If there is a long cord assembly being used then it is important to calculate the voltage drop because of the safety risk. There could be many reasons such as cord’s potential damage, loss of power to the equipment, and even safety concerns. To make sure the voltage drop is calculated in the right manner; it is important to get the expected resident of the direct current from the standard that is applicable. The resistance can also be measured using the cable length. Also, there is an easy way which is to go online and choose the option of voltage drop calculator. The details in the given form should be filled up and the automatic calculation will be done.
What is a voltage drop calculator?
This is one efficient calculator that is used for estimating the voltage drop of the electrical circuit. The NEC data tab would calculate depending on the resistance and reactance data from the NEC. The resistance which is estimated would calculate depending on the resistance data that has been estimated from the wire size. Then the other tab should be clicked on to use the resistance that has been customized or the data that has been independent from other standards.
Major causes of voltage drop
The very first thing is to understand that the wire material which is being chosen is important. There are different metals such as copper, silver, gold, and aluminum that are said to be the best conductor of electricity. Aluminum and copper are the most common materials which are usual for the wire because of their cost-friendly value as compared to silver and gold. Copper is said to be the best conductor when compared to aluminum and can have less voltage drop over the aluminum for a certain size of the wire.
The size of the wire could be another crucial factor to determine the drop of the voltage. If there are large wires whose sizes shall have less voltage drop as compared to the small size of the wire of the same length then it needs to be thought on. In the wire gauge, there is usually every 6 gauge that decreases the double of the wire diameter while a 3-gauge decrease would double the wire across the sectional area.
Another crucial factor of the drop in the voltage is the length of the wire. If the wire is short then it is likely to have less voltage drop as compared to the long wire of the same size as the wire. The drop of the voltage would then turn to be quite important when the length of a wire run or the cable turns to be quite long. Usually, this would not be the problem in the circuit that is within the house but later it would become an issue while running the wire to an outbuilding or the good pumping.
Conclusion
With the help of a voltage drop calculator, at least the right action can be taken. If the current amount which is being carried is affecting the drop levels of the voltage, then the same can be known through such a calculator. If the manual calculator is being used then one needs to have clarity of the right formula to be used.
