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I
just installed a new lighting circuit in my house. I used 14-2 wire since it’s easier for me to work with. Can I connect
this to a 15 amp circuit breaker? I was all ready to attach it to the new breaker, but the guy at {name of home
improvement center here} told me that I can't. Instead, I have to either run 12-2 to the first light (and then
I can run 14-2 to the rest of the lights), or I have to install a junction box just outside of the breaker box, where I would
change from 12-2 to 14-2. This seems silly. Is it really true that I'm not allowed to attach 14-2 directly to the 15amp breaker?
It's perfectly acceptable to connect
14 gauge wire to a 15 amp breaker - that's what it's designed for!
While you could use 12 gauge wire (which could connect
to a 15 or a 20 amp breaker), I would not in this instance. If your circuit breaker panel is ever upgraded in the future,
the electrician may inadvertently connect the 12-wire to a 20 amp breaker, thinking it was 12 gauge throughout the entire
circuit. Since you would have reduced it to 14-wire, a potentially unsafe and hazardous condition would result from this action.
Just be sure that you don't overload
the 15 amp circuit. Ideally, it should be designed to carry no more than 80% of its calculated maximum load. In your case,
the total wattage of all the lights should be no more than 1,440 watts.
One other thing: if this circuit supplies
any light or receptacle that is located in a bedroom, you must use an arc-fault style circuit breaker (AFCI), not a regular
breaker. Make sure you purchase one that is manufactured by the same company that made your circuit breaker panel (regardless
of what the home improvement store 'pros' tell you!). Most circuit breaker panels are only listed to work with breakers designed
for that panel. Mixing-and-matching different brands may create more problems down the road.
I have a metal enclosure with a transformer in it that I need to ground. Can I attach a ground wire to the
enclosure with a self-tapping screw?
For grounding purposes, you may not use a self-tapping screw. You can use
a listed grounding screw or clip that is green in color and approved for that use.
What are the pros and cons to using two 200 amp circuit breaker panels as opposed to one 400 amp one?
The advantage to a 400 amp single meter service is one electric
bill to pay. Otherwise, there's not much else.
The advantages to two 200 amp services include: less materials
cost for installation (no metering transformer cabinets are needed); and the additional panel means double the space for circuit
breakers. Also, in some instances such as a commercial installation using electric heat, you may qualify for rate reductions
if the heat is dedicated to one meter (depends on the utility company).
Of course, if you have a single device that draws more than 200 amps, then it doesn't make sense
to have multiple 200 amp panels, as this doesn't solve the problem.
Our house has a 200 amp service; our detached garage is
powered by an underground cable sent from the main panel to the garage. BUT it is an ungrounded cable--meaning everything
in the garage is ungrounded. Could I install a separate ground rod just outside the garage and bond to that so that everything
in the garage would be grounded?
You must have at least a neutral conductor from the house panel. If so, then a ground
can be re-established at the garage location, unless your municipality follows the 2011 NEC Code, in which case a grounding
conductor must be run along with the ungrounded and grounded (neutral) conductors in order to be safe.
If there is no
neutral conductor at all, then you can't establish a ground at the remote location - this is a potential life safety issue.
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