14-2 and 12-2 wire on 20 amp circuit code clarification
rodney01
15 years ago
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jmvd20
15 years agoterribletom
15 years agoRelated Discussions
12/2 to 14/3 wire
Comments (2)You should not have any 14 gauge wire on that circuit if it is connected to a 20 amp breaker. If you can't replace the wiring, the breaker needs to be changed to a 15 amp. If this is the only circuit run to the bathroom, you have a problem because code requires a 20 amp circuit. If the twenty amp circuit also feeds other bathrooms, you have another problem. Tell us a little more about what is going on....See More14/2 15 amp for lighting and 12/2 20 amp
Comments (6)all the lights in my house are on 12/2, heck there ain't a 15 amp breaker anywhere in teh panel. but i promise you i WISH there was at times! week before last i decided to put up secutiry lights since we were going out of town and the lady house sitting for us did not like how dark it was around the house(plus my wife has been asking me to do it for 3+ years). anyway i decide to put the switch right next to the back porch light switch and use that circuit to feed the lights. well, turns out that the reason they used 12/2 is that 1/3 of the lights are on 1 20A ciruit, 1/3 on another, and roughly 1/3 on another. only the bathrooms have dedicated lights! the way teh panel is in the wall will require that i rip open the sheetrock to pull new feeds, so that will be saved for later this summer when we redo the cabinets in there anyway. back to my point, 12/2 is great in that you can have more load per circuit, but i really sucks when you are trying to stuff three 12/2 feeds back in a box behind 2 switches! and yes, i use the largest box i can for ease of use and wirefill....See More14 awg wire from fan control to fan on a 20 AMP circuit.
Comments (22)Horse barns are a good example of a time to ask your AHJ what would be approved. Art. 547 covers agricultural builings and is specific as to what wirinig methods are allowed. Due to dust, water, and corrosive nature of horse urine, EMT and non-jacketed MC are NOT approved for exposed locations in a horse barn. That being said, damn near every barn I've seen uses both. I have also asked one of my third party inspectors if he would approve EMT or MC and he said yes, he would. Our personal barn and any barn I wire will use PVC conduit and liquid tight were exposed even though I could get away with using something else. If I lose the job so be it. Between horses and hay, a barn is not the time to look for the answer you want. I would ask your AHJ for the answer you need....See More20 amp circuit breaker and wiring
Comments (21)See Table 210.21(B)(3) Receptacle rating for Various Size Circuits. It clearly shows that a 20 A branch circuit is allowed to use 15 A or 20 A receptacles. 210.21.(B)(3) Receptacle Ratings starts off with "Where connected to a branch circuit supplying two or more receptacles or outlets, receptacle ratings shall conform to the values listed in Table 210.21(B)(3), or where larger than 50 amperes..." You have to remember that the #14 15 & #12 20 A limit is not based on the actual wire size and insulation temperature, but one intended to make sure that the most commonly used circuits(15 A & 20 A) have extra margin. This is why they can be used at their full rating for motor circuits, hermetic compressors, and start off higher for derating in conduit....See MoreBilll
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