12 volt

[chev49]

RV wire... Some of the s&s trailers and motorhomes i have stripped out have a black and white paired wire that is used for all of the 12v electrical connections, with simple blue clamp together connectors to add more of the same wire.. I have several hundred feet of it. And, it is not enclosed in a shieth, like an extension cord is. None of it is larger than 12 ga. So, in my opinion heavy duty extension cord would be far better as it is far more protected against abraison. Even the Monico motorhome i am not quite done stripping out now, which has excellent #10 wire, has no plastic conduit around it, which was nibbled on in a few places.

[wewise]

I never thought about over heating the wiring until reading all this. I'm glad I did. I have a pot holder maid by Kitchen Aid, I can feel the heat from a HOT cast iron skillet through the holder but can keep my hand there. So, could this type of material be used to insulate the wire? I'm thinking of gluing to the ceiling. Buying small pot holders could get costly but this type of material should be available in bulk if one knew what it's called.
What about using pipe insulation tubes? Cut them in half lengthwise so only the exterior half of the wire is covered?

[thommassey]

Originally Posted by wewise

I never thought about over heating the wiring until reading all this. I'm glad I did. I have a pot holder maid by Kitchen Aid, I can feel the heat from a HOT cast iron skillet through the holder but can keep my hand there. So, could this type of material be used to insulate the wire? I'm thinking of gluing to the ceiling. Buying small pot holders could get costly but this type of material should be available in bulk if one knew what it's called.
What about using pipe insulation tubes? Cut t.hem in half lengthwise so only the exterior half of the wire is covered?

IMHO, the idea is NOT to heat your wire to that point of needing add'l insulation.
It would be better to reduce the load (the amount of amps being consumed on the circuit) or add additional circuits for heavy loads. Also, oversizing wire size, though a bit more costly, greatly reduces your resistance (heat)...

Hot wires make fires...
... and loose wires make fires. Tight connections are just as important.

[chev49]

Buy bigger wire... smaller pot holders

The only time i have seen wire that is hot is under 110v light fixtures that had bulbs larger than rated, and overloaded circuits.

Probably a good idea to have too many circuits like mentioned above..

[wewise]

Thanks for the response.I was thinking of the heat coming through the roof causing a problem.This was brought up by others who have contributed to this topic.

[chev49]

right. the extension cord has finer stranded wire than the other, given the same cord size.. but i don't think it really matters much with light loads

[thommassey]

Think of wire in the attic of a house in Texas or Arizona... air temp is not likely going to be an issue. Attics here in the northwest , that I have been in, can reach 130+ degrees in the summer. Damage will most likely come from mechanical (pinch or scrape), or overloaded, as stated above. Engine compartments also reach high temps with no damage (usually ) to stock wiring. Copper is pretty tough... insulation too!

[-=dwh=-]

I'm only a lowly journeyman electrician (but with the 24,000 hours I put in I could get a master's card if I was still in the trade). For 5 years, I was the top electrician working for the top electrical contractor in Beverly Hills, Ca. For those who don't know, Beverly Hills residential code is pretty much the same as everyone else's commercial code - their rules are strict and their inspectors are PICKY.


The NEC doesn't give a hoot about anything below 50 volts. Down there, you're on your own. I think that'll eventually change, due to all the green solar tomfoolery going on.

For 12vdc wiring, I use red/black (black = negative) color code for *supply* (batteries, batteries to fuse box, etc.) and black/white (white = negative) color code for *load* (out of the fuse box). That's just personal preference - there aren't any rules so I make up my own.

There are a few chunks cut out of extension cords in my camper - but they only carry 12v.

Over 50v I stick to the code, and extension cords in walls are not to code.

As for wire/insulation ratings...
There is "enclosed" and there is "open air". The same wire is rated differently for the different applications.
There is also "power distribution" and "chassis wiring". Again, the same wire is rated differently for the different applications.
(And "chassis wiring" means "inside of a machine" NOT "chassis of a vehicle".)


Extension cords are designed and rated to be used in "open air" applications.