On 6/21/01 11:43 AM, Jay Pryor at jpryor@arches.uga.edu wrote:
>I'm having some electrical work done at the house and thought I would get
>the electrician to run a 220V line to the shack, for an amplifier when I
>add one. How many amps should the 220V line be?
At least 15. I wired mine with 14/2, and I had to cobble together a
two-pole 15 amp breaker. (I couldn't find a Cutler-Hammer breaker for 15
amp two-pole)
In retrospect, I should have wired it with 12/2, and used a two-pole 20
amp breaker. (Which is easily available from Cutler-Hammer)
15 amps at 220V is 3300 watts, which should be more than enough for a
full-gallon output.
20 amps at 220V is 4400 watts, which is plenty of power. Probably enough
to run TWO smaller amps.
--
I'd wire with 12/2, and install 20 amp breaker. If you have to install an
electrical box, I'd recommend a GE box. Much easier to find all kinds of
breakers for GE than for Cutler-Hammer.
Oh, and be sure to install an outlet with a different shape than a
standard 120V outlet. Mine has one horizontal leg, and the other can be
vertical or horizontal.
(Some of you may wonder why I have an amplifier outlet and no amp --
well, wiring is cheap, but amplifiers aren't. I figure I'll wire the
outlet in the event I buy an amp. So, now I've had an outlet for 15 years
at two QTHs and still no amp...)
Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL Mail: aa4lr@arrl.net
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
-- Wilbur Wright, 1901
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