Building Electrical Materials and Equipment

ACE 313: ENGINEERING UTILITIES 1
SEPTEMBER 2022
BUILDING ELECTRICAL MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

By: Don Roy R. Tampus
Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Chapter 18
-18.5
• Concealed Knob-and-Tube Wire

• Conductor Power Loss
• Conductor Ampacity
• Voltage Drops in Conductors
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Concealed Knob-and-Tube Wire
What is Concealed Knob-and-Tube Wire?

Concealed knob-and-tube (K&T) wiring consists of an old style wiring technique
using insulated conductors strung between glass or porcelain knobs and tubes. In this
wiring method, the ungrounded (hot) wire is run along one side of the joist/stud bay and
the neutral is run along the other. To secure it to the wood, the wire is wrapped around
ceramic knobs spaced every 18 in or so. To penetrate a joist/stud and prevent abrasion,
the wire is separated from the wood joist/stud by a ceramic tube.
K&T wiring is installed in walls or ceilings so it is concealed from view when finish
materials such as plaster is applied. Loose or blown-in insulation in framing cavities can
encase the knob-and-tub conductors, causing heat build-up in walls or ceilings with
insulation. Therefore, concealed knob-and-tube wiring is not permitted in framing
cavities where insulation presents this problem.
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Conductor Power Loss
Conductor loss is loss occurring in a conductor due to the flow of current.

Electromagnetic fields from the alternating currents produce voltages across
conductors, causing eddy currents to flow in them, which increases the
conductor loss and operating temperature.
Heat generated by current flow through a conductor results in a loss of power.
This lost power is referred to as power loss or line loss. Power loss (Ploss) in a
conductor can be computed with amperage (I) or voltage (V) and resistance (R) by
the following formula:
P2R = V2 / R
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• Power loss is converted directly to heat. Power loss is equivalent to

heat produced. The relationship between power and heat is 1 W
3.413 Btu/hr. Heat produced (q) for a known power loss (Ploss) can
be computed by the following formula:
q = 3.413 Ploss
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Conductor
ConductorAmpacity
Ampacity
Ampacity is the maximum current that a conductor can carry continuously

under the conditions of use without exceeding its temperature rating. Current is
measured in amperes or “amps.” You must use the correct size wire for the current
(load) requirement of the circuit to prevent the wire from overheating.
Electrical current flowing through a circuit produces heat from the resistance
of the conductor material to current flow. In building wiring systems, some heat is
permitted as part of design. Excessive heating is considered undesirable and
unsafe because it will prematurely degrade conductor insulation, resulting in the
danger of short circuits and ground faults,.
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Conductor Ampacity
A conductor’s ampacity is the maximum current (in amperes) it can carry continuously
without exceeding the temperature limitations of the insulation and sheathing material. Simply, it
is a conductor’s maximum current-carrying capacity. Ampacity is based on the following:
• Wire thickness (thicker wires have larger cross-sectional areas and can carry more electrical
current without overheating)
• Type of conductor material (at a specific current and conductor size, aluminum produces more
heat than copper)
• Insulation and sheathing type (some insulation materials handle heat better than others)
• Number of conductors bundled in the sheathing or in proximity of one another (more conductors
concentrate heat in an area)
• Temperature and exposure of the conductor (e.g., buried, in free air, in attic, in crawl space, and
so forth).
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Voltage
VoltageDrops
DropsininConductors
Conductors
Voltage drop (VD) occurs when the voltage at the end of a run of cable is
lower than at the beginning. Any length or size of wires will have some resistance,
and running a current through this dc resistance will cause the voltage to drop.
Because of power losses, voltage is reduced in a closed circuit that is, voltage
across two conductors is lower at the usage end than at the power supply end of
the circuit. Appliances and equipment work inefficiently on voltages lower than
the voltage for which they were designed. In heating devices, the heat output
varies with the square of the voltage applied to the device. A 10% drop in the
voltage results in a 19% decrease in the heat output.
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Voltage Drops in Conductors

Voltage drop is directly proportional to power loss. This is true because current flow (I)
through a conductor will not change. And, with the power equation P EI, because power is lost
(wattage available is less), the voltage (E) must drop. Refer to Kirchhoff’s Current and Voltage
Laws introduced in Chapter 17. This is demonstrated in Figure 18.16, where voltage available to a
20 A load at an outlet 50 ft away (100 ft two way wire length) from the panelboard is 116.8 V. This
voltage is acceptable because it is in the range of 110 V to 130 V. However, for the 250 ft length
(five times the length), voltage available at the end usage point is 103.8 V, an unacceptable
voltage.
Consider the power losses in a No. 12 AWG conductor in Example 18.3 (see Figure 18.16): A 100
ft length of this No. 12 AWG conductor was found to have a power loss of about 65 W when
carrying a current of 20 A. Power available at the outlet is:
2400 W – 65 W = 2335 W
With the power equation (P=EI) introduced in Chapter 17 and a current flow of 20 A, voltage
available at the point of usage is:
E = P/I = 2335 W/20 A = 116.8 V
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ACE 313: ENGINEERING UTILITIES 1

BUILDING ELECTRICAL MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

• Concealed Knob-and-Tube Wire

What is Concealed Knob-and-Tube Wire?

Concealed Knob-and-Tube Wire

Conductor loss is loss occurring in a conductor due to the flow of current.

Conductor Power Loss

• Power loss is converted directly to heat. Power loss is equivalent to

Ampacity is the maximum current that a conductor can carry continuously

Voltage Drops in Conductors

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