Copper wire vs. Stranded

[Unregistered-Jim N.]

During our renovation we are updating the ungrounded cable in our 1950’s ranch with conduit. The circuits are going to be 20 amp circuits and the electrician wants to use stranded wire. I have only seen and worked with solid copper wiring before. Is the stranded wire a popular, acceptable alternative or should we insist on the solid wire?

[tomh]

You don’t see it often because it is more expensive, requires some expertise to use different techniques, and its not sold at most DIY outlets. Stranded wire is more commonly used in larger amperage circuits and certainly supplies the power to your house. Don’t argue with the electrician, but ask questions so you know how to bond stranded wire in case you want to extend or modify a circuit in the future.

Good luck with the renovation. You are getting a top-shelf electrical job.

[carl21l]

You mentioned using conduit: assuming you mean the metal or plastic pipe to feed the wires thru, it is a lot easier to pull stranded thru the conduit that solid, especially around corners. In my experience, we had to pull wire thru to the bend, install the bent and then feed the additional conduit over the remainder of the run. Just try running 4 number 4/0 thru a 4 inch conduit 150 feet long. It is a real P.I.A.

Carl

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