Caught myself using the wrong wire gauge for 2 years on residential jobs

Last Tuesday I was wiring up a new alarm panel in a house off Maple Street and the voltage drop was way off. Turns out I had been using 22-gauge wire for runs over 100 feet the whole time even though the spec sheet clearly says 18-gauge for anything past 75 feet. A senior installer from another company stopped by to help me out and pointed it out after he saw me pull the roll. How long did it take you guys to realize you were using the wrong wire?

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kai4638d ago

Wait, didn't everyone start with 22-gauge because it's cheaper and just hope it worked? I always figured if the panel powered up it was fine too, but seeing that voltage drop in person really changed how I think about it now.