Re: cable amp ratings - answers to wrong questions

["Arthur Matteson" <fanofca@hotmail.com>]

Well...think about all the smaller wiring in cars...brake lights, headlights, etc.  My Buick uses good-sized wire, but my Renault
uses only about 10 or 12 gauge wire for the entire accessory system.  In fact, I could barely even tell it was the correct wire when
I first saw it.  With the defroster, you could easily pull 40 or 50 total amps, at least temporarily.  Like Lee said, 2V drops
aren't uncommon for these systems.

So do the wire rules not apply to cars?  I'm not really sure, but my deciding factors are mainly loss and flexibility.  For my
series conversion, I used more than ten feet of 4 gauge (70A) wire to make 24V out of four 12V batteries.  I drew more than 600A
from this at times, and about 300A for cruising.  I wondered where all my voltage went.  I don't worry about wiring for cars as much
as for houses.  It's definitely more expensive for a house to burn down than a car, and often harder to get out.  If I ever do
photovoltaic installations, I'll stick to the NEC code.  A house doesn't move nearly as much as a car does...sigh...well mine won't.
Weight isn't nearly as much of an issue.

> > The same people that say you can't pull more than 75% of a circuit rating.
> > For example, you are only allowed to pull 24 amps from a 30 amp circuit.

I've read that you design a circuit for 120 or 125% of what it carries, maximum.  In Home Power I think.  They always have the Code
section - my favorite part.

Art