6/4 SOOW – BLACK
The 6/4 SOOW Portable Cord is an industrial grade cable of the larger Portable SOOW wire family. SOOW is a name used to denote a portable service wire with premium grade oil resistance and water resistant wire products. SOOW cables are renowned wire products manufactured by many companies around the globe for use in heavy duty industrial applications.
Cable Size
Wires are graded according to sizes. This SOOW Cord is graded according the AWG sizes. AWG is standard for naming wire gauges predominantly used in North America for rounded nonferrous wires with good electrical conductivity. This is in line with the ASTM B 258. SOOW wire sizes vary between 2 AWG and 18 AWG. 6 AWG therefore denotes a six gauge wire and the “4’’ denotes the number of conductors within the 6 gauge. 6/4 SOOW Portable Cord therefore is a conductor with four wires, differently colored and can transmit power independently.
Conductors
The cable has four copper conductors which are all annealed. Hard drawn copper wire would be difficult to work with because it’s rather rigid and difficult to install. When the hard drawn copper wire is heated at controlled temperature its ductility is changed and the resultant conductor is soft and very flexible compared to the hard drawn input. This process is called annealing and it makes the 6/4 SOOW Portable Wire easier to roll and hence easy to transport and install.
Fully annealed stranded bare copper wire has high ampacity and high conductivity because the conductor has a very low resistance to flow of current. The 6/4 SOOW black has four such conductors of class K stranding in line with the ASTM B 174 which describes the stranding of copper wire.
Insulation
The insulation is a vital part of this cable’s design which ensures that the user is safe from electric shocks while at the same time keeping the conductor safe from any external factors from interfering with its performance. No matter the environmental condition, a SOOW wire should give unwavering transmission to keep appliances and tools well serviced with power. 6/4 SOOW has a premium grade EPDM insulation which is sturdy and unaffected by weather, oil, water and abrasion. It’s also water proof and thick enough to absorb impacts imposed on it in the industrial environment.
Jacketing
A cable jacket is an additional cover on top of the insulation. This cable has a tough CPE jacketing which has high resistance towards abrasion towards a number of punishing environmental conditions such as industrial chemicals, ozone, UV rays, oil and water. The cable can therefore operate in virtually any environment without succumbing to the changes in the operating environment. Moreover, it is highly flexible so installing into ducts won’t be a hustle. The flexibility adds to its versatility and ease of handling.
Approvals and Ratings
The 6/4 SOOW wire is has the approvals of a number international organizations bodies. These bodies are fundamental at establishing the qualities of cables. Some cable manufactures claim that their products have some attributes which the products really don’t. The standards are a sure way of proving these claims in a bid to ascertain that the qualities are as claimed. Buying approved products is good for you because quality wire and products are safe and long lasting, this will save you a lot of money on frequent replacements. The cable is approved by the following standards bodies
- NEC 501.140 Class I Div. 2
- MSHA
- NEC Article 400
- RoHS
Applications
6/4 AWG is a versatile cable that can be used with a number of appliances and industrial tools. The four conductors can be used to supply up to 600v safely. It has successfully been used with control devices like push button remotes, compressors among other applications. This flexible portable SOOW cord that can effectively keep water, oil, UV light and abrasive forces away.
