What's the Difference Between All These Wire Types?!?!

As with most things in the construction industry, there are multiple ways to perform every task and there are MANY different types of materials to use! The wire we use in the electrical field is no different. So, what are the differences in the types of wire and where can we use each? In the latest installment of Electrician U, Dustin brings to light (pun intended!!) some of the more common types of wire.
[00:26] - Intro
[02:00] - Sizing 310.15 (ampacity)
[02:50 - Steve "The Namer of Things"
[03:35] - 310.4 Table
[10:50] - Merch messages
[14:13] - Outro
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Article 310 of the NEC covers conductors for general wiring. Table 310.4(A) within the article covers conductors and insulations rated for 600v, and this is the table we would use for most of our general electrical applications. One thing to keep in mind here is that the tables in Article 310 are referring to the different INSULATION types as that is what is generally changing from one certain conductor to another. Not necessarily the metal within but the insulation.
Reading the tables are relatively easy. Left column is the trade name, second from left is the abbreviated version (what we would refer to the conductor as so we don’t have to say the entire thing each time!), third in the order is the temperature the conductor is good for, 4th is what environment the conductor can be used in, the 5th column is what the insulation is made of, the next three columns give you the insulations thickness and the last column lets us know what type of overall outer covering the conductor has.
The operating temperature column you see may have 2 different temperature ratings. This means the wire is rated for dual use. Look one column to the right and it will tell you what environment each temperature rating is good for. Also, there may be fine print notes next to an item, and to see what those are, just go to the end of the table and they are all listed there! These may contain conditions for the special applications or something of that nature.
Ok, so on to something we may see a bit more often. THHN is a conductor type that we use often. We can see that its insulation is of a thermoplastic nature (that is the T in the abbreviation), that the conductor is good for 90 degrees (that is the HH in the abbreviation), and that it has an outer covering of nylon (that is the N in the abbreviation). THHW is another conductor we may use often. Reading its information, we see that it is relatively the same as THHN, but it can be used in WET or DRY locations (that is the W in the abbreviation). THW is also close to the other two we just mentioned, but it is only allowed to be used as a 75-degree conductor (hence the single H). THWN is next on the list, and reading its composition, we can see that it still is a thermoplastic insulation type, rated for 75 degrees, moisture resistant, with an outer coating of nylon. THWN-2 is closely related but that 2 signifies that it can be used in a 90-degree environment as well. TW is the last of the thermoplastic conductors within the group. Much the same as the others, but without the heat ratings, it is only allowed to be used as a 60-degree conductor.
Thermoset is also something quite common for us electricians. The conductor types are preceded with the letter X. They are structured much the same, but have a thermoset type of insulation, whereas the others we discussed were of the thermoplastic type. Thermoplastic insulation types will break down and almost melt when heated too much and harden when cool. Thermoset insulation types are insoluble and non-melting.
So, picking the wire type to use isn’t terribly awful. You must research what environment you will be using the conductor in, what type of heat rating you want it to have, and a few other job specific items and there you have it!
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