What’s the Difference Between Type W and Type G Power Cables?
The Type W and the Type G power cables are very similar. They are used for nearly the same applications. These are industrial strength power cables. The cables can be used on all kinds of job sites to give power to machinery. They can handle 2000 volts of electricity and have rubber insulation around them. But there is in fact one main big difference between the Type W and the Type G power cables.
Each of these cables have a 2000 volt rated rubber insulation. The thick insulation meant for use in industrial job sites. Both are rugged enough to be run over by trucks and dragged across rocky areas of job sites. This makes the cables not only perfect for jobs at home where that much power is needed but also for job sites. Industrial sites that require a lot of power may also require their cables to be rugged and durable because of the demanding and dangerous environment.
What is Type W Power Cable?
Type W cables have no additional ground wires. There is a same size green wire in 3 conductor cables and higher. The different colors of wires help to easily identify each wire. The Type W cables are made ideally for industrial to light to medium duty mining applications because of it heavy duty and durable rubber jacket. It also can be used for AC systems, mobile and portable electronic equipment. This rubber jacket on the cable can withstands severe environmental conditions, as well as exposure to oils, acid, alkalies, heat, moisture and most chemicals. This shows that this cable really can handle anything, allowing it to be perfect for messy and hazardous industrial settings.
What is Type G & G-GC Power Cable?
Type G and G-GC cables include additional ground wires over and above their conductor count. If there are 3 main conductors there are also 3 smaller size ground wires. And if there are 4 main conductors then there are 4 smaller size ground wires. The “GC” stands for ground check. The G-GC cables are known for having excellent resistance to impact. They are made with a cable core bound for superior flexibility and toughness. They are also made with a rope lay stranding to maximize the flex life of the cable.
The difference between the Type W power cables and the Type G power cables is the ground wires. The Type W cables do not have additional ground wires. While the Type G cables do. The wires inside the cable are both colored and have numbers imprinted on them to be able to tell what a conductor is and what a ground wire is. Other than the ground wires these cables are generally very similar.