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Sizing electrical conductors
Great question!
It is standard practice (National Electrical Code) to size the conductor based on the amperage rating of the overcurrent device (circuit breaker or fuse) used to protect the circuit, not the load connected to the circuit. The reason being that should the conductor short circuit, the overcurrent device will open before the conductor fuses or the insulation fails, possibly starting a fire. If you used a #16 AWG conductor and there was a short circuit, you could end up with 30 Amperes going through a conductor rated for
Typically, you will use #10 AWG on a 30 Amp circuit, #12 on a 20 Amp circuit and #14 on a 15 Amp circuit. Obviously, there are exceptions, such as the #18 AWG lamp cord that you plug into a 15 or 20 Amp receptacle.
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