Choosing the right section of an electric cable
When building a house, you will need to install the power cable. This cable connects the branch circuit breaker, often installed at the edge of the ground to the electrical panel of the house.
The section of the power cable
The section of the cable depends on the length between the subscriber circuit breaker and the electrical panel but also the intensity of the meter. You will find water proof cable supplier on the table below the section of the cable that corresponds to:
The equivalences between the meter and the intensity are as follows:
- 3 kW corresponds to 15A.
- 6 kW corresponds to 30A.
- 9 kW corresponds to 45A.
- 12 kW corresponds to 60A
So for a meter that custom wire manufacturer delivers 9 kW (45A) and is located 30m from the board, we opt for 16mm² cable for a single-phase electrical installation. If you do not know the intensity that will be delivered by the meter or if it is likely to evolve, it is better to pass the cable in its maximum section is for a meter of 12 kW which can deliver up to 60A.
Which power cable should I use?
The electric cable to be used for powering your home is copper RO2V cable. If you want to pass the aluminum cable, it is not the same dimensions as those marked on the board, which was made for copper.
For a single-phase installation, the standard of current residences, it will require a RO2V cable. The cable will consist of two wires, a colored wire for the phase and blue wire for the neutral. For a three-phase electrical installation, the RO2V cable will have 4 wires … 3 colored wires for the phase and blue wire for the neutral. The earth protection, meanwhile, will be brought directly from the ground rod to the electrical panel, it is not brought by your electricity supplier.
This power cable is, in most cases, buried. It requires a red or red and black sheath provided for this purpose. A red net will also be buried above the sheath to signal the presence of an electrical conduit if anyone ever digs there in the future.
The cable is like a pipe in which water must pass.
The greater the amount of water to be transported, the larger the pipe diameter. It’s the same for electricity! The higher the power or the intensity, the more important the section of the electric cables will be.
Choose the cable section for 230 V voltages
In everyday life, the voltage is 230V. Here is an indication of the appropriate wire size depending on the intensity or power required:
- 5 mm² → 10 A → 2300 W;
- 5 mm² → 16 A → 3680 W;
- 4 mm² → 25 A → 5,750 W;
- 6 mm² → 32 A → 7,360 W;
- 10 mm² → 40 A → 9 200
