8 steps

Here then are the 8 steps to begin basic circuit design in a simplified form:
1. Determine the design current Ib
2. Select the rating of the protection In.
3. Select the relevant rating factors (CFs).
4. Divide In by the relevant CFs to give tabulated cable current carrying capacity It.
5. Choose a cable size to suit It.
6. Check the voltage drop (Use MS Excel Spreadsheet to calculate).
7. Check for shock risk constraints.
8. Check for thermal constraints.

Thermoplastic Heat and Water Resistant Insulated Wire

110/220 or 120/240?
110 volt and 220 volt designations are old familiar terminology, but are no longer commonly
used in either product design or by electric utilities.
The 115 volt and 230 volt terminology comes from equipment design standards. Equipment is
usually designed to operate at 115 or 230 volts with a plus or minus 10% acceptable variation.
Utility companies deliver electric service at 120 / 240 volts plus or minus 5%.
Thus, the correct terms are usually 120 and 240, but for practical purposes 110=115=120 and
220=230=240.

AFCI Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter

AFCI Breakers are designed to protect your home from fires which are cause by arcing as well as
over current conditions. Normal breakers are only effective against over current conditions. Arc
Fault Breakers are now required by new construction codes to protect receptacles which are
located in bedrooms (and possibly other locations according to local codes variants). Arc Fault
breakers may not be 100% effective against all fires caused by arcing because there is a certain
amount of arcing which is normal, and the arc fault breaker would be unusable if it tripped every
time that a normal arc were detected. For example if you ever noticed a spark when you unplug
an appliance or flipped a wall switch, then that is normal arcing. Abnormal (and Dangerous)
arcing often is caused by a poor connection, or damaged wire. Unfortunately, dangerous arcing
looks an awful lot like normal arcing to the breaker, so it is possible for a fire to be started
without tripping the breaker. Nonetheless an arc fault breaker, even if less than perfect, is a lot
better than no protection at all. By the way, arc faults are one of the big reasons that electrical
connections should never be made outside of an approved wiring device.

GFCI devices

GFI or GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) devices help to protect people from being
shocked or electrocuted. They work by very quickly detecting a Ground Fault (for example the
ground fault that happens when a person is being shocked, one caused by a short, or a voltage
leak caused by dampness in and around electrical equipment) and interrupting the current. GFI
devices are usually either in the form of a receptacle or a breaker, although some equipment (hot
tubs for example) may sometimes have GFI protection built in, but not usually. A single GFI
receptacle or breaker often protects many additional receptacles or fixtures, which sometimes
causes confusion because a homeowner doesnt know that a tripped GFI receptacle in another
part of the house could be interrupting the current to a regular receptacle.

Description
TW/THW is a solid or stranded, soft annealed copper conductor insulated with
Polyvinylchloride (PVC). It is UL rated for 600 volts. #10, 12, and 14 AWG are 19
strands, all others are "highly flexible" stranding constructions.
Canadian Standards Association (CSA) listed AWM-IA (Class I Group A) and TEW
products are 600 V FT-1 rated. All our standard products are compliant and multilisted as types TW, THW, MTW, TEW, and the applicable AWM Style Number.

Application
TW/THW is most often used in general purpose wiring circuits, for machine tool
wiring and the internal wiring of appliances. Common applications include control
panels, wiring for refrigeration equipment, air-conditioning equipment, control
wiring of machine tools, automatic washers, etc. It can be used in dry locations up
to 90C (ampacity is limited to 75C conductor temperature per NFPA 79); or wet
locations or other applicable locations when exposed to oil or coolant at
temperatures up to 60C. CSA Type TEW rating permits use in dry locations up to
105C; or wet locations or other applicable locations when exposed to oil or coolant
at temperatures up to 60C. Our standard circuit size (#10, 12, 14 awg) products
are marked Style 1015.
Solid TW/THW is also commonly used in general purpose grounding, such as CATV
installations, swimming pool pumps and lighting, telephone and communications,
and traffic light signals. Protection from shock or shorts is the key.
The governing standard for application of these products is the National Fire
Protection Association (NFPA) Publication #79.