Re: Power

["Albert Hassick" <uncadoc-at-xxxxxxxx> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-xxxxxxxxxx>)]

Hi Jason.  The 6ga. copper cable will easily handle 40 amps.  This cable
is used for 60 amp subboxes off the main service panel in your house, so
it should fit your application quite well as long as the garage is within
100' or so of your main breaker.   The two paralleled 10ga. wires will
give you a rating of about a standard 8ga. type of wire, and that would
be good for say, 40 amps very easily, depending on cable type and
insulation, and whether the cable is buried or placed in free air.  There
are many variables here, so it is best to check your local codes and at
the very least, get yourself a copy of the latest NEC national codebook
at your local electrical outlet.  So it is an option, but check your
local codes for allowance of parallel conductors in a subfeed system. 
You can do a lot of stuff, but if you start a fire with that does not
conform to code then you will have a very big battle on your hands with
your insurance company.  Be careful!  Also, I find it hard to believe
that your service entrance is two 16/3 cables!  That would barely give
you enough juice for ONE 20 amp circuit.  Maybe you are reading the cable
incorrectly, It might mean one #6 (ground) and three main feeders, of
which two of them would be the 240volt hot wires and the remaining wire
would be a equal sized neutral conductor of #2ga. or better, depending on
the size of your service.    Al.

On Wed, 15 Nov 2000 18:23:46 -0700 "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
writes:
> Original poster: "Jason Johnson" <hvjjohnson13-at-hotmail-dot-com> 
> 
> I'm running a 240 volt, 40 amp dedicated line out to my "High 
> voltage
> Laboratory" (garage really). Will 6 guage copper handle this amount 
> of power? I
> imagine it would but I don't know for sure. Would I be better off 
> running two
> lengths of 10/2 and parrelleling the conductors in each (one line 
> for each hot,
> and a dedicated ground/nuetral system at the garage)? Also I noticed 
> that all
> the power comes into our house through a 5KVA pole pig, and two 16/3 
> cables
> with the conductors parrelleled. I will be using twice that amount 
> of power in
> the garage alone! How can that be up to code!? Should the question 
> be "Will the
> point where I tie into the grid handle that power?" instead of "Will 
> MY wiring
> handle it?"
> 
> 
>