A few quick questions before I do this....
#1
04-11-05, 09:55 AM
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A few quick questions before I do this....
I am fast approaching the electrical phase of my basement remodel.
I will have (when completed) the following rooms, with the following circuits supplying them:
Den/home theater room /15 amp circuit
Bedroom /15 amp circuit
Office/mini kitchen / 20 amp circuit
Full Bath /20 amp circuit
Laundry / 20 amp circuit
I have already decided to use 12-2 wiring through out, so if I ever need to I can step up from 15 to 20 amp breakers.
I do however; have a few questions I need answered.
When I wire the lighting for the respective rooms….should I pull power from the room circuit or add a general purpose circuit so the lights are not on the same breaker?
Can the light and the exhaust fan pull from the same bathroom breaker as the outlets?
If it can, would it be advisable to pigtail power off before the GFI protection begins?
I will have (when completed) the following rooms, with the following circuits supplying them:
Den/home theater room /15 amp circuit
Bedroom /15 amp circuit
Office/mini kitchen / 20 amp circuit
Full Bath /20 amp circuit
Laundry / 20 amp circuit
I have already decided to use 12-2 wiring through out, so if I ever need to I can step up from 15 to 20 amp breakers.
I do however; have a few questions I need answered.
When I wire the lighting for the respective rooms….should I pull power from the room circuit or add a general purpose circuit so the lights are not on the same breaker?
Can the light and the exhaust fan pull from the same bathroom breaker as the outlets?
If it can, would it be advisable to pigtail power off before the GFI protection begins?
#2
04-11-05, 10:07 AM
It's OK to put the fan and the lights on the same circuit as the receptacle. I ran mine through the GFCI. You never know when you're going to have an NBA star over visiting who will try to change the light bulb while standing in the tub!
Lighting is permitted to be on the same circuit as receptacles EXCEPT in a kitchen. Kitchens are required to be served by two 20 amp "small appliance branch circuits", which must have no lighting and can serve receptacles in the kitchen, pantry, dining area only, with no other rooms on that circuit. You can choose to put lighting on a separate circuit in other rooms, but it is not required.
Oh, and good choice running #12 wire. Unless I am absolutely, positively certain that I will never, ever increase the load on a circuit, I always use #12 for 15 and 20 amp circuits. And when I do use #14, it is only for lighting. Even though the Code allows you to power anything on a 15 amp circuit with #14.
Juice
Lighting is permitted to be on the same circuit as receptacles EXCEPT in a kitchen. Kitchens are required to be served by two 20 amp "small appliance branch circuits", which must have no lighting and can serve receptacles in the kitchen, pantry, dining area only, with no other rooms on that circuit. You can choose to put lighting on a separate circuit in other rooms, but it is not required.
Oh, and good choice running #12 wire. Unless I am absolutely, positively certain that I will never, ever increase the load on a circuit, I always use #12 for 15 and 20 amp circuits. And when I do use #14, it is only for lighting. Even though the Code allows you to power anything on a 15 amp circuit with #14.
Juice
#3
04-11-05, 04:44 PM
--> Oh, and good choice running #12 wire. Unless I am absolutely, positively certain that I will never, ever increase the load on a circuit, I always use #12 for 15 and 20 amp circuits. And when I do use #14, it is only for lighting. Even though the Code allows you to power anything on a 15 amp circuit with #14. <--
Good point.
Do you think, in residential wiring, they will ever abandon the #14 wire altogether? I can see the savings in a large building but in a house it would seem to be small and only slightly easier to work with.
Seems to me it would eliminate a lot of problems and confusion down the line.
Baldwin
Good point.
Do you think, in residential wiring, they will ever abandon the #14 wire altogether? I can see the savings in a large building but in a house it would seem to be small and only slightly easier to work with.
Seems to me it would eliminate a lot of problems and confusion down the line.
Baldwin
#4
04-11-05, 06:18 PM
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Its a common practice to have bedroom lighting supplied from the same circuit as the receptacles.It is however a good idea to have a receptacle fed from a different circuit so in the event of that bedroom circuit tripping you'll not be in complete darkness .It can also be powered by a switch.It is not required,& not advisible to have the lighting/exhaust fan fed from the load side of a GFCI.The reason is if the GFCI were to trip you'd be in the shower in the dark
#5
09-14-05, 09:00 AM
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Old post...I know, but I have an update...and one final question.
I have completed the wiring, and the circuits have been tested, and I wired everything just the way it was outlined above.
Just one last question...
Like I said, I wired with 12-2 wire, and 12-2 wire allows for a 20 load..or breaker...
Knowing this...if you were me..would you use 15amp breakers in the areas that only require 15amp breakers...or use 20 amp breakers because the line can handle 20amps?
I have completed the wiring, and the circuits have been tested, and I wired everything just the way it was outlined above.
Just one last question...
Like I said, I wired with 12-2 wire, and 12-2 wire allows for a 20 load..or breaker...
Knowing this...if you were me..would you use 15amp breakers in the areas that only require 15amp breakers...or use 20 amp breakers because the line can handle 20amps?
#7
09-14-05, 09:16 AM
I would not recommend using 20 amp breakers where a 15 amp would do the job, particularly general purpose lighting and receptacle circuits. Such as livingroon, diningroom, bedrooms, etc. Kitchen and bath should be 20s, as well as your workshop or garage, where you're likely to be using power tools.
If you have a mega-industrial size vacuum cleaner, or plan to use plug-in portable electric baseboard heaters regularly, 20 amps on your general purpose lighting and receptacle circuits would be a good idea in the rooms where you will use these items.
Problem with oversizing a breaker is that where nearly all likely loads will be small amperage, a 20 won't trip as quickly as a 15 if you're drawing too much.
However, any circuit that has exclusively #12 wire is permitted to have a 20 amp breaker supplying it.
Hope that helps.
Juice
If you have a mega-industrial size vacuum cleaner, or plan to use plug-in portable electric baseboard heaters regularly, 20 amps on your general purpose lighting and receptacle circuits would be a good idea in the rooms where you will use these items.
Problem with oversizing a breaker is that where nearly all likely loads will be small amperage, a 20 won't trip as quickly as a 15 if you're drawing too much.
However, any circuit that has exclusively #12 wire is permitted to have a 20 amp breaker supplying it.
Hope that helps.
Juice
#8
09-14-05, 09:21 AM
Originally Posted by Baldwin
Do you think, in residential wiring, they will ever abandon the #14 wire altogether?
#9
09-14-05, 09:47 AM
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Some cities (not that I can name any--I've just read about them) already have abandoned 14-gauge and specify 12 as the smallest size allowed.
#10
09-14-05, 09:52 AM
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Thanks for the quick replies guys.
I am actually very lucky I went with the 12-2 wire...
My Sister-In-Law, and her family...5 total used to live in Slidell, LA
They have lost their home, so being the stand up guy I am, I welcomed them into mine. The wired office will now be known as the kitchen, and the Theater room will now be referred to as bedroom #5 and #6...and my new master bath…sigh…the one I have been dreaming about.....I guess I wont be the first to sleep there either…but you gotta do what you gotta do.
My how one weekend can change they way we look at things....
I am actually very lucky I went with the 12-2 wire...
My Sister-In-Law, and her family...5 total used to live in Slidell, LA
They have lost their home, so being the stand up guy I am, I welcomed them into mine. The wired office will now be known as the kitchen, and the Theater room will now be referred to as bedroom #5 and #6...and my new master bath…sigh…the one I have been dreaming about.....I guess I wont be the first to sleep there either…but you gotta do what you gotta do.
My how one weekend can change they way we look at things....
#11
09-14-05, 09:57 AM
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250 feet of 12/2 costs $40.90 today at Lowes. 250 feet of 14/2 costs $29.46. To a DIYer, that difference is most likely not very significant and he will probably spend it if he thinks there is a possibility of benefit. To an electrician, it's money directly out of his pocket and he won't spend it unless he has to.
#12
09-14-05, 10:05 AM
When I bought my first home in 1994 I started wiring with #14 for general purpose receptacle and lighting circuits, because I was a poor (returning) college student. Within a couple years, after the sheetrock was all refinished and the rooms painted, I discovered a need for 20 amp circuits in some areas, and I could just kick myself for scrimping earlier. From that day forward it was $12 all the way, unless I was running lighting circuits and was absolutely, 100% sure there would never, ever be any possible use for a 20 amp leg off that circuit.
#14
09-14-05, 05:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Sparky375
Note If you are following NEC. you are not allowed to use the bath outlets for anything but bath outlets per code.Also per NEC bedrooms need to have arcfault protection.
