12-2 wire
By BrianK, Section Light Posted on Thu Jul 14, 2005 at 07:56:57 PM MST
will it work

I am thinking about useing the exsisting wiring that is in my home to run 12v 2 bulb fluorsent lights that i got from the sleepers of various semi's they have the 12v circut built in and produce real good light, and the price was right. of course this wire will be seperated from the rest of the wiring. does this seem like a good idea? are these lights good? I tested one hooked straight to the solar panels that I use and it worked just like it was hooked to a battery. I am happy with them seems like it doesn't use much power.   . [editor's note, by ADMIN]I reinstated this story in it's section, and am guessing it was moderated out because there's no specifics on the lights he's asking about. ADMIN

12-2 wire | 6 comments (6 topical)

Re: 12-2 wire (3.00 / 0) (#1) by wooferhound on Wed Jul 13, 2005 at 03:57:15 PM MST

I played with this Voltage Loss Calculator http://www.electrician.com/vd_calculator.html and came up with these figures . . . VDC at 2 amps through 100 feet 12 AWG equals  .8 volt loss VDC at 6 amps through 100 feet 12 AWG equals  2.4 volt loss VDC at 10 amps through 100 feet 12 AWG equals  4 volt loss W o o f -={(

Re: 12-2 wire (3.00 / 0) (#2) by ADMIN on Thu Jul 14, 2005 at 02:01:15 PM MST

I prefer #10 romex for 12vdc circuits, but #12 is OK if you don't run too much power thru it. A couple efficient light bulbs will be fine. Wooferhounds answer is a good'n too. Technically be code, any 12v lines must be separated by something like 6 inches from any AC lines, but i cheated on that in my house with no problems -- just got to be sure you know positively which romex is AC and which is DC! ADMIN

Re: 12-2 wire (3.00 / 0) (#3) by BrianK on Thu Jul 14, 2005 at 02:01:53 PM MST

these lights look to be the ones like they sell on arizona wind's web site They look just like the 2 bulb thinlites only black in color  .

Re: 12-2 wire (3.00 / 0) (#4) by ghurd on Fri Jul 15, 2005 at 08:00:01 AM MST

One of the big-box stores had some 12-2 that was YELLOW. Home Depot? Should be easy to remember what wire is 12V. Don't connect the lights straight to the solar panel. Over/under voltage issues. The lights don't like that. Ghurd.info

Re: 12-2 wire (3.00 / 0) (#7) by Ungrounded Lightning Rod on Mon Jul 18, 2005 at 01:29:52 PM MST

They're going to color-coding the outer jacket with the guage, to make it easier on electrical inspectors.  That way they just have to see the jacket rather than get up close and read the markings.  (It's also handy for electricians, who can grab the right reel rather than having to squint at it first.) 12 is yellow, 10 is orange. [ Parent ]

Re: 12-2 wire (3.00 / 0) (#6) by BrianK on Fri Jul 15, 2005 at 08:26:53 AM MST

yep I have a roll of the yellow 12-2 that would make it easy to see what is what  .

Login

Make a new account Username: Password:

Total Views

117 Scoop users have viewed this posting.

Related Links

· Also by BrianK