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Posted By: George Little 105° Wire connections. - 03/15/09 03:53 AM
I inspected a Kohler steam unit for a sauna and the directions on the cover for the J-box says 105° wire terminations. Not enough detail for me to go on so I asked the contractor to use 105° wire for the final connection on the unit. Has anyone run into this before? The installation manual is silent on this and the nameplate says use #6 copper wire and install on a 70a. circuit breaker. I don't see a problem with the circuit since it is a heating unit but I guess the contractor is having trouble finding 105° #6 wire.

Posted By: leland Re: 105° Wire connections. - 03/15/09 04:25 AM
Isn't all THHN 105 c rated?
Posted By: electure Re: 105° Wire connections. - 03/15/09 04:35 AM
THHN is rated for 105°C only when used in dry locations, when rated AWM, and used as appliance wiring material.
Posted By: renosteinke Re: 105° Wire connections. - 03/15/09 04:52 AM
I have encountered a similar situation with some HID lighting fixtures.

While I can generally come into the fixture with THHN, and use the two-color Scotch wire nuts (which are 105 rated), without trouble .... when in doubt, I place another box a foot or so away from the fixture,and run a pigtail of fiberglass insulated wire. Such wire is available in appliance parts stores.
Posted By: Tom Re: 105° Wire connections. - 03/15/09 03:58 PM
I've run into this also, usually with light fixtures. My electrical supplier carries type SA wire which is silicone insulated with a fiberglass jacket, rated 200C for dry locations. It is a little pricey, so I too use a j-box nearby to make the transition. Most wirenuts I've encountered are rated for the 105 degree temperature.
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