Only the 6-gauge wire will be able to handle 60 amps safely, and that’s just the minimum for the said ampacity. Moreover, there are specific wire sizes that can fit into a certain breaker’s receptacle. This ups the risk of overloads, appliance failure, and electrical fires. Using smaller-than-required wires often leads to higher resistance in the circuit, which translates to more heat. The wire’s diameter is indirectly proportional to its wire number.įor example, 2 AWG wires are bigger in diameter than their 4 AWG counterparts, and so on. The general rule of thumb is larger sizes mean less resistance. The wire’s size determines the amount of current that can flow through it. The point is, don’t close your doors to professional advice from an electrician, so you’ll end up with the ideal setup. You may actually be able to make your setup work with breakers with far lower ampacities if you know which CBs and wires to use. Lastly, don’t expect that you should limit your option to 60 amps when planning your sub panel. If you think you’ll end up taxing your circuits too much, then you may need to look past the wire gauge for 60 amp and at the wire size for a breaker panel with a higher ampacity instead. If you’re actually building a large workshop or a garage for your woodworking projects, for instance, you may need to consider the fact that most garage breaker boxes range between 50 to 100 amps. Related: Wire size for 50 Amp Sub Panel Don’t Forget About the Appliances or Tools You’re Going to Use That’s still a suitable 60 amp service wire size and is less expensive than a copper run. However, since we’re already dealing with plenty of voltage drop in this case, a 2 AWG aluminum wire or 2-2-2-4 aluminum mobile home feeder, to be exact, maybe the best option. If the main panel’s over 200 feet away, you can use a 4 AWG copper or 3 AWG aluminum or copper.That’s because if we factor in the 80% rule and the 30% voltage drop, such a setup will require a wire that can handle 97.5A in reality. 3 AWG copper wire is the 60 amp sub panel wire size if the main’s 150 feet away and assuming the voltage drop reaches as high as 30%.These recommendations make the setup future proof as well. begins to exceed the 5% safety threshold).Īssuming you won’t be using tools like a welder that may overload the circuit, we arrive at the following recommendations for setups of 150 feet or 200 feet at 220V/240V. However, we can’t deny that most electricians agree that runs over 100 feet are when voltage drop percentages become risky (i.e. That’s not always a static figure, mind you, since it’s also affected by other factors such as wire count and material. Voltage drop begins to become significant once your conductor is over 100 feet because that often means a 20% drop. These only mean one thing: We can’t ignore voltage drop when calculating 60 amp wire size for sub panels. In most cases, residential runs range from 100 feet to a little over 200 feet. That means you’re likely working with a box that’s some distance from the main panel. Some will even argue that your average wire size chart already factors in the 80% load rule.īut, I’ll always be able to counter that by saying you’re playing with fire, especially if you know that your wires stretch over 100 feet or more and you plan to do future expansions. Still, if you settle for the minimum 6 AWG wire for 60 amp breaker, you will still essentially conform to NEC guidelines. More importantly, this choice adheres to the safety recommendation that you shouldn’t let the breaker load exceed 80% of the service’s total ampacity. Many property owners thank their past selves for making the decision to oversize, since they won’t have to take the wire out and install a new one. Sure, the cables may become more costly, heavier, and less flexible, but do those downsides compare to the risks of electric fires and your appliances and gadgets failing? After all, is there any serious harm in picking a bigger wire size for 60 amp breaker, as long as it’s still compatible with that ampacity? Using a 4 AWG wire bumps your ampacity to up to 85A at 75☌ or 65A if we’re considering wire size aluminum.Ĥ AWG is the wire size for 60 amp 220V that most pros will recommend. If that’s the case, you may also want to consider using fatter PVC conduits. Why a Larger Size is Arguably the More Suitable Wire Size for 60 Amp Sub Panelįirst and foremost, I don’t recommend sizing at the minimum 6-gauge, especially if you’re planning to expand in the future. Don’t Forget About the Appliances or Tools You’re Going to Use.Why a Larger Size is Arguably the More Suitable Wire Size for 60 Amp Sub Panel.
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