Electricians get away with it. They are supposed to allow for voltage drop which is about 5% in a total house. 5%. And a lot of them don't do that. Most electricians just do not do the calculations. They don't care to do the calculations.
How does voltage drop affect your house? If you have constant running equipment like a refrigerator and your panel is 200 foot across your house, and you have a voltage drop of 2% because you used a 12 gauge wire. Max is 60 feet per 7 amps. So if you have a house that is 100 feet across, then you should be running a 10 gauge wire to that refrigerator instead of 12 because of the voltage drop. How do I eliminate that? I put in sub panels. Most electricians will put one panel in. It's easier and they don't have to worry about where the other sub panels will have to go. But then all the wiring to the whole house is going to that one panel. It's OK, if you allow for the proper voltage drop.
But I am against people wiring their houses themselves. That's like asking a guy on a street corner to do brain surgery on your child. It takes time for a person to go through becoming an apprentice journeyman. It's almost like being a doctor. It's not easy and I am constantly learning in the electrical field. Electrical code changes every five years. So i have to adapt to those changes as an electrical contractor. Some states in the United States require an electrical contractor to keep up his standings by attending continuing education, by going back to school. My state does not require it where I live, but my local codes change without notice. And that's a whole 'other blog. How do you figure voltage drop?
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