I have an underground wire that I think is called #8-3 but I can't find any
numbers on it. The OD of the insulation is 0.238" on each of the three
wires. That in turn is in another insulated jacket for underground. Each
wire is a seven stranded unit, the O.D. of this is 0.145" and each wire
measures 0.048". What's the wire size here?

More importantly, I need to know amp capacity. There's four of these #8?-3
wires in a conduit for four feet going from the main to underground.
(Multiconductor may reduce amp rating?)

I want to go 40 amp circuit breaker. Am I OK

Karl

In article s.com, "Karl Townsend" wrote:
I have an underground wire that I think is called #8-3 but I can't find any
numbers on it.

Keep looking. It's there -- you just haven't found it yet.

The OD of the insulation is 0.238" on each of the three
wires.

Not relevant.

That in turn is in another insulated jacket for underground. Each
wire is a seven stranded unit, the O.D. of this is 0.145" and each wire
measures 0.048". What's the wire size here?

Dunno. The standard for AWG8 is 0.128", AWG7 is 0.144" -- and AWG7 would be
unusual, to say the least, for electrical wire.

More importantly, I need to know amp capacity. There's four of these #8?-3
wires in a conduit for four feet going from the main to underground.
(Multiconductor may reduce amp rating?)

I want to go 40 amp circuit breaker. Am I OK

Not possible to answer, without knowing exactly what kind of cable you have.
It's marked somewhere on the cable sheath. Keep looking.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:14:38 -0500, "Karl Townsend"
wrote:

I have an underground wire that I think is called #8-3 but I can't find any
numbers on it. The OD of the insulation is 0.238" on each of the three
wires. That in turn is in another insulated jacket for underground. Each
wire is a seven stranded unit, the O.D. of this is 0.145" and each wire
measures 0.048". What's the wire size here?

#8 sounds right.


More importantly, I need to know amp capacity. There's four of these #8?-3
wires in a conduit for four feet going from the main to underground.
(Multiconductor may reduce amp rating?)

I want to go 40 amp circuit breaker. Am I OK

Unless the insulation is something very unusual (rated less than 60
degrees C) it should be fine.

--
Ned Simmons

In article , Ned Simmons wrote:
On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:14:38 -0500, "Karl Townsend"
wrote:

I have an underground wire that I think is called #8-3 but I can't find any
numbers on it. The OD of the insulation is 0.238" on each of the three
wires. That in turn is in another insulated jacket for underground. Each
wire is a seven stranded unit, the O.D. of this is 0.145" and each wire
measures 0.048". What's the wire size here?

#8 sounds right.

8's not that big -- unless he's measuring the insulation, not the wire, in
which case he has a meaningless measurement.


More importantly, I need to know amp capacity. There's four of these #8?-3
wires in a conduit for four feet going from the main to underground.
(Multiconductor may reduce amp rating?)

I want to go 40 amp circuit breaker. Am I OK

Unless the insulation is something very unusual (rated less than 60
degrees C) it should be fine.

And that's why I told him he needs to find the markings on the cable.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 23:53:29 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:

In article , Ned Simmons wrote:
On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:14:38 -0500, "Karl Townsend"
wrote:

I have an underground wire that I think is called #8-3 but I can't find any
numbers on it. The OD of the insulation is 0.238" on each of the three
wires. That in turn is in another insulated jacket for underground. Each
wire is a seven stranded unit, the O.D. of this is 0.145" and each wire
measures 0.048". What's the wire size here?

#8 sounds right.

8's not that big -- unless he's measuring the insulation, not the wire, in
which case he has a meaningless measurement.

Seven strands of .048 diameter wire totals 16,128 circular mils cross
section. AWG #8 has an area of 16,512 circular mils - close enough to
chalk up the difference to measurement error.



More importantly, I need to know amp capacity. There's four of these #8?-3
wires in a conduit for four feet going from the main to underground.
(Multiconductor may reduce amp rating?)

I want to go 40 amp circuit breaker. Am I OK

Unless the insulation is something very unusual (rated less than 60
degrees C) it should be fine.

And that's why I told him he needs to find the markings on the cable.

Best to identify the wire and be sure, but, as far as I know, there
are no NEC listed wires with an insulation rated below 60C.

--
Ned Simmons

On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 21:50:59 -0400, Ned Simmons
wrote:

On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 23:53:29 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:

In article , Ned Simmons wrote:
On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:14:38 -0500, "Karl Townsend"
wrote:

I have an underground wire that I think is called #8-3 but I can't find any
numbers on it. The OD of the insulation is 0.238" on each of the three
wires. That in turn is in another insulated jacket for underground. Each
wire is a seven stranded unit, the O.D. of this is 0.145" and each wire
measures 0.048". What's the wire size here?

#8 sounds right.

8's not that big -- unless he's measuring the insulation, not the wire, in
which case he has a meaningless measurement.

Seven strands of .048 diameter wire totals 16,128 circular mils cross
section. AWG #8 has an area of 16,512 circular mils - close enough to
chalk up the difference to measurement error.



More importantly, I need to know amp capacity. There's four of these #8?-3
wires in a conduit for four feet going from the main to underground.
(Multiconductor may reduce amp rating?)

I want to go 40 amp circuit breaker. Am I OK

Unless the insulation is something very unusual (rated less than 60
degrees C) it should be fine.

And that's why I told him he needs to find the markings on the cable.

Best to identify the wire and be sure, but, as far as I know, there
are no NEC listed wires with an insulation rated below 60C.
Seems to me there should be some pi there, and r ^2 instead of d ^2,
giving 12,667. or am I talking trough my left ear?
Gerry :-)}
London, Canada

On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 22:23:43 -0400, Gerald Miller
wrote:

On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 21:50:59 -0400, Ned Simmons
wrote:

On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 23:53:29 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:

In article , Ned Simmons wrote:
On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:14:38 -0500, "Karl Townsend"
wrote:

I have an underground wire that I think is called #8-3 but I can't find any
numbers on it. The OD of the insulation is 0.238" on each of the three
wires. That in turn is in another insulated jacket for underground. Each
wire is a seven stranded unit, the O.D. of this is 0.145" and each wire
measures 0.048". What's the wire size here?

#8 sounds right.

8's not that big -- unless he's measuring the insulation, not the wire, in
which case he has a meaningless measurement.

Seven strands of .048 diameter wire totals 16,128 circular mils cross
section. AWG #8 has an area of 16,512 circular mils - close enough to
chalk up the difference to measurement error.



More importantly, I need to know amp capacity. There's four of these #8?-3
wires in a conduit for four feet going from the main to underground.
(Multiconductor may reduce amp rating?)

I want to go 40 amp circuit breaker. Am I OK

Unless the insulation is something very unusual (rated less than 60
degrees C) it should be fine.

And that's why I told him he needs to find the markings on the cable.

Best to identify the wire and be sure, but, as far as I know, there
are no NEC listed wires with an insulation rated below 60C.
Seems to me there should be some pi there, and r ^2 instead of d ^2,
giving 12,667. or am I talking trough my left ear?
Gerry :-)}
London, Canada
Prooved myself wrong again - il-logical system!
Gerry :-)}
London, Canada

In article , Ned Simmons wrote:

Best to identify the wire and be sure, but, as far as I know, there
are no NEC listed wires with an insulation rated below 60C.

My concern is that, unless the OP finds the markings on the cable, there is no
assurance that this *is* an NEC-approved cable.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

Is the 0.128" Diameter for AWG 8 for solid or stranded wire? I calculated
the area of a .128" Dia. circle, I then calculated the diameter of wire for
1/7th that area and came up with 7 strands of 0.04838" dia. wire has the
same area as a solid 0.128" wire.

In McMaster Carr, their AWG 8, 4 conductor copper stranded wire Amp rating
ranges from 35Amps to 63Amps. This was for service cord, not really what
the OP is likely to have burried underground.

On the website linked below, the 3rd table down lists size and Amp ratings.
http://www.cerrowire.com/default.aspx?id=71

RogerN

"Doug Miller" wrote in message
t...
In article s.com, "Karl
Townsend" wrote:

That in turn is in another insulated jacket for underground. Each
wire is a seven stranded unit, the O.D. of this is 0.145" and each wire
measures 0.048". What's the wire size here?

Dunno. The standard for AWG8 is 0.128", AWG7 is 0.144" -- and AWG7 would
be
unusual, to say the least, for electrical wire.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.