Motor Lead Size

437 Views 4 Replies 4 Participants Last post by J. V., May 24, 2020

PennKent

Discussion Starter · May 23, 2020

While making up the power cord for a hydraulic motor (110V / 2.5kW), I noticed the internal motor leads are only 14 AWG. Seems undersized, given the load. I was planning to use 10 AWG SO cord, but now I'm not sure if that's overkill. I'm also not sure if the motor is incorrect for this application (car lift), even though it is a factory off-the-shelf hydraulic motor/pump/valve set-up. Motor is started with a simple push-button and relay contactor.

The receptacle is a NEMA L5 that is fed with 10 AWG from a 30A breaker.

Any explanation and/or advice (especially about why the internal motor wiring seems undersized) would be most appreciated.

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J. V.

· #5 · May 24, 2020

Motor leads incorporate a different insulation class than what we normally see.
Its rated for temperature, voltage and current. The insulation temp is rated much higher than building wire. This is why you see the difference on your end verses the manufacturers end.

This does not give green light to lower wire size on our end. We size to current and that is what you must size for regardless the size of the motor leads.

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