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Wire and cable.

Article Excerpt
Home wiring begins at the electric meter, where circuits break the total current coming into a home into usable quantities. Complete wiring or rewiring should be done by an electrician; however, many repairs can be done by d-i-yers with proper instruction. Unless highly skilled, they should limit their endeavors to "front-of-wall" repairs.

Wires, cables and cords are the means for bringing electricity to its point of use. Wire refers to a single conductor. Cable is two or more separately insulated conductors in a single covering used in permanent installations. Cord refers to the portable conductors that carry electricity from outlet to appliance.

Minimum electrical needs in a home are 150-200 amperes and 125V. General purpose 15- and 20-amp circuits will handle lamps, radios and TV sets and outlets for small appliances drawing no more than a total of 1,875 watts for a 15-amp fuse or 2,500 watts for a 20 amp fuse at one time. A 20-amp circuit is required to serve appliances in the kitchen because of the load density.

There is often confusion about which colors are used for hot, neutral and ground wires. The ungrounded conductor, or hot wire, can be any color other than white, gray or green. Although the hot wire is typically black, there are exceptions. The grounded conductor or neutral wire is green, green with one or more strips, or bare.

Wire

Wire is rated by its resistance to the flow of electricity passing through it.

Copper or tinned copper is the most common conductor in...