$0.60 per
foot is a ok price and decent in many places but it’s more retail than a huge discount. Sorry but Grandpa bless his hart for helping should have shopped around more. Given he does not buy or
stock the stuff much, it’s a fair price. On the other
hand for
Edison plugs, I hope you did save lots of money there. (As a rule when posting in public, retail price is all you should list and defiantly not sub-retail deals or actual cost.) In your case, the $0.60 per
foot is a decent bench
mark to shoot for or get lower than for others. While I have not priced it out recently, I find as of about last year retail prices for 12/3 SO ranging from $0.46 per
foot to stopping
tracking it when it gets above $0.65 per
foot given these retail prices are at least a year old and probably higher by now.
Out of curiosity, why did you go with 5-20
NEMA Plugs? This also assuming you went with commercial/industrial grade plugs as required such as the
Leviton #5266C
plug? My old theater went with them given I trained the tech people using the gear and it thus limited things plugged into the equipment to 20 amp outlets, and we could not afford total
stage pin upgrading. On the other
hand, the last time I made a
Edison to three
phase thirty amp twist L21-30R
adaptor, I used the 5-20, 20 amp plugs on it as required by code in adapting from one amperage
rating to another by way of only jumping one amperage
rating to another - given such an
adaptor is against code to do but was necessary in at least complying with some of the
NEC. The +20 year veteran
stage hand on site than took the
adaptor, looked at the plugs on it, scratched his head not once than twice, perhaps asked the crew chief that also will have scratched his head about the parallel blade
plug with it’s
neutral now perpendicular to the hot. That professional
stage hand than wasted no doubt a hour or three in re-plugging these against code adaptors that were at least using the proper plugs to a 15amp Parallel
U-Ground Edison 5-15P
NEMA plug. For the show, they then were plugged into a AC
Distro rack that was using
NEMA 5-20 convience outlets which would tend to fit both the 5-15 and the 5-20
plug. That professional
stage hand just never thought about the T-shape to the 20 amp
outlet as opposed to that of a 15 amp
outlet, thus never suspected that the 20 amp
Edison plug I gave him would work, and more than that no doubt had some choice words for my abilities in screwing their show. Egg on them not me still meant lots of wasted time given a not much used
plug that confuses people.
Of note also would be
voltage drop. That 100' cable while standard to load it to have 20 amps, really would not be rated for that much
current given 12/3 cable doing the work. 12/3 cable in 100' lengths might more reasonably be down rated for less amperage than your 20 amp
plug will allow for. More than this, while there is a specific amperage
rating of the 15 amp
plug, it’s overall design is exactly similar to that of the 20 amp
plug. The only reason for it’s T-Shape is in preventing design loads of over 15 amps from being plugged into a 15amp rated
system. That’s a good thing but assumes home owners using the cable.
Strike that,
stage hands often will also not know any better given the above.
Statement here is yes, for a 20 amp load, you have installed a code compliant
plug on the cable to carry the load - even for
stage use where it’s recommended for twist or
stage pin but as yet not required. But in making this cable, you have just confused one heck of a lot of people that just might behind your back change plugs anyway in making this
safety factor you installed in the cable useless. While I do see the 5-20
plug as useful especially if in a mixed inventory of 12/3 verses 14/3 cable, the 5-20 plugs might cause maintenance problems. Me and you in knowing better and using the cable to limit what it gets plugged into is a good reason for it’s use. Unfortunately in being
Edison, others will just swap your plugs behind your back and even as added insult while doing so apply an improper
strain relief (read the instructions?), and lose parts in at best returning “field stripped” plugs totally disassembled that loose parts - if not just throwing them out and calling you names. At some
point, that value of changing to
stage pin or twist for 20 amp loading will pay off in at least labor in keeping this 20 amp
Edison system running.
Sorry and I agree with using a 20 amp
Edison plug, it’s just the other 90% of the industry that don’t know better but don’t that will totally screw up your
system.