Electric Wire Size

Electric Wire Size 

Electrical wire that is in a residence will vary in size from No. 14, the smallest permitted to No. 0. The smaller the number of the wire the larger the wire is. Sizes to 0000 are available for special high voltage work.

The wire used may be solid or stranded. No. 6 and larger are stranded for flexibility. A solid wire has less resistance than stranded, that is why No.14 to No. 9 is solid and these are flexible enough to run without major difficulty. The larger wire, No. 6 and larger are stranded so they can bend when they are run.

Drop cords and extension cords and most electrical appliance cords are stranded so they are flexible. These type cords should not be used for in wall wiring. They have higher resistance and heat up more under load.

The size of wire used in a circuit is dependent on how much load it needs to carry. The wire in the circuit should be the same or larger than what is going to be plugged in to it (preferably larger). If you are not sure, have it checked out.

The size of cord that is on the appliance or fixture will give you a good idea what type of load the product will pull. (Big cord = big pull of current.) If you are installing a big ceiling fan for example and the wires in the fan are larger then the ones in the ceiling electrical box, the wires in that circuit are probably not large enough for the fan. Have your electrician check to see if it is safe.

You do not want to overload the wiring and cause a fire hazard.

Mounting a Ceiling Light Fixture

Electrical ceiling mounting boxes and accessories.

Putting up ceiling lighting is not hard when you have the right accessories. If there is an electrical box already there it may only require attaching the electrical wires.

Most of the time there is already an electrical ceiling box where you want to put a replacement lighting fixture. If there is one, you need to check the box to see how and to what it is mounted two in the ceiling to make sure it can hold the weight of the new fixture. If the replacement fixture is the same weight of lighter than the one you are replacing there should be no problem that it will hold the new fixture. If the new fixture is much heavier you have to check. 

Ceiling boxes are metal boxes that are made square, round, or octagon. Some boxes have a mounting flange that permits it to be nailed or screwed to the joist in the ceiling. Flanged boxes mounted to a joist will hold a lot of weight. If the box location is between joists it is usually mounted to an adjustable hanger. The hanger mounts to the joist and the box is then mounted to the hanger. This setup also will hold much weight. There are heavy duty hangers that are made to mount ceiling fans and heavy fixtures. An adjustable hanger lets you position the light on the ceiling where you want it even if it is between ceiling joists. In old lath type ceilings, shallow box hangers that rest right on the laths can be used.

If the box is just mounted in a hole in the ceiling and not really mounted to anything but the drywall of the ceiling, you should and need to get a mounting bracket installed. 

Chandeliers and lighting fixtures come with a good set of how to instructions and the required mounting hardware. The hardware is standardized and will mate with the metal ceiling box holes. The wiring directions are very straight forward. Most are just 3 wire hookups. A green or bare wire ground, a black and a white. These are attached to the same color wire in the box with wire nuts.

You need to read all the instructions that come with the fixture before you try and start to install the fixture. That way you have all the tools and hardware you need before you start. At this point you may want to have a licensed electrician do it if it is not a simple install. If you do install it yourself, turn off the main power source to the circuit controlling the light before you begin. Follow the install directions. If the install needs to be approved by a licensed electrician have him check your work. When in doubt, have it checked out.

                                                              Pirates Crows Nest Light

                                                           A Nautical Decor Chandler

      

A new install may best be done by your electrician. Running new wiring and putting in a new box is not all that difficult, but it can be very dirty and often is not straight forward. It is often money and time well spent if they do it.

Ceiling fan/light units are heavy to install. It may take two people to put it in. Again, these are not difficult to install but they are very heavy. I have the big ones done for me. If they drop and break it, they get to replace it.

                                                                   A sail blade fan

                                         Double Ceiling Fan...Heavy but moves a lot of air

Winch Handle Holder

Wench handle holder.

I needed a holder for the winch handle so the handle was easy to access but out of the way. Being frugal (and broke) I looked around for something to use.

I found a cap from a laundry soap bottle. It had a ridge around the top so I could easily tie a line around. I cut a hole it the top of the lid so the handle could slide through it. I tied this to a line holder that was just inside the hatch from the cockpit. 

That was over 5 years ago. It is said that a temporary fix is often permanent. This easy quick fix is still working just fine. *-)  

Stern in docking

Stern in docking or Mediterranean docking.

On our last trip up river on the Caloosahatchee River we stopped at Labelle Florida overnight. The Caloosahatchee river has been dredged and widened and large boats can use it to cut cross the State of Florida and go from the Gulf to the Atlantic. Labelle is a small little town on the river and it has a dock you may tie to and stay overnight for FREE.

Because it is small they require that you to tie up stern or bow to the dock so that more people can use it. This is referred to as Mediterranean docking. What you do is drop your anchor out in the river, set it and then pull into the dock with the stern or bow to the dock. The anchor holds one end of the boat out and the dock holds the other. That way more boats can tie up.

When we got to the dock there was a nice, looked new, 50' boat with the port side of the boat next to the dock. The boat took up over ¾ of the dock. We pulled in, in our little 21’ day sailor. When we saw the sign that said bow or stern docking, we used our little trolling motor to move our little boat back out, drop and set the anchor and pull back in and tied up.

The couple on the big boat watched but did not say anything. We got off the boat and used the restrooms at the park next to the free dock. When we got back there was a person in a uniform telling the couple on the big boat he could not dock that way and he would need to move the boat. The man in the uniform left and the man from the big boat was complaining to his wife about it. There were not anymore boats wanting to tie up, he was there first, and he was not bothering anyone else docked the way he was. 

My wife and I were thinking that it was probably a new boat for them and he did not know how to anchor out like that. He did not move the boat. About an hour and a half went by and the man in the uniform came back. He again politely told the couple they needed to dock bow or stern in if they wanted to stay at the dock. The uniformed man said he would check back in an hour.

We could see the man on the boat was upset. I heard “how does he expect us to get on and off the boat like that” and other remarks. About 10 or 15 minutes later we heard the big boat's engines start up and the big boat backed out on to the river and moved away. It was about a ½ hour before sun set. 

We had no idea where they could tie up or anchor. My thought was with that boat there would be no reason to get off the boat except to tie up, and we would have helped with that. My wife’s thought was:  too much boat, too little experience.