20 Amp Power cable--work with "any" 20 amp unit?
Should work just fine as long as it is the standard 20 amp plug and connector. They should look like this: http://www.uhfmag.com/Images/UHF14-20.jpg. These are 20 amp fittings. Your power cord may have a 15 amp male plug instead of the one pictured. |
As a side note, do you ever notice that many, if not almost all, 20A IEC cords for sale here have 15A ends that attach to the wall? I would suspect that a good 15A Male end to the wall would be as good or as "safe" as a 20A male termination but I would have thought that it would be the standard to ensure that both ends of a 20A power cord would be terminated with 20A ends? I have to build a DIY cord for a preamp with a 20A IEC and I am hoping that I can cannibalize an existing DIY cord by only having to update the IEC from 15A to 20A... |
As a side note, do you ever notice that many, if not almost all, 20A IEC cords for sale here have 15A ends that attach to the wall? I would suspect that a good 15A Male end to the wall would be as good or as "safe" as a 20A male termination but I would have thought that it would be the standard to ensure that both ends of a 20A power cord would be terminated with 20A ends? And to add there are power cord manufacturers that spend the extra money to have their cords safety listed by the likes of UL. Imo NEMA, National Electrical Manufactures Association, dropped the ball on this one. Why? Say a piece of equipment manufactured has an FLA rating of 16 amps @ 120Vac. For the manufacturer to receive a UL listing for the equipment, if the manufacture wants to use an IEC inlet connector to power the unit, he must use a 20 amp IEC male connector. (I believe the max rating is actually 16 amps.) If the manufacture supplies the power cord for the equipment the cord must have a 20 amp NEMA 5-20P plug to receive the UL listing. UL is all about safety and safety standards.... So what happens when a buyer gets the unit home and discovers the 20 amp plug will not plug into the wall 15 amp duplex receptacle? No problem he just uses a UL listed power cord with a 20 amp IEC connector and a 15 amp NEMA 5-15P plug on the other end. Safe? Must be the power cord is UL listed..... Note... The conductors of the cord could be 16 gauge awg wire..... Problem? Well NEC, National Electrical Code, says a 15 amp 5-15R receptacle is rated for a max of 12 amp continuous connected load. And if the 15 amp receptacle is connected to a 15 amp branch circuit the branch circuit should not be loaded more than 80% continuous of 15 amps. 12 amps...... So a piece of equipment that has a 16 amp FLA rating is plugged into a 15 amp branch circuit. . |
Well my DIY cord is 12G and my line (12G) is on a 20A breaker and my wall sockets are also 20A so I am covered everywhere other than the 15A termination on the plug end of my DIY cord if I want to follow the UL guidelines/rules. I guess the "right" and safest way to alter my cord is to acquire 20A terminations for both ends... |
