Can you use Romex for low voltage circuits?

Question

the wire from the transformer to the fixture is not braided.

my electrician installed Romex for use with low voltage lighting. Is this a problem. Does using braided wire make a difference.

Answer 1

Not sure what you mean by braided. If you mean stranded wire, standing of wire is only for flexibility, and not needed for house wiring in smaller wire sizes. Romex is stranded for 8AWG and larger. There is nothing wrong with Romex for low voltage, the other wire you are thinking about is probably not rated to be enclosed in walls. Many types of wire (an extension cord for example, some speaker wires, etc) CANNOT be put inside a wall because of the fire rating of the insulation.

On another point, a low voltage light will actually need a larger wire than a high voltage light, for the same wattage. So if you were thinking he should have used a smaller wire, that is probably wrong.

Now, do you have some reason to question what the electrician is doing? While any trade can have bad people, generally I would expect the professional to know more than a homeowner.

Answer 2

No it does not make a difference between copper solid and stranded because electricity travels on the surface of wire not in the core, the heat penetrates the core. The heat (amps) is the reason for (thickness) AWG ratings. Yes Romex can be used. If the system is outside I hope 'direct burial' Romex (black color sheath) was used and not indoor white. The insulation of the wire also affects rating and applications. Feel the wire temperature to make sure it's not hot. The term instead of braided is called stranded wire.

Answer 3

wire size is directly proportional to the amperage of the circuit. romex wire is usually 14 gauge (15amps) or 12 gauge (20 amps) to be safe. the lower the voltage, the higher the amperage. if you plan to use romex for low voltage lighting just remember that romex is solid wire.

Answer 4

"non-steel" cord? it fairly is been approximately 2 a protracted time when you consider that I even have been an electrician. I even have on no account heard of that. AC as in one hundred ten/220 is referred to as type one million wiring. generally Romex is utilized in residences, till the cord is in conduits. contained related to conduit cord with THHN rated insulation is used. Low voltage (AC or DC) is referred to as type 2 wiring. type 2 wiring is composed of telephone, audio gadget, intercoms, cable, community, low voltage lighting fixtures, and so on. often (bit no longer continuously) "zip" twine is used for DC. that's often referred to as 'lamp twine'. you comprehend the stuff that inexpensive 2 cord extension cords are under pressure with. That stuff is exactly an identical element as speaker cord different than speaker cord is made to look nicer and one cord is often "tinned" for polarity. often cord utilized in DC circuits is plenty thicker. there's a reliable reason in the back of this. often DC circuits are additionally low voltage. Why? because of the fact 12v batteries are greater handy than say a hundred volt batteries. in case you have a gadget that makes use of a hundred watts and that's powered by way of a hundred volts it is going to use one amp of electrical energy. If the gadget runs in 12v it is going to require surprisingly much 10 amps. The thickness of the cord mandatory is dictated by way of the amps required no longer the voltage. you are able to desire to no longer go with to apply a lamp swap for DC. If the swap isn't rated for DC it may desire to no longer final very long, or the contacts could weld at the same time. AC switches guidelines a hundred and twenty situations a 2nd (or 60 Hz). once you turn a swap, the circuit can wreck whilst the AC voltage crosses 0 volts. On a DC circuit the present flows each and all of the time. The swap is plenty greater probably to arch for some milliseconds and the contacts could overheat. in case you have gas leak on your place an arch could reason an explosion. it particularly is basically one greater reason to apply AC as a replace of DC. edit: ok, nonmetallic sheathed cable or Romex. I knew i could get thumbed down for saying speaker cord isn't something yet 'zip' twine or 'lamp' twine. in actuality painful. some human beings think of there are 'magic' electrons in speaker cord. Duh, purely the places charging $10 a foot for it have a vested pastime in making human beings have faith such crap.

Answer 5

You should not be given this information because if you don't know you should hire an electrician.