Wire per amperage for 240 V circuit.

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mathedman

Member
Wire per amperage for 240 V circuit.

Is a AWG 12, 2wires + ground (which
is suitable for 120 V, 20 amp load)
also suitable for a 240 V circuit
through a dual-20-amp set of circuit
breakers?
If not, what is the maximum breakers
for 240 V through this wire?.
mathedman@hotmail.com
 
roger

roger

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Staff member
Location
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Occupation
Retired Electrician
Re: Wire per amperage for 240 V circuit.

Re: Wire per amperage for 240 V circuit.

Mathedman,
Is a AWG 12, 2wires + ground (which
is suitable for 120 V, 20 amp load)
also suitable for a 240 V circuit
Click to expand...
answer YES

through a dual-20-amp set of circuit
breakers?
Click to expand...
answerNO

You must use a double pole breaker.

Do you have an electrican on site or are you checking someones work?

Roger
 
R

randyo

Member
Location
Maryland
Re: Wire per amperage for 240 V circuit.

Re: Wire per amperage for 240 V circuit.

Rodger are we playing with the man... and his choice of words... " ground" and not EGC,
that allowed you to say yes to running 240 through the speicified wire????

Allow me to ask more succinctly,
Can you run 240v through 12/2 NM??
Can the EGC double as the neutral.?? (if not, how)

My vote is NO, you need 12/3 NM to do the task.
(with a double pole breaker of course)

Technicaly, 2-12 awg and a ground is an incorrect terminology, correct???

it should be 2-12 awg and a EGC (Equipment grounding conductor) ???
In a three conductor plus EGC wire can the term "neutral" and "ground" be used interchangeably????

And as I often follow along in the book, can you point me in the correct direction, so that I might be able to read up on your opinions.

Thank you,
Randy
 
B

bennie

Esteemed Member
Re: Wire per amperage for 240 V circuit.

Re: Wire per amperage for 240 V circuit.

12/2 with ground, non-metallic sheathed cable is appropriate for 120/240/480 volt circuits.

Only Edison circuits require a neutral.

[ May 28, 2003, 11:28 AM: Message edited by: bennie ]
 
roger

roger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Fl
Occupation
Retired Electrician
Re: Wire per amperage for 240 V circuit.

Re: Wire per amperage for 240 V circuit.

Randy,
Rodger are we playing with the man... and his choice of words... " ground" and not EGC,
that allowed you to say yes to running 240 through the speicified wire????
Click to expand...
there is no trickery to my answer. The ground conductor and EGC are one and the same in this cable assembly, and have nothing to do with my answer.

Allow me to ask more succinctly,
Can you run 240v through 12/2 NM??
Click to expand...
The answer is YES. 12/2 with ground has two insulated conductors which can be used as current carrying conductors. A white conductor in this assembly can be reidentified. The bare can not be used as a neutral in this assembly.

Technicaly, 2-12 awg and a ground is an incorrect terminology, correct???
Click to expand...
No, this is actually correct terminology, although "with ground" is more common

Randy you are looking to be tricked here, which is not the case.

Look in most any panel or loadcenter in a cable job, (NM, MC, AC etc...) and you will see the white of one or more cables connected to a breaker.

As Bennie points out, a "neutral" doesn't exist in a two wire circuit, it is a grounded conductor and will carry the same current as the ungrounded (attached to breaker) conductor.

Roger

[ May 28, 2003, 12:39 PM: Message edited by: roger ]
 
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