Originally Posted by Quarter Acre
For what it's worth, the HiBlow manual states the following regarding extension cords...

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Not being too electrically in-tune, this would lead me to believe that 16 AWG would work fine for just the pump at or under 100 feet. I am one for adding some safety factor in or room for growth, however.

Am I missing something? OR, is it just good advice to go the next gage wire above minimum?


Anyone that ever run a long extension cord for a small power tool, knows it gets real hot, real fast, and you can smell the tool, burning, unless you upsize the wire gauge.

In the world of electrical, a voltage drop, means an amperage increase, to do the same work. That's hard on the little motor, to say the least. No electrician anywhere would recommend running a permanent line in 16 gauge, unless maybe it was it was for low voltage lighting.

I'd run a 12/2 with ground minimum, 10 gauge even better, for that run. The biggest part of the job is the trench, no reason to do that twice.