I'm trying to clean up a rackmount power environment, and wanted to check on the power cords. Currently, it seems that what I would consider to be appropriate are labeled mostly as 14AWG:
- 14AWGX3C
- 3X14AWG
Some are labeled as 18AWG, though most I wouldn't want to put on a rackmount server power supply:
- 3X18AWG
- 18AWGX3C
- 3C/18AWG
The questions I have are: which ones are appropriate for rackmount servers? What does the labeling mean? Should I remove all 18AWG cords from the racks?
If you want some specifics, the servers are all Dells and include (PowerEdge) server models like these: 2950s; r710s; 2850; 2650; 1850; 1650…
Best Answer
AWG is the American Wire Gauge standard. It categorizes the an electrical cable by the thickness of the conductors. Generally, the lower the number the thicker the cable, and the more amperage (power) the it can carry.
If your power supplies do not need to draw more than 14A, then your 18AWG cables are fine. If they need to draw 20-25A, then you should replace them with 14AWG cables.
If you are using the cables that Dell shipped with your server, then you're fine.