What is a 12/4 wire used for?
Non-metallic sheathed NM-B cable is used in normally dry installations in residential wiring, as branch circuits for outlets, lighting and other residential loads.
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12/4 NM-B Cable Specifications*:
| Cable Type | NM-B |
|---|---|
| Direct Burial | No |
What does BX wire look like?
At first glance, BX’s metal sheathing looks like it is a single ribbed metal tube. It’s actually a metal strand that runs in a helix-like or twisted manner around the wires.
What does BX stand for in electrical wire?
Apr 7, 2006. Per Jim Dollins, VP of Product Development for AFC Cable Systems, the term “BX” stands for “Product “B” – Experimental.” Apparently, back when the product was first developed, the first manufacturer of this product had only one product at the time: “Product “A””.
What is BX cable called?
Armored cable, referred to as Type AC cable or BX Electrical Cable is one of the original styles of flexible conduit used as an alternative to pipe and wire installations. These cables are manufactured to the UL® 4 standard.
When would you use a 4 wire cable?
Four-wire is used for “two-way” circuits, and for cases where two circuits are running to the same place (independent control of a ceiling fan and its lights, for example). In the US color coding conventions, red is the “second hot” needed for these applications.
What is the 4th wire for?
The 4th wire in that cord and plug configuration is an equipment grounding conductor. This equipment grounding conductor is the missing wire in the older 3-wire configurations. In these older appliance installations where 3-wire cords were legally installed, the wiring consisted of two hot wires and a neutral wire.
Can you use BX in residential?
It was first called “BX” to abbreviate “product B – Experimental,” although AC is far more commonly used today. Like Romex cables, they cannot be used in residences higher than three stories, and the rules for protection and support of AC wiring are essentially the same as the rules for Romex.
Is BX safer than Romex?
Romex cables are light and have a slippery coating that easily pulls through holes. BX cables are safer and protect against any accidental penetrations. Romex cables have vinyl sheathing that you can penetrate easily. A BX cable usually is grounded through an internal plastic-coated ground wire or metal armor.
Should I use Romex or BX?
Romex cables are about 25% cheaper than their BX counterparts. A BX is difficult and heavy to handle. Romex cables are light and have a slippery coating that easily pulls through holes. BX cables are safer and protect against any accidental penetrations.
Do I need a 3-wire or 4-wire?
In an existing installation (such as an older home built in the 1950s), it is considered Code-compliant for the kitchen range or the clothes dryer to be installed using a 3-wire cord and plug. However, in new construction the installation of kitchen ranges and clothes dryers requires a 4-wire cord and plug.
Can neutral and ground be tied together?
No, the neutral and ground should never be wired together. This is wrong, and potentially dangerous. When you plug in something in the outlet, the neutral will be live, as it closes the circuit. If the ground is wired to the neutral, the ground of the applicance will also be live.
Do I need a 3 wire or 4-wire?
How long does BX wiring last?
In some homes it may be 100 years old at this point. Lots of homes built between 1905 and 1932 have a combination of knob and tube and BX wiring. Most customers who are replacing their knob and tube wiring for insulation will leave the BX wiring in place.
Should old BX cable be replaced?
A: No, you don’t. At minimum it needs to be put back how it was. For example, if the room with BX wiring only has 1 outlet, but would require 4 by todays code, only 1 needs to be done as that puts it back how it was. The only time this could change is if any room is gutted.
What gauge wire do you need for 50 amps?
6
For a maximum of 50 amps, you’ll need a wire gauge of 6. Fifty amp breakers are most often used to power many different appliances.
What happens if neutral touches ground?
In Short if neutral wire touches a earth wire,
An earth wire carrying load current is a risk of electric shock because a person touching this earth may present an alternative path for the load current and thus the risk of electric shock.
Can you put neutral and ground on same bus bar?
The answer is never. Grounds and neutrals should only be connected at the last point of disconnect. This would be at main panels only.
What wire size do I need to go 100 feet for a 60 amp service to a workshop?
What size wire should I use for a 60 amp subpanel? You can get away with 6 AWG when you have a short run of wire, however, due to voltage drop, if you ever decide you want to go more than 100 feet then a 4 AWG is the size you should choose.
Can you use #8 wire with a 50 amp breaker?
An 8-gauge wire can handle a current of 50 amps at a temperature of 90-Celsius or 194-Fahrenheit.
Can I connect ground and neutral to same bus bar?
Can I tie the neutral and ground together?
Why do you tie the neutral and ground together?
If you touch the casing, and some real ground (like a water pipe) at the same time, you will close the circuit and carry all of the current. So, connecting the ground to neutral totally defeats the purpose of having a ground, and actually makes it more dangerous than not having the ground at all.
What happens if you connect neutral to ground?
If the neutral breaks, then plugged in devices will cause the neutral to approach the “hot” voltage. Given a ground to neutral connection, this will cause the chassis of your device to be at the “hot” voltage, which is very dangerous.
Can you run a 100 amp sub panel off a 100 amp main panel?
Let me try and answer some of your questions. First the panels you are looking at that are rated 100A simply means you can use them for any application up to 100A.
Is a double-pole 30 amp breaker 60 amps?
The breakers themselves are relatively narrow and occupy a single slot in the home’s breaker box. Double-pole breakers, on the other hand, are typically rated for 20 to 60 amps and supply 240-volt power to large appliances, like electric dryers and ranges.