Originally Posted by
Phillip Mitchell
Are you in the US? Your electrical terminology is confusing and throwing me off. What gauge is the cord your talking about?
Wiring / cord is rated in gauge and has a correlation to safe usage below a certain amount of amps, but is not rated in amps. Breakers and circuits and motors are rated in amps at a given voltage.
The FLA (full load amps) on this motor will be in the ~25 amp range @ 220v 3 phase. That is a different thing than 220v single phase. This varies on the converter and efficiencies, etc, but I have to use a 70 amp (single phase 220v) breaker to power my digital phase converter that will then output up to 36 amps (three phase 220v)
From there I have a 3 phase sub panel with 3 phase circuits / breakers and appropriately sized receptacles - both 20 amp and 30 amp. 10/3 ga (+ ground) wire for the 30 amp 3 phase wiring.
I have seen power cords that were very thick and only 12 gauge wire inside. The outer size and thickness of cord wire does not exactly translate to larger ga wire inside as there are so many different types of cord. You want your planer power cord to be 10 ga minimum for a motor that size on a 30 amp, 3 phase, 220v circuit (if its 220v and same specs as mine, that is.)
As to whether it is wired for 220v or 440v, I don’t know without motor tags, but taking a look at the plug itself and seeing what it’s rated for may be an indicator, though not foolproof. Same goes for looking at the switch / starter components.