Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/681966
78 • JUNE 2016 • WORLD FENCE NEWS In the chart, we compare the re- sistance and breaking force of 16, 18, and 20 AWG wire. Not only is 16AWG roughly three times stronger than 20AWG wire, it also has 86.6% less resistance than 20AWG wire per foot. The much higher resistance of 20AWG wire will decrease the perfor- mance of a loop and will result in a loop circuit being less sensitive, or in loss of detection height/sensitivity that results in issues such as motorcycles not being detected. The simple fact is that wire gauge affects the performance of inductance loops; this fact has been well docu- mented in the traffic industry. For gates, the difference in perfor- mance can easily be seen when com- paring large loops or loops with long lead-in lengths. This is because the issues with the increased resistance of thinner gauge wire become more appar- ent as the amount of wire in a loop increases. We decided to run a test on how wire gauge affects loops; in our test- ing, we compared a loop wrapped with 16AWG wire and a loop wrapped with 24AWG wire. We found that the #24 AWG wire had a 66% decrease in Dispelling loop myths continued from page 76 detection strength (performance) vs. the #16 AWG loop. For small loops such as a 6'x6' with little or no lead-in, the difference in performance might be n e g l i g i b l e , but for larg- er loops or loops with longer lead- ins, it is sig- nificant. This test can be viewed on our web site, BD- Loops.com. A major problem we see with the myth that wire gauge doesn't matter is that installers often buy spools of #18- #20 AWG wire, unaware that the wire should not be used for large loops or for loops with long lead-ins. Higher gauge (thinner) wire spools do not come with warnings ex- plaining that they should only be used for small loops with very short lead-in lengths. Installers are often under the false impression that they should not wrap loops larger than a 6'x20' because thinner gauge wire is so common in our industry. Nobody ever explains to the installers that they can wrap larger loops, or have a longer lead-in, if they use lower gauge (thicker) wire. Knowing this, you might ask yourself why some loop manufactur- ers use larger gauge (thinner) wire in their loop design. Unfortunately, that all comes down to dollars – generally, half the cost of loop wire is based on the amount of copper per foot. When you purchase a spool of wire to make loops, a 20AWG spool looks about the same as a 16AWG spool when the wire is insulated. They both sell for about the same price (to installers). Selling higher gauge spools of wire is simply more profitable. The best advice we can give in- stallers is not to skimp on the loop de- sign with thinner wire. We suggest a minimum of 16AWG be used for best performance. BD Loops is a manufacturer of preformed direct burial and saw-cut inductance loops for the gate, door, and parking industries. BD Loops of- fers 46 standard preformed loop sizes. For more information or to sign up for the monthly installer newsletter, visit BDLoops.com. Installers are often under the false impression that they should not wrap loops larger than a 6'x20' because thinner gauge wire is so common in our industry. Nobody ever explains to the installers that they can wrap larger loops, or have a longer lead-in, if they use lower gauge (thicker) wire. American Wire Producers Association announces details on 2017 meeting The American Wire Producers Association (AWPA) announced that its 2017 annual meeting will be held Feb. 20-22, 2017 at the Meri- tage Resort & Spa in Napa, Calif. The event will include meetings of the following committees: Gov- ernment Relations Advisory; Exec- utive; Stainless; Membership; and PC Strand. The general session and concludng remarks will be held on Feb. 22. The AWPA is an internation- al trade association representing 80% –90% of the production of car- bon, alloy and stainless steel wire and wire products in the U.S. Ac- tive members are independent wire companies located in the U.S. that purchase wire rod as their raw ma- terial. For more information, visit the web site www.awpa.org.