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<blockquote data-quote="Brian jojade" data-source="post: 130019" data-attributes="member: 211">Re: Recent Talk with a Licensed commercial electrician has me thinking.The electrician is NOT right.&nbsp; In the US, commercial wiring is going to be 12 gauge to the outlets.&nbsp; In our lifetime, it has never been to code to install 16 gauge wire to outlets in the wall.&nbsp; When it comes to power cable, heavier is ALWAYS preferred.&nbsp; The downside being cost and weight.&nbsp; When cables are not heavy enough, the result will be voltage drop. 15 amps on a 16 gauge wire 75 feet long will result in a voltage drop of about 7.53%.&nbsp; That&#039;s pretty significant, especially considering the potential drop to the outlet.&nbsp; The maximum allowed drop at rated load for an outlet is 5%. (which is roughly 100 feet of 12 gauge cable) If you are on a &#039;weak&#039; outlet (meaning a long run inside the wall) and you use a 75&#039; 16 gauge wire on a 15 amp draw, the net result is going to be a voltage drop to somewhere around 105 volts! Now, also keep in mind that power amps are not constant draw devices.&nbsp; They pull power in spurts, as needed.&nbsp; If you ever notice lights dimming when the bass beat hits, it&#039;s because of voltage drop.&nbsp; While your average power will stay below the level required to trip a breaker, the amp could draw significantly more power for brief moments.&nbsp; With thin cords, this means even more voltage drop.&nbsp; A 4000 watt amp could theoretically demand 4000 watts from the wall (or slightly more) if even for a brief moment.&nbsp; At 4000 watts, that same cord would then be showing a paltry 85 volts at the end of the cable.&nbsp; You probably won&#039;t blow the breaker, but stuff is going to start shutting down on you.&nbsp; Now, if you use a piece of 10 gauge wire instead of that 16 gauge wire, plugged to the outlet that&#039;s got 100&#039; of 12 gauge in the wall, the net voltage at super peak draw is going to remain above 100 volts.&nbsp; Still a significant drop, but much more likely to remain in the &#039;friendly&#039; zone for gear.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Brian jojade, post: 130019, member: 211"] Re: Recent Talk with a Licensed commercial electrician has me thinking. The electrician is NOT right. In the US, commercial wiring is going to be 12 gauge to the outlets. In our lifetime, it has never been to code to install 16 gauge wire to outlets in the wall. When it comes to power cable, heavier is ALWAYS preferred. The downside being cost and weight. When cables are not heavy enough, the result will be voltage drop. 15 amps on a 16 gauge wire 75 feet long will result in a voltage drop of about 7.53%. That's pretty significant, especially considering the potential drop to the outlet. The maximum allowed drop at rated load for an outlet is 5%. (which is roughly 100 feet of 12 gauge cable) If you are on a 'weak' outlet (meaning a long run inside the wall) and you use a 75' 16 gauge wire on a 15 amp draw, the net result is going to be a voltage drop to somewhere around 105 volts! Now, also keep in mind that power amps are not constant draw devices. They pull power in spurts, as needed. If you ever notice lights dimming when the bass beat hits, it's because of voltage drop. While your average power will stay below the level required to trip a breaker, the amp could draw significantly more power for brief moments. With thin cords, this means even more voltage drop. A 4000 watt amp could theoretically demand 4000 watts from the wall (or slightly more) if even for a brief moment. At 4000 watts, that same cord would then be showing a paltry 85 volts at the end of the cable. You probably won't blow the breaker, but stuff is going to start shutting down on you. Now, if you use a piece of 10 gauge wire instead of that 16 gauge wire, plugged to the outlet that's got 100' of 12 gauge in the wall, the net voltage at super peak draw is going to remain above 100 volts. Still a significant drop, but much more likely to remain in the 'friendly' zone for gear. [/QUOTE]

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