@ Jace thanks, yep the only connections are done on the breaker and terminal strips, it has a 12/3 romex cable running to it powered by a 15 amp fuse, the reason I did that was because I later realised that I installed 20 amp breaker on 14/2 and 14/3 lines, eventually I'll change the breakers to 15 amps and put in 20 amp fuses.
My professor had recommended me to have 12 AWG wire installed throughout the house with 15 amp breakers instead of 14 because some people will just try to upgrade to 20 and if there was 14 AWG wire with 20 amp (from people who knows nothing but puts 20 amp in) well you know what happens!
Yeah, I hate it when people who know nothing about electrical try to do work, that's why most of this was done, after the celling was torn down I found so much messed up and incorrect work I just tore it all out and replaced it.
Well this webpage is to also learn...this is why I don't want some members to really promote doing something wrong. So if I see something wrong, I would make it as an example of it being "wrong" unfortunately it makes some members UPSET, like one member I won't mention but hasn't been online for sometime...
14-2 is actually good for 20 amps accorrding to the nec but as long as it's a single run and not run close to or through the same holes with other current carrying conductors do to the fact you must derate the wire. I'm not saying it's ok to run 20 amps on 14 but there is the available current but it's border lining the integrity of the insulation. The nec tells you the proper places to use each wire type. From past expeirence the most problems I've seen were bad splices from untrained people working in there house. I've wired many houses and as long a you wire to the code, you should never have any problems with your wiring!
Well here I am governed by the OESC (Ontario Electrical Safety Code) which as far as I know doesn't allow 14 gauge for 20 amps, even if it did I wouldn't use it, if anything I would go one size larger than the required size.
Yeah the panel can be mounted any way you want, but really, the breakers will work any way so it's not a big deal in my mind. But I do think they look a lot better mounted properly.
The nec does not allow 20 amps on 14 gauge wire. Why they say it has a 20 amp ampacity is interesting since they don't allow it. I would never myself install 14 gauge wire on a 20 amp circuit. Alot of older homes have to 40c 14 gauge wiring which is only good for 15 amps but newer romex has 90c insulation. I size all my wiring by the 75c table since most connections such as breakers are rated only 75c.
Also for those who are trying to sell their house, if the wiring is bad or there's any rust in the panel, you have to have it corrected before you can actually sell the property.
Yes that's a good thing. It's a very good thing to make sure everything in the house is top notch. Mike, more than likely all your lighting circuits and general purpose outlets in your home is 14 gauge. Your kitchen counter outlets, dining room outlets, and Perhaps you washer outlet is 12 gauge wiring. I'm not sure about you bathroom outlets because I'm unsure about the year of your house but if it's newer than let's say 1985 it more than likely has 12 gauge for your bathroom outlet.
Ok then u defentely have 12 gauge in your bathroom. You also should have arc fault breakers in the panel if it was finished in 03 since the 02 code started inforcing the use of afci breakers. You can tell the size of each romex by these colors, white sheath is 14, yellow is 12 gauge, and orange is 10 gauge.
Houses from 2008 and after should have a tamper resistant outlets which you can't insert anything inside outlets without having BOTH prongs insert at the same time, for the safety of child or accidental insertion of one prong.......
And I thought it was actually 2008 that ALL the breakers had to have ARC fault while the earlier years only bedrooms had to be?
Jace, you are correct about the timetable of the afci breakers. Bedrooms were only required at the time but in 08 everything changed to most circuits. States also have amendments which they can inforce along side the code.
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My professor had recommended me to have 12 AWG wire installed throughout the house with 15 amp breakers instead of 14 because some people will just try to upgrade to 20 and if there was 14 AWG wire with 20 amp (from people who knows nothing but puts 20 amp in) well you know what happens!
The one in my house got mounted upside down.
And I thought it was actually 2008 that ALL the breakers had to have ARC fault while the earlier years only bedrooms had to be?