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18AWG / 0.75mm^2

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Can European 0.75mm^2 flex be used on a low wattage mains appliance (e.g. a table light) in the US in place of the more standard 18AWG?

Does the NEC specifiy a minimum size of conductor for low wattage appliances (e.g. table lights)? If so, is this expressed as AWG or in metric?

Where this comes from is that all table lamps that I've seen in the US have been wired with #18 AWG, but my European ones are 0.75mm^2 (which is slightly smaller than the #18AWG's 0.82mm^2) and I'm trying to find out (given that the 10%-ish reduction in size) is it i) acceptable and ii) safe?

Cheers

Den

Reply to
Den
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The correct consulting engineering answer is "Throw away that death trap lamp of yours and buy one built to North American specifications". But in your heart, you know that .75 and .82 square mm are not all that far apart now, are they?

If you were paying me for my opinion, I'd say replace the wires, the socket and the plug. If it was my lamp, I wouldn't be posting to net news about it.

Bill

Reply to
Bill Shymanski

The slightly larger 18 AWG is necessary for two reasons: First, the same wattage lamp running at 120V draws more current than at 220V (the most common EU appliance voltage). The other reason for 18 AWG is the need to coordinate the wire's rating with the upstream branch circuit protection. For various fault resistances on the appliance cord, you don't want the cord to reach a dangerously high temperature before the branch circuit breaker trips.

Reply to
Paul Hovnanian P.E.

The short answer is it might work but its a bad idea.

The current draw probably won't make much difference, but you will need a new plug, and some kind of light bulb that will work on 120V rather than

220V, which might well mean replacing the socket as well.

NEC does not cover requirements for such devices. UL sets generally accepted minimum safety standards for such items. Wire in the US is generally expressed in AWG for this size of wire.

The reason is that even though the current draw is low enough that a smaller wire might be used, UL has decided this is the smallest standard size wiring that makes sense for the US. This covers not just ampacity, but physical strength and other issues.

best bet - Go buy a new lamp.

Reply to
Bob Peterson

All:

Thanks for the advice. The lamp is of sentimental value ... time to go out and buy a new cordset and lampholder.

Cheers

Den

Reply to
Den

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