Get Wired! for Solar (Understanding AWG Wire Sizes) 

I love these videos. Easy to understand, no technical jargon. Brilliant, thank you

Thank you Bob and Jim for the information ✋👍👏

Thanks again Bob Jim knows his stuff I appreciate your vlog

As someone who was in the wire industry for 35 years I have just a few nuggets of info to add to Jim's good explanation of wire. One of the main difficulties is heavy gauge stiffness and workability. One way to solve that is to go to a high strand count than normally used for the gauge you want to use. So for example, instead of using a 16 AWG that has 19 strands typically you can use one that has 26 strands or more. The more strands the more flexible but also the more cost. The same applies to very large gauges such as 8 AWG or larger. I've seen 2 Aught that is actually limp but it had hundreds of strands and a rubber insulation. The insulation is also play a role in flexibility. Certain insulation are more flexible than others. Some are even "tubed on" rather then extruded on to increase flexibility. It can be complicated so if you happen to need flexibility I would suggest going into a place like Grainger or maybe there's a wire distributor nearby and see what they have that you can actually touch and see for yourself. The other thing is to think of electricity as you do water in plumbing. The bigger the pipe/ wire the more water/electricity that can go through it. Always go larger than what you actually think you need and never ever underestimate what size to use.

This was very helpful. Im working to resolder speaker wires for a digivice (small electronic) but didnt understand how to communicate the size of the wire i need to anyone but with the help of this video i understand the differences in sizes and the names for them

Another point. When measuring the length of a wire, for instance from the solar array to the charge controller, your total length of wire is from the array (+) to the charge controller and the (-) from the charge controller to the array. You would use that length to determine the proper wire gauge for the current load. For instance, if your panels need 12 feet of wire from the panels to the controller, you would use 24 feet as the length of wire when determining the wire gauge required. For this reason, some installers will wire the panels in series as higher voltage and lower amps requires a smaller wire gauge verses low voltage (12Vdc) and high amperage requires larger wire.

A welding supply store can be a good source of heavy gauge very flexible wire for high amperage circuits. They are usually cheaper than other sources due to the volume they sell.

Good Video Jim... Thank you, Bob!

Good Video. Hello Bob & Jim!

Ok folks the term / word current and amp were used interchangeably. Simple translation is there is no difference; Current = AMPs. Once folks understand that current and AMPs are the same it helps. When following along with electrical discussions, but also helps in wire determinations. Once I realized that AMPs could be viewed like water. The thicker the wire, the greater the current that could be carried. Thanks you two this information is greatly appreciated.

We Always learn something when we watch one of your videos! Thanks.

I love how Cody almost always finds an opportunity for a cameo.

People need to be careful purchasing wire for electrical use. You might think it's copper when it's actually copper clad aluminium (CCA) I noticed this recently when looking up prices of 1/0 cable and noticed Amazon and other companies having it at a really cheap price. Upon further investigation I realized it was CCA wire! If you don't know what you're actually buying you will create a safety Hazzard because aluminium wire needs to be 2 gauges thicker to carry the same amount of electrical current (amps)....😎

You can get very flexible big wire, 0 -00 -000 etc. at car stereo places or order it online, always stick to OFC (oxygen free copper) and not CCA (copper clad aluminum) Look up company names like stinger and scorpion wire. Dont use house wire in your vehicle. Another type of very flexible big wire is welding cables. Can be bought by the foot also.

Thank you!

I needed this for a project! Gotta buy wire tomorrow!

Welding cable is much more flexible even in large gages and carries DC power better than house type wires.

Thank you

I installed an electrical system into my friends bus conversion, had to use quad aught (0000) as he had a super high output alternator, a 4kw pure sine inverter, 400 watts of solar and four Trojan T-145 golf cart batteries; then there are the 2 LARGE batteries for starting the diesel engine.... Needless to say it was a royal pain to get that 0000 routed around properly but that is one helluva high load system, he is able to use a laser cutter/engraver for around 6 hours before the batteries need to be re-charged, unlimited with the high output alternator in action; solar to help maintain the batteries during periods of boondocking and low power consumption activities...

All of this electrical work looks daunting. I’m glad there are guys like you out there that can simplify it. Your videos are very informative. Thank you!

I thought you would of talked about how many amps a wire can handle . Maybe even pictured a wire size to amp chart .

My thinking on wire gauge is how may wires can I push through a one inch hole. I know it's not exact, but it helps me mentally handle the reverse relation between wire gauge and the size of the wire.

also there are different types of wire being used and the strain count. i bought "0" cable for my inverter, when i got it, it was so stiff i couldnt hardly work with it, then i learned it was cca wire, which is stiff, cheap and not as good as the pure copper wire i was sold but didnt recieve. cca is copper clad aluminum and you want to avoid it.

On the solar wire what strand do you recommend for MC4 connectors. I'm looking at 7 or 19 strand outdoor PV wire.

The fundamental problem with AWG is the A part. Lol.

It is easier for me to understand when I compare it to the system we use in cross stitch embroidery: 12 ct. is 12 stitches per inch, 24 ct. is 24 stitches per inch. When a stitch is fatter, you can fit fewer stitches in an inch of fabric. So I assume the wire gauge is roughly the same concept. You can get fewer thick cables in a one-inch pipe, so the gauge (or count) is a smaller number. For those of us with crafting experience it is easier to remember that gauge is the same as stitch count.

It would be helpful if Jim told us what usage each of them is best for (i.e. gauge 8 to 10 for battery to inverter, 12 for panel to controller, etc)

AWG is a terrible system that references how many times the copper is run through the press to make the smaller sizes. I think was started in the 19th century.

what are we measuring the actual conductor size when the insulation is stripped off or the outside diameter because the insulation could be quite thick and conductor small

The AWG numbering for thinner wires makes sence when you consider that for thinner wires, you can place more of them side by side in parallel per inch, and this number is then higher. I tried to develop a new or simpler formula : thickness" = = diameter" = (0.1") 10^((10 - gauge#) / 20) gauge# = 10 - 20 (log(10 thickness"))

How far can two batteries be a part to connect together answer please

If conductor not longer than 1 foot can I use 4 AWG to carry 150 A from battery to inverter or I still have to change to 1AWG?

That was really helpful! Thanks so much. Now I hope you do a really simple explanation about AMPS and Watts and Volts. I just know how a 100 watt bulb works. lol

can you use house extension lead wire?

Need to explain the why...and when to use bigger wire.

😊👍🏼

Thanks so much for your interest in RVs. God Bless 🎶🎻☀️⛵🚴‍♀️🚣‍♂️

Can i use 14ga. Wire on a jet pump that requires 115volts

Thanks for sharing hope to meet you some day

What would be really helpful would be to know what guage is appropriate for certain uses. For example: Heres what you use to wires two 6 volt batteries to each other

Cody wants him a bite of that single 0.

Jim should change his name to Vincent. He sounds just like Vincent Price. 😂

The flexibility has nothing to do with the size... i have 2/0 That's just as flexible It has to do with the amount of wires and how it's wound inside the wire itself...

Thickness is not the only discussion. Different content changes characteristics. Copper carries electricity better than aluminum. I am concerned about a new practice, an alloy of copper and aluminum, I haven't noticed it in wiring yet, but go to the hardware store to buy sheet copper and it will probably be copper/aluminum. We used to use what we called hardened copper wire, a copper alloy, probably with brass or bronze. A lot of buildings built with aluminum house wiring in the '70s were fire hazards. There are strands, important especially with A.C., where the voltage does not travel THROUGH the wire, but just above the surface, so more strands, at the same thickness, has greater capacity. You will see wiring that is solid, one strand, a pair, three, seven, and countless tiny strands, which carries the greatest capacity. After, "aught," wire begins MCM, LIKE 750 MCM, slightly smaller than a quarter, Million.

👍👍✔✔👏👏

Do you really need 4/0 aught AWG for a simple 400watt solar setup??

Extremely helpful chart: imgur.com/a/XWfTOLZ

Circuits giving you a headache? research androidcircuitsolver on google

1st

You really need to learn how to control the movement of a camera, this was a pain to watch.