Type of wire in coduit.

SNC

What is better ? Solid or stranded ? this is 12 ga. in PVC thru the drive way and eventually under the back yard to a shed.

jbfan

Flip a coin!


Stranded is easier to pull, solid is easier to form. IMHO

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micromind

I agree. Solid is slightly less money though. It's also easier to skin up when pushing it into a box.

Rob

SNC

I guess they are equal in capacity.

300zx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire Go down to Solid versus stranded

J. V.

Stranded for sure. Not even sure why they make solid THHN.

Scuba_Dave

I've always thought that stranded was better on pulls

theatretch85

Solid is easier to push through conduit where as stranded almost always has to be pulled through conduit.

Personally I like stranded when I am connecting to it with wire nuts or directly to outlets that have the pressure plates. Solid is better when connecting directly to a screw only outlet (ie no pressure plates). Obviously its not hard to splice in a piece of solid wire to the stranded wire to connect to an outlet or device where you only have the screw.

Also, it sounds like this is outside so the wire must be wet rated "THWN"

220/221

Terminations in standard devices is one reason.

goose134

I hear you. I prefer stranded for every application I can think of. Still, solid is required for Fire Alarm circuits (at least here in Chicago)

J. V.

Sorry, but I must disagree with your statement. Solid is MUCH harder to push than stranded unless you have no bends.

220/221
If you have used mostly stranded THHN in your career, like I have, attaching to devices is easy, if you know how. I agree about the loop being easier. I keep some solid around for the pig tails. But it is not needed.

220/221

Waht??

Pushing stranded is like pushing rope. 3 solid 12's will push easily thru 20' of 1/2" EMT and a couple 90's. Stranded, not so much.