My apprentice asked me why we still use that old wire gauge chart in the van

I was showing him how to pull a new circuit in a 1980s split-level in Bellingham, and he pointed at the laminated chart stuck to the glove box. He said, 'My code app updates with every cycle, and it has voltage drop calcs built in. Isn't that paper just a guess now?' I was ready to argue about having a physical backup, but then he showed me his phone. He tapped a few things and had the exact wire size for the run, with ambient temp and conduit fill already factored in. I've been carrying that same chart since 2012. It made me realize I was clinging to a tool out of habit, not because it was the best one for the job. How many of you have fully switched to digital code and calculation tools in the field?

2 comments

2 Comments

perez.elliot4d ago

Switched last year, never looked back.

parker_foster534d ago

Doubt it's that deep, perez.elliot.