Aaron Gillette Posted December 14, 2022 Share Posted December 14, 2022 In repairing a small 6 in fan ca. 1930, I note that the wires in the electromagnets are something like 28 AWG, yet certainly they connect to power cords plugged into walls, which so far as I know seem to be more like 10 AWG. It would seem to be that trying to send 120 volts through 28 gauge wire is a surefire way to start a fire. What am I missing here? In crude terms: How are the magnet wires correctly connected to the thicker wires that go to the on/off switch, which then go to the electrical plug? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken McClead Posted December 14, 2022 Share Posted December 14, 2022 The reason that the wire for the stator windings is a finer gauge is that coils are inductors in that they have a dc resistance which can be checked with a multimeter as well as an impedance (the resistance to flow of an ac voltage). Impedance takes into consideration the frequency of the voltage source as well as the inductance of the coil. The inductive part of the total resistance is usually a lot higher than the dc resistance. Therefore, the current going through the coil is usually only a couple of amps for a smaller fan. So a large power cord is not a danger, if the outlet is protected by the correct size of fuse/circuit breaker in the case of a major overload or short circuit. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Huber Posted December 14, 2022 Share Posted December 14, 2022 Amperage draw is the ticket to wire gauge use. The more amperage being drawn, the bigger the current draw. A 16" GE cake can pull as much as 2+ amps. What do you think a mighty mouse 6" blade Polar Cub will draw for amperage? Not much. Make sense now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Kovar Posted December 15, 2022 Share Posted December 15, 2022 17 hours ago, Russ Huber said: The more amperage being drawn, the bigger the current draw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor Andersen Posted December 15, 2022 Share Posted December 15, 2022 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Kovar Posted December 15, 2022 Share Posted December 15, 2022 Why do I always haveto be the Amp! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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