[SECC] Amps

[Bill Coleman]

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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