Expert: cleggsan - 9/13/2009

Question
What size wire would you use to wire a motor that draws 16A from a cicuit?

Answer
Well, 16 amps from 120 single phase line will most often be too much and will blow the circuit breaker.  So, you must be talking about a commercial power line, maybe 3 phase or 220v.  Right?

In any event, it depends on how long the lines are.  If normal footage, maybe 10 or 20 feet from the breaker box or switch box, you can get by with 16 to 14 gauge, but with longer runs and if the motor is running heavy duty you should drop to a lower gauge.  Wouldn't hurt to go down to 10 gauge.

Let me know the application and voltage and power rating of the motor to give you a more scientific answer.  

Please refer to this table (or others that you will find with a google):

http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm

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