requirements for the manufacturer.
This doesn't exactly answer your question, but if your equipment is listed, chances are the cord is sized correctly. (I know there are numerous examples of mfrs. 'cheating'...but I said 'chances are').
Joe - if you take a look at your Skil Saw...it draws 13A...yet the cord on it is a #16 or #18....if you look strictly at the tables in Art. 400 these cords are not sized properly...but when these pieces of equipment are tested at UL (or other lab) they are tested to those standards unique to the tool/appliance/equipment. Those standards dictate the requirements for the manufacturer.
This doesn't exactly answer your question, but if your equipment is listed, chances are the cord is sized correctly. (I know there are numerous examples of mfrs. 'cheating'...but I said 'chances are').
- Location
- Lockport, IL
- Occupation
- Semi-Retired Electrical Engineer
Re: soow cord on equipment
Per NEC Table 400.5(A), a #10 SOOW flexible cord (assuming 2 current-carrying conductors) is good for only 30 amps. But dana1028 is right: the only thing that really matters is the current drawn by the device. I cannot say what the manufacturer meant by declaring the tool to be ?rated for 40 amps.? But that is not the same as saying that the tool will draw 40 amps on a continuous basis while it is in use. If the device was tested, and is listed, for its present configuration, you have no cause for concern.
Per NEC Table 400.5(A), a #10 SOOW flexible cord (assuming 2 current-carrying conductors) is good for only 30 amps. But dana1028 is right: the only thing that really matters is the current drawn by the device. I cannot say what the manufacturer meant by declaring the tool to be ?rated for 40 amps.? But that is not the same as saying that the tool will draw 40 amps on a continuous basis while it is in use. If the device was tested, and is listed, for its present configuration, you have no cause for concern.
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