Wiring diagram habits that keep biting me on Garmin G3X installs

I keep seeing guys skip the step of verifying the actual wire gauge on their multimeter before they start pulling runs. Last week I had a G3X install where someone used 22 AWG for a circuit that called for 20 AWG and it kept tripping the breaker during ground testing. They just assumed the spool label was right, but their digital caliper (you know, the cheap $15 one from Harbor Freight) said otherwise. Has anyone else run into this mismatch between what the label says and what the wire actually measures?

2 comments

2 Comments

christopher59424d ago

Man I've been burned by that exact thing way too many times. I bought a fancy digital caliper after I tried to run some 18 AWG for a nav light circuit, only to discover halfway through the install that the wire was actually 20 AWG and I had already zip tied everything in place. Now I always check the gauge before I even pull the first foot, because that Harbor Freight caliper has saved me more times than I can count. My spool label reading is basically amateur hour compared to what the caliper catches. Its one of those lessons you learn the hard way on a Friday afternoon when you just want to get the plane back in the air.

morgan.nancy24d ago

That Harbor Freight caliper story got me thinking, I always trusted the spool labels until now.