Electricians are not people who are just given the title free.  We have to earn it.  One of the many things we have to know is what wiring types and gauges to use, and what not to mix together.

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Don’t Mix Your Wiring Gauges, Call an Electrician | (480) 926-1033

In our last article, we covered why you shouldn’t mix aluminum and copper wiring.  Now we are going to talk about why you shouldn’t mix gauges of wire.  First off though, a wiring gauge is not a device for detecting a wire.  Wiring gauge refers to the size of the wire and how much electricity it can carry.  If  you don’t believe that electrical wiring has different gauges, have  you looked that the power cord for your dryer lately?  The cord to a dryer is vastly different than one leading to say, your floor lamp.  Think about it, you wouldn’t want to use an electrical wire designed for charging a cellphone to the back of a flat panel television.  If you think you can do that, call an electrician so that he can set you straight.

An Electrician Knows Wiring Gauges

There’s a very good reason why electrical wiring is made in different colors and has printing on it.  It’s not for decoration.  For example, do you know what a white wire is made of?  What about a black one?  What does a green and yellow striped wire mean?  Don’t know?  Don’t worry, your electrician should, just as we do.  Oh, for the record, a white wire means that the wire is is made of silver, and a black one means it is made of brass.  Green and yellow wiring indicates a ground wire.  There, see, we didn’t leave  you hanging.

A wire’s gauge is often written on the side.  This is part of safety and electrical codes, so never disregard them.  Make sure that you know what you’re doing with electrical wiring, or call someone who does: a residential electrician.