ELECTRICAL WIRES (SIZE, TYPES, LETTERING,CODES)

A. Size of Wires – Each application requires a certain wire size for installation, and the
right size for a specific application is determined by the wire gauge. Sizing of wire is done
by the American wire gauge system. Common wire sizes are 10, 12 and 14 – a higher
number means a smaller wire size and affects the amount of power it can carry. For
example, a low-voltage lamp cord with 10 Amps will require 18-gauge wire, while service
panels or subpanels with 100 Amps will require 2-gauge wire.

B. Wire Lettering – The letters THHN, THWN, THW and XHHN represent the main
insulation types of individual wires. These letters depict the following NEC requirements:

 T – Thermoplastic insulation
 H – Heat resistance
 HH – High heat resistance (up to 194°F)
 W – Suitable for wet locations
 N – Nylon coating, resistant to damage by oil or gas
 X – Synthetic polymer that is flame-resistant

C. Types of Wires – There are mainly 5 types of wire:

 Triplex Wires: Triplex wires are usually used in single-phase service drop
conductors, between the power pole and weather heads. They are composed of
two insulated aluminum wires wrapped with a third bare wire which is used as a
common neutral. The neutral is usually of a smaller gauge and grounded at both
the electric meter and the transformer.
 Main Feeder Wires: Main power feeder wires are the wires that connect the
service weather head to the house. They’re made with stranded or solid THHN
wire and the cable installed is 25% more than the load required.

 Panel Feed Wires: Panel feed cables are generally black insulated THHN wire.
These are used to power the main junction box and the circuit breaker panels. Just
like main power feeder wires, the cables should be rated for 25% more than the
actual load.
 Non-Metallic Sheathed Wires: Non-metallic sheath wire, or Romex, is used in
most homes and has 2-3 conductors, each with plastic insulation, and a bare
ground wire. The individual wires are covered with another layer of non-metallic
sheathing. Since it’s relatively cheaper and available in ratings for 15, 20 and 20
amps, this type is preferred for in-house wiring.

 Single Strand Wires: Single strand wire also uses THHN wire, though there are
other variants. Each wire is separate and multiple wires can be drawn together
 through a pipe easily. Single strand wires are the most popular choice for layouts
that use pipes to contain wires.

D. Color Codes – Different color wires serve different purposes, like:.

 Black : Hot wire, for switches or outlets.

 Red : Hot wire, for switch legs. Also for connecting wire between 2 hardwired
smoke detectors.

 Blue and Yellow : Hot wires, pulled in conduit. Blue for 3-4 way switch application,
and yellow for switch legs to control fan, lights etc.

 White : Always neutral.

 Green and Bare Copper : Only for grounding.

E. Wire Gauge, Ampacity and Wattage Load – To determine the correct wire, it is
important to understand what ampacity and wattage a wire can carry per gauge. Wire
gauge is the size of the wire, ampacity is how much electricity can flow through the wire
and wattage is the load a wire can take, which is always mentioned on the appliances.

ELECTRICAL CABLE TYPES

Coaxial cable, or coax, is a type of electrical cable that has an inner conductor
surrounded by a tubular insulating layer, surrounded by a tubular conducting shield. Many
coaxial cables also have an insulating outer sheath or jacket. The term coaxial comes
from the inner conductor and the outer shield sharing a geometric axis. Coaxial cable was
invented by English engineer and mathematician Oliver Heaviside, who patented the
design in 1880. Coaxial cable differs from other shielded cables because the dimensions
of the cable are controlled to give a precise, constant conductor spacing, which is needed
for it to function efficiently as a transmission line.

Direct-buried cable (DBC) is a kind of

communications or
transmissions electrical cable which is
especially designed to be buried under
the ground without any kind of extra
covering, sheathing, or piping to protect it.
Most direct-buried cable is built to specific
tolerances
to heat, moisture, conductivity, and soil
acidity. Unlike standard
telecommunications and power cables,
which have only a thin layer of insulation
and a waterproof outer cover, DBC consists of multiple layers of heavy metallic-banded
sheathing, reinforced by heavy rubber covers, shock absorbing gel, wrapped thread-
fortified waterproof tape, and stiffened by a heavy metal core.
DBC is preferable in some areas since it is more resistant to being the focus
of lightning discharges.
Flexible cables, or 'continuous-flex' cables,
are electrical cables specially designed to cope with
the tight bending radii and physical stress associated
with moving applications, such as inside cable
carriers.
Due to increasing demands within the field of
automation technology in the 1980s, such as
increasing loads, moving cables guided inside cable
carriers often failed, although the cable carriers
themselves did not. In extreme cases, failures
caused by "corkscrews" and core ruptures brought
entire production lines to a standstill, at high cost. As
a result, specialized, highly flexible cables were
developed with unique characteristics to differentiate
them from standard designs. These are sometimes
called “chain-suitable,” “high-flex,” or “continuous
flex” cables.
A higher level of flexibility means the service life of a
cable inside a cable carrier can be greatly extended.
A normal cable typically manages 50,000 cycles, but
a dynamic cable can complete between one and three million cycles.

Filled cable is a cable that has a non-hygroscopic material, usually a gel called icky-
pick, inside the jacket or sheath. The nonhygroscopic material fills the spaces between
the interior parts of the cable, preventing moisture from entering minor leaks in the sheath
and migrating inside the cable.

Modern non-metallic sheathed cables, such as

(US and Canadian) Types NMB and NMC, consist of
two to four wires covered
with thermoplastic insulation, plus a bare wire for
grounding (bonding), surrounded by a flexible plastic
jacket. Some versions wrap the individual conductors
in paper before the plastic jacket is applied.

Multicore cable is a generic term for an electrical

cable that has multiple cores made of copper wire.
The term is normally only used in relation to a cable
that has more cores than commonly encountered.
For example, a four core mains cable is never referred to as multicore, but a cable
comprising four coaxial cables in a single sheath would be considered multicore.
The term snake cable is frequently used in the professional audio recording industry to
refer to an audio multicore cable.
Multicore cables are used with professional video cameras. In television studios, 26-pin
cables are used to connect "cameras" to camera control units (CCU). Triaxial cables are
used primarily in outside broadcasting however both are capable of delivering an HD-SDI
feed and 30 - 40 Watts of power for the Cameras.

Paired cable is composed of two individually insulated conductors that are usually used
in DC or low-frequency AC applications.

A portable cord (also known as portable cordage, flexible

cord, or extension cord) is a cable with multiple conductors used
for temporary electrical power connections requiring flexibility. The
cord can be employed in a range of applications, such as
operating motors in small and large tools, equipment, power
extensions, home appliances, and machinery.

A ribbon cable (also known as multi-wire planar

cable) is a cable with many conducting wires running
parallel to each other on the same flat plane. As a
result the cable is wide and flat. Its name comes from
its resemblance to a piece of ribbon.
Ribbon cables are usually seen for internal
peripherals in computers, such as hard drives, CD
drives and floppy drives. On some older computer
systems (such as the BBC Micro and Apple II series)
they were used for external connections as well. The
ribbon-like shape interferes with computer cooling by
disrupting airflow within the case and also makes the
cables awkward to handle, especially when there are
a lot of them; as a result, round cables have almost
entirely replaced ribbon cables for external connections and are increasingly being used
internally as well.

A shielded cable is an electrical cable of one or more insulated conductors enclosed by

a common conductive layer. The shield may be composed of braided strands
of copper (or other metal, such as aluminium), a non-braided spiral winding of copper
tape, or a layer of conducting polymer. Usually this shield is covered with a jacket. The
shield acts as a Faraday cage to reduce electrical noise from affecting the signals, and to
reduce electromagnetic radiation that may interfere with other devices. (For more,
see electromagnetic interference). The shield minimizes capacitively coupled noise from
other electrical sources. The shield must be applied across cable splices.
In shielded signal cables the shield may act as the return path for the signal, or may act
as screening only.
High voltage power cables with solid insulation are shielded to protect the cable
insulation, people and equipment.
Structured cabling is the design and installation of a cabling system that will support
multiple hardware uses and be suitable for today’s needs and those of the future. With a
correctly installed system, current and future requirements can be met, and hardware that
is added in the future will be supported
Structured cabling design and installation is governed by a set of standards that specify
wiring data centers, offices, and apartment buildings for data or voice communications
using various kinds of cable, most commonly category 5e (Cat 5e), category 6 (Cat 6),
and fiber optic cabling and modular connectors. These standards define how to lay
the cabling in various topologies in order to meet the needs of the customer, typically
using a central patch panel (which is normally 19 inch rack-mounted), from where each
modular connection can be used as needed. Each outlet is then patched into a network
switch (normally also rack-mounted) for network use or into an IP or PBX (private branch
exchange) telephone system patch panel.

A submersible pump (or sub pump, electric submersible pump (ESP)) is a device
which has a hermetically sealed motor close-coupled to the pump body. The whole
assembly is submerged in the fluid to be pumped. The main advantage of this type of
pump is that it prevents pump cavitation, a problem associated with a high elevation
difference between pump and the fluid surface. Submersible pumps push fluid to the
surface as opposed to jet pumps having to pull fluids. Submersibles are more efficient
than jet pumps.

Twin and earth (often written "T&E" and sometimes "T and E") is a colloquial name in
the UK, Australia, New Zealand and other countries for a type of flat sheathed fixed
mains electricity cable, containing two insulated current carrying conductors and an Earth
connector. In Australia and New Zealand this type of cable is referred to as 'Flat TPS'
(Thermo-plastic sheathed), as well as "Twin and Earth" or "Twin with Earth".

Twin-lead cable is a two-conductor flat cable used as

a balanced transmission line to carry radio
frequency (RF) signals. It is constructed of two
stranded copper or copper-clad steel wires, held a
precise distance apart by a plastic
(usually polyethylene) ribbon. The uniform spacing of
the wires is the key to the cable's function as a
transmission line; any abrupt changes in spacing would
reflect some of the signal back toward the source. The
plastic also covers and insulates the wires.
Twisted pair cabling is a type of wiring in which two conductors of a single circuit are
twisted together for the purposes of improving electromagnetic compatibility. Compared
to a single conductor or an untwisted balanced pair, a twisted pair
reduces electromagnetic radiation from the pair and crosstalk between neighboring pairs
and improves rejection of external electromagnetic interference. It was invented
by Alexander Graham Bell.