Romex VS SO cord

[dh]

The concern with SO cord would ba ampacity! A standard extension cord has #16or #18 conductors! Where the romex will be #12 or#14! The ampacity of #12 romex is 20a and #14 romex 15A. Where the ampacity of a SO cord or extension cord to be safe probally shouldnt exceed 10a.


Seth

I have easy acces to 12g and 10g SO cord, as well as romex. I can get either for nothing, at work we consider 12' to be a scrap piece.

[Larwyn]

The concern with SO cord would ba ampacity![/b] A standard extension cord has #16or #18 conductors! Where the romex will be #12 or#14! The ampacity of #12 romex is 20a and #14 romex 15A. [b]Where the ampacity of a SO cord or extension cord to be safe probally shouldnt exceed 10a.


Seth

My reply was in response to those parts of the above quote which I highlighted in red. It's like someone telling me that a 1 pint beer mug would be too small and I should instead use a 1 pint tankard (they have the same capacity). The first statement would not be wrong had he not singled out SO cord, as it applies to any and all conductors. That last one, whether it came from an electrician, a bar tender or your favorite beer wench, is none the less, false.

[Steve_Cox]

your favorite beer wench.

[Larwyn]

Yea, Steve, like that.........

[BPFox]

The concern with SO cord would ba ampacity! A standard extension cord has #16or #18 conductors! Where the romex will be #12 or#14! The ampacity of #12 romex is 20a and #14 romex 15A. Where the ampacity of a SO cord or extension cord to be safe probally shouldnt exceed 10a.


Seth

I have easy acces to 12g and 10g SO cord, as well as romex. I can get either for nothing, at work we consider 12' to be a scrap piece.

I think you have answered your own question. The best wire to use is proper sized "FREE" wire.

Just remember this; wires are like beer wenches, size matters.

[wlooper89]

The # 12 stranded AC wire is available at Home Depot if anyone wants that. It has three insulated stranded wires inside an outer jacket. I guess this is SO wire, being not very familiar with wire terminology. I used some Romex and some stranded. If I were to do it again I would use all stranded.

Bill

[planovet]

Just remember this; wires are like beer wenches, size matters.

Does that mean the size of the beer or......?? (FREE is best with wire OR beer )

[dh]

The concern with SO cord would ba ampacity! A standard extension cord has #16or #18 conductors! Where the romex will be #12 or#14! The ampacity of #12 romex is 20a and #14 romex 15A. Where the ampacity of a SO cord or extension cord to be safe probally shouldnt exceed 10a.


Seth

I have easy acces to 12g and 10g SO cord, as well as romex. I can get either for nothing, at work we consider 12' to be a scrap piece.

I think you have answered your own question. The best wire to use is proper sized "FREE" wire.

Just remember this; wires are like beer wenches, size matters.

I can get either for free though. I was really looking to confirm or dissprove the statement that solid wires fail under vibration.

[wlooper89]

I read somewhere that it was best to use stranded wires instead of solid because vibrations could break the solid wires. But in the Gen Ben plans you can clearly see the 120V outlets wired with Romex.

Thoughts? Input?

Also, if going with the stranded SO cord, would it be beter to crimp on a spade conector or just twist the wire and clamp 'er down?

I like to use spade or where possible ring connectors. Crimp and then add solder to the exposed wire ends. Sort of like wearing both belt and suspenders I guess, but that is what I like to do. If there is not room for a connector as sometimes with switches and outlets, etc., I tin the stranded wire. This helps prevent wires from pulling out of a connector and prevents corrosion of the copper strands where they are covered by solder. I know the pros use different methods and for them time is money. For me it is a hobby and personal preference.

Bill

[Ageless]

True wlooper; I even solder the 12V crimps

But I tend to over-engineer evrything . . .too many years at Boeing

[hurricaner]

Coming from the RV world, I can tell you that 99% of all RV's built in the last 30 years are wired with solid wire romex, identical to the stuff your house is wired with. Solid wire will hold up to the type of vibration in a trailer although I would consider going to marine stranded if you are building an off road teardrop.

Of course it is your trailer so you can use what ever you want but code does not allow the use of so cord for trailer AC wiring, other than the main power cord. SO cord does not have the same heat dissipation characteristics as romex.

Sam

[Minicamper42]

Coming from the RV world, I can tell you that 99% of all RV's built in the last 30 years are wired with solid wire romex, identical to the stuff your house is wired with. Solid wire will hold up to the type of vibration in a trailer although I would consider going to marine stranded if you are building an off road teardrop.

Of course it is your trailer so you can use what ever you want but code does not allow the use of so cord for trailer AC wiring, other than the main power cord. SO cord does not have the same heat dissipation characteristics as romex.

Sam

I agree with Sam... if you wanna use romex, a #14-2Ga should suffice for most any requirement...unless you use a microwave or coffee pot or a A/C unit, then you need a #12-2Ga wire for the job...14-2Ga is nice because it's flexible and takes up less space cuz it's flatter and will handle the same load as a #12 SO cord which is 3 times bigger...my only suggestion is to use good exterior wire nuts that are made for out door use, they will have a sealant in them, or you can simply inject a bit of silicone inside the wire nut to keep out moisture...it will only take about a year out in the elements to corrode through the copper and cause problems, it could heat up and melt wires...I've fixed many vehicles where people made trailer wire connections with house wire nuts and ask me what's wrong with the trailer wiring...they said it worked yesterday...so I reach under and grab the wire as it just falls out of the wire nut...just remember to seal everything good and use quality products.