Question about Anderson PowerPoles

[jwhite]

Originally Posted by pipsqueaker

Anyways, what this boils down to is I would like an affirmation that using the "30 amp" (In quotations because their actual safe load is unclear to me) PowerPoles are safe to be used in 45-amp circuits (with 12 gauge wire). Anyone have enough experience with these to enlighten me?

We went through the exact same thing two years ago. For us it was even worse, because we had a mix of 12 gauge and 14 gauge wire. (I later threw the 14 in the garbage and swore to never buy it again; you think you can train students, but... ).

We did have one of the 30 amp / 14 gauge wires melt the powerpole housing. I'm not sure if it was because we were over spec, or if it had been badly wired. But it was a clear cautionary tale, and made me examine what the students had done, and so figured this out.

What we did was put in 30 amp breakers and explain the situation to the inspector. He was puzzled, but passed it.

So, long story short: I know exactly how you're feeling. But if I were you, I'd order a big bag of the 45 amp poles, and get expedited shipping. Side bonus: they are easier to crimp .

Cheers,

Jeremy