Yes, you can use any gauge wire with the maximum amperage that it's rated for, or anything less. You limit going overboard when you see the price of heavy-gauge copper wire. 10 gauge wire for 30A isn't so bad, but 8 or 6 gauge will put a hurt on you in a hurry.

So You can put in a 10 gauge line and use it for a 30A 240V, 30A 120V, 20A 120V, etc, etc.

The #10, 30-amp wire is orange colored.

You can use higher rated wire in lower amperage circuit, but not vice versa.

The PLUMBING should be sized accordingly, but in home electrical wiring/circuit, larger capacity generally is more desirable.

Well, now that i have the electrical sorted, I now need to decide on plumbing.

Should I use the tubing that came with the setup from Chris Coffee or have the plumber use copper. The plumbing will be along an outside wall, if that matters. it will travel about 8 feet from the sink, behind a dishwasher, and to the machine. I have not figured out how to drain the machine well, as i will not be drilling into the granite. I am going to try to drain it back through the backsplash.

EDIT: See Kitchen remodel questions

I think I'd go with copper or whatever the rest of your plumbing in the house is, if you're going behind the wall. Make a dedicated tap under where the machine will go. I really don't think you want any John Guest hose installed behind the wall. That stuff is not reliable enough for permanent install, and certainly won't be up to building code.

The #10, 30-amp wire is orange colored.

Unless I'm completely mistaken the only colors that mean something are green and white which respectively stand for ground and neutral. All other colors should be assumed hot. It's possible or even likely that in a particular building or complex that the specific colors mean something, but they probably wont mean the same thing in the next building.

Ira

Wow, that was fast Nick. I was also planning on using the softener setup and putting that under the sink. Can I run copper directly from that?

Ah, that changes things somewhat--it won't be a water line that's permanently part of the water system, so to speak. What water softener are you going to use? I think it's probably best to put that stuff right under the machine from a simplicity perspective, but if you don't, yes, I would still mount a copper line behind the walls that has hookups under the sink and under the machine, if I already had the walls out for a remodel. Still, personally I would just make some space for my coffee water filtration equipment under the machine if at all possible--it seems so much simpler to me.

ira wrote:Unless I'm completely mistaken the only colors that mean something are green and white which respectively stand for ground and neutral. All other colors should be assumed hot. It's possible or even likely that in a particular building or complex that the specific colors mean something, but they probably wont mean the same thing in the next building.

Ira

The outer sheathing of NM-B has been not-white on almost everything other than 14-2 and 14-3 for almost a decade, to facilitate inspection, IIRC.

The insulators on the wires within the NM-B cable are still black, white, bare, and sometimes other (but never green), as far as I can tell.

shadowfax wrote:Still, personally I would just make some space for my coffee water filtration equipment under the machine if at all possible--it seems so much simpler to me.

Nick, unfortunately, the machine will be in the corner, and that particular cabinet is one with a Lazy Susan inside, so no room for the softener.

When we built our house, I installed a dedicated circuit for the "espresso machine." I thought about it and elected to go with a 20 amps. I wired the house myself, so I can't comment on the difference in what an electrician would charge for the different wire sizes, the guy has to make a living. However, I can tell you that (today), the cost of materials is so low it should not influence your decision. The only REAL difference is the heavier 10 gauge wire is a little harder to work with. The main thing is this circuit MUST be a home-run! It CANNOT branch off at all! That way, you can wire it as either a 110 volt or 220 volt depending on your needs. The only difference is the breaker, *AND* if you decide to wire it as 220, the white wire must be colored black (or red) to let someone working on the wiring know that this wire is no longer neutral, but hot. I agree that if you think there is even a remote possibility of EVER needing 30 amps, PUT THE 10 GAUGE WIRE NOW! - It won't hurt a thing to use it for a 20 amp circuit in either 110 or 220. However don't forget it must be a home-run.