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🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Troubleshooting Automation Problems => Topic started by: Richardd on December 12, 2006, 08:52:15 PM

Title: WS467 wire type and size
Post by: Richardd on December 12, 2006, 08:52:15 PM: I wired in a couple fo ws467's for my outside garage lighting.
As I wired these switches in, I noticed that the leads appear to be aluminum and about 18 GA in size. Why is the wire so much smaller than the regular 14/2 copper in the regular house wire. I'm concerned about the leads actually burning out, and also the possibility of arcing between the leads and the copper wire connection. Should the leads be treated with something prior to connecting to copper?
Title: Re: WS467 wire type and size
Post by: Puck on December 12, 2006, 09:09:00 PM: Quote from: Richardd on December 12, 2006, 08:52:15 PM
As I wired these switches in, I noticed that the leads appear to be aluminum and about 18 GA in size.

I doubt it's aluminum... most likely tinned-copper. (I don't have one uninstalled to verify this.)

Quote
Why is the wire so much smaller than the regular 14/2 copper in the regular house wire.

14/2 wire is design to carry the full circuit load of 1800Watts (15 amps)... the maximum light bulb capacity of the WS467 is 500Watts, so it only has to be able to carry ~ 4 Amps.
Title: Re: WS467 wire type and size
Post by: Brian H on December 13, 2006, 06:47:21 AM: Yes Puck. Tinned copper and I believe 18 gage.
Title: Re: WS467 wire type and size
Post by: Richardd on December 13, 2006, 09:16:11 AM: Hey folks, thanks for the answers. Since the leads aren't aluminum wire, I don't have any concern about them now.