ok,I think I got it. now,onto something else. (but still having to do with the remodel) I plan to put "electric radiant heat" under the engineered hardwood floor.(179.1 sq, ft.) I've talked to the flooring people and they say they use "warmly yours" for that type of heating. (anyone have experience with those products?) I called them and they tell me that it needs a 20A 240V circuit for that area, so I'll run one to one of the walls where I think I want the thermostat.(which I'll wire myself like all the other wiring) my question is whether "code" specifies anything special when it comes to electric subfloor heat. I'm particularly concerned about conduit shown on their drawings. another question (though minor) is about "staples" and if the code is that concerned about "romex" having any staples at all with a remodel. tnx,

I am just borrowing terms from them Please don't; it confuses things when you use nonstandard terms. What you mean by breaker handles tied That means the handles are mechanically joined, so they can't operate separately. If one trips, the other opens. If one is shut off, the other is too. Thus, they work like a double-pole breaker, which may also be used. I have kept his weird labelling scheme for now. What you did was OK except that the ground should be connected to the box (if it's metallic). You also could have fitted a properly sized double pole breaker to the panel, and connected the hots to it. You'd also have needed to pigtail the neutrals so removing one of the recepts wouldn't break it. Am I going to find other surprises in my wiring Probably. Almost every house I've ever lived in has had some (usually unpleasant) wiring surprises. Sometimes it's pros, but I suspect that more often it's DIYs. DIY wiring has been around for a long time, and too many DIYers don't learn code or proper techniques before plowing ahead.

Greg, after your message yesterday, I went to Home depot and took a picture of my "type 2" receptacle and include it below. I just wanted to know if I could put two wires under one screw, and a third under the other. I put one wire under each screw, so the third had to be connected with wire nuts. Thanks to all of you who are trying to help me. I thought I was being so clever in my design plan: I had a framed-out basement wall, 18 feet long, on which I wanted to put four receptacle boxes on each side. So I ran my cable into a duplex connector to the first box on one side, continuing out that same duplex connector to the next box on that side. For the receptacles on the other side of the wall, I used a nipple to connect to the back of the box on the first side. I neglected to calculate the box volume, so I need to replace all the boxes on the first side (which all the connections are made). And, Greg, no I am not doing a commercial installation.

So you're somewhere that conduit is required everywhere? Chicago? I can't help you with the codes there, sorry. As for BX, those letters are sometimes used as a generic term for metal clad cable. However, it's a trademark (originally owned by Sprague). It refers to a particular brand, kind of the way Romex is sometimes used as a generic term for NM cable, even though that's a trademark too. The reason some folks get their backs up at BX is that it has a safety problem. With the original Sprague BX, which IIRC was in common use by the 1940s, the armor was used as the grounding conductor (equipment ground). That was a big mistake. As BX aged, the armor turns oxidized, and stopped making good contact with each other. The resistance of the ground increased drastically. When a ground fault happened, the armor could heat up red hot. Fires started this way. Today there are different metal clad cables available, such as MC. MC has an insulated copper ground wire included so that the armor is no longer needed or used for the grounding conductor. Whether these kinds of cable are allowed in your area, and under what circumstances, I don't know. I sure hope your electrician does. I'm still having some trouble figuring out what's happening in your photo, and matching your description to it. I don't see a 4 inch run of what you call "BX" anywhere. I do see what looks like a junction box toward the top right, and a second one beside it, but that's a lot more than 4 inches away from the box at the left. They look like some kind of flexible metal-clad cable is going to at least the left one. You seem to be saying that one of those is to be connected to 120v power, and the other is to carry the low voltage output of the LED power supply to the lights, yes? I'm guessing that these boxes are right under where you expect your upper cabinets to mount. If that's so, I don't understand the need for the second box. The power supply is going to be plugged into the receptacle under the cabinets, yes? So it'll be exposed under the cabinets anyway. Why not just run the LV wiring from it right up and then secure it along the underside of the cabinets? Why mess with armoring the LV wiring? Why put it inside the wall at all? Assuming your local codes don't prohibit that armored stuff for LV wiring, and as long at it's totally separate from the line voltage wiring, I guess it's OK. You can terminate it any way you like, as long as it's done safely. Watch out for sharp edges that might cut insulation; that's what those little red bushings are for. As I mentioned before, if you go to an electronics part supplier that serves hobbyists, you'll find lots of different sizes and shapes of plastic and aluminum project boxes for your low voltage wiring connections. BTW, your electrician isn't connecting your cabinet lighting receptacle to one of the countertop receptacle circuits, is he? That's not allowed. Just checking.