Can I use speaker wire to wire flexwatt in parallel?

Speaker wire cant handle the constant power running though them, unless your going ot go and use 8guage wire.

Not to mention most speaker wire sold in stores is cheap and NOT copper where extension cords are all copper.

walmart has 6ft extension cords for .98 cents each rated to i think 800 watts per cord.

I used llovelace's suggestion and used the excess wire from my plugs. It wasn't easy but it works.

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Wow. Sorry I didn't see this sooner.

All speaker wire is is a high strand wire. Where normal XX gauge wire would have XX strands, speaker wire has a lot more. Its to reduce all the bad little properties of electricity no one every puts a 2nd thought to. It also makes the wire more flexible. Other than that it is exactly the same as "normal" wire.

Do this... add up the wattage of your flex watt. Now divide by 120, that gives you your amps. Unless your running a huge rack.... your drawing a whole amp or two right? Flexwatt doesn't draw crap and your small wire will be fine. 18 gauge is good for like 13 amps or something (ill have to check that after work, I gotta head there right now)

and btw I have never seen speaker wire that wasn't copper... aluminum would break too easily being that flexible so it wouldn't make sense. Also to who ever said copper wasn't the best conductor... unless you wanna talk gold and silver....yea it is. General wiring comes in copper and aluminum. thats about it.

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

walmart has 6ft extension cords for .98 cents each rated to i think 800 watts per cord.

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:oops::oops::oops: I buy 2 or 3 or those every time we are in wally world just to have them incase;):D:D

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Originally Posted by OhhWatALoser

and btw I have never seen speaker wire that wasn't copper...

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there are a lot of companies that are making aluminum speaker wire, it is usually the really cheap "install kits"
the autozone and pepboys here carry them and I have done some installs for people that buy them then they get all pissy when they need to find a noise filter to kill the whistle:rofl::rofl:

All of my flexwatt is wired with speaker wire.... All of you questioning it... Wire is wire is wire.... it doesn't know what it was manufactured for as long as you are competent to know that it will handle the electrical load you should be good. I use outdoor speaker wire because it is rated to handle the outside elements so moisture and such should not be as much of a problem in like my incubator

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

there are a lot of companies that are making aluminum speaker wire, it is usually the really cheap "install kits"
the autozone and pepboys here carry them and I have done some installs for people that buy them then they get all pissy when they need to find a noise filter to kill the whistle:rofl::rofl:

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Really? such a bad idea, bend that back a forth a few times and be wondering why the speakers keep going in and out... lol

btw I looked it up and 18 gauge in free air is good for 18 amps with 90º insulation, doesn't list 75º or 60º. but regardless its going to be good for the 1 or 2 amps you'll be pulling.

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Originally Posted by OhhWatALoser

Also to who ever said copper wasn't the best conductor... unless you wanna talk gold and silver....yea it is. General wiring comes in copper and aluminum. thats about it.

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not to start a discussion, but I still stand by my comment. Yes, copper is great, and it is an excellent conductor, but you can't rule out Silver and gold (meh). As an Electrical Engineering Student, you get to see silver and gold wire...


sorry for the 'rant' :P

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Originally Posted by OhhWatALoser

Really? such a bad idea, bend that back a forth a few times and be wondering why the speakers keep going in and out... lol

btw I looked it up and 18 gauge in free air is good for 18 amps with 90º insulation, doesn't list 75º or 60º. but regardless its going to be good for the 1 or 2 amps you'll be pulling.

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The cheap rolls of speaker wire sold in stores under $15 will either be all aluminum or will be Copper for + and Aluminum for - or Aluminum for both + -.

Monster Car Audio has the best speaker wire ive ever used for car installations as its pure copper and def not cheap.

The chances are speaker wire laying around the house/junk drawer is garbage aluminum wire i wouldnt use.

For the price of a extension cord at walmart, id just head there and buy that.

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Originally Posted by Munizfire

not to start a discussion, but I still stand by my comment. Yes, copper is great, and it is an excellent conductor, but you can't rule out Silver and gold (meh). As an Electrical Engineering Student, you get to see silver and gold wire...

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pretty easy to rule out something thats hundreds of dollars an ounce :)

I did miss the part where she said it was half copper half aluminum, but the only reason aluminum is bad is because if you bend it around a lot or pull on it too hard, it breaks. Be nice to it and it works fine. For a rack you might be moving around all the time, probably not worth it.

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Originally Posted by jjmitchell

All of my flexwatt is wired with speaker wire.... All of you questioning it... Wire is wire is wire.... it doesn't know what it was manufactured for as long as you are competent to know that it will handle the electrical load you should be good. I use outdoor speaker wire because it is rated to handle the outside elements so moisture and such should not be as much of a problem in like my incubator

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wire isn't all the same. then why do they call it speaker wire, it should be called just wire. yes you can wire your flex watt with speaker wire and it will work. but when something fails and instead of pulling a few amps, now your pulling close to 20 amps just not quit enough to trip the breaker in the breaker box. now that speaker wire can't handle this and next thing the plastic insulation on the speaker wire begins to melt and starts a fire. now with the insulation burning off of the speaker wire you get a direct short which is good cause this will cause that 20 amp breaker in the house to trip. hopefully it's not too late, and the small fire that started burns out and doesn't catch your house on fire.

it's not all about it working, but you have to look at how it will work if something fails. that is why in my first post I said I didn't recommend it.

crank up your radio so that your putting a lot of watts to your speakers and pull the wires off and grab the bare wires with your hands. now connect the same wire to an outlet in your house and grab the wires, feel the difference! (don't actually do this) use something for what it's intended for and you'll save yourself from future problems.

the extension cords from walmart that's around a dollar. I have one in front of me and it's ul listed at awg 16/2 spt-2 13 amps 125 volts 1625 watts 6 foot long.