Surprised by how much voltage drop I had on a 200 foot run

I was doing a job last month wiring up a shed about 200 feet from the main panel. Ran some numbers through the calculator and found out I was losing almost 8 volts under full load with 10 gauge wire. Had to step up to 6 gauge to keep things within the 3% drop rule. Has anyone else run into this issue with long residential runs and had to adjust their wire sizing on the fly?

2 comments

2 Comments

parker_webb6d ago

idk man 200 feet is no joke. I had a similar thing on a garage run at 180 feet and 10 gauge gave me like a 7.5 volt drop at 20 amps. Ended up swapping to 6 gauge mid job cause there was no way to bury bigger pipe. That voltage drop really sneaks up on you when you don't account for the exact load length combo.

zarat375d ago

Yeah I used to think 10 gauge was plenty for everything, but this post definitely opened my eyes.

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