Arc-fault circuits

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guschash

Senior Member
Location
Ohio
When doing new contruction, do you put the lights and receptacles in the bedrooms on a 15 or a 20 amp circuit. I want to share one arc-fault with two bedrooms.
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
When doing new contruction, do you put the lights and receptacles in the bedrooms on a 15 or a 20 amp circuit. I want to share one arc-fault with two bedrooms.
This is a design issue. You do what you want. I have seen both bedrooms on 1 circuit with the lights and receptacles together. You can put the recep. & lights on a 20 amp circuit or you can split the recep. and lights to 2 circuits. In a typical 3 bedroom home I put the recep for the 2 bedrooms on one circuit, the master bedroom on one circuit and all the lights on the 3rd circuit but that is just my choice.
 

guschash

Senior Member
Location
Ohio
Thanks Dennis, I wasn't sure. I like the idea of seperating the lights and receptacles. I like to put receptacles on a 20 amp circuit just because of the appliances people have now days. A alot of people have a treadmills in the bedroom and some of those can pull 12 amps or more.

gus
 

hillbilly1

Senior Member
Location
North Georgia mountains
Occupation
Owner/electrical contractor
This is a design issue. You do what you want. I have seen both bedrooms on 1 circuit with the lights and receptacles together. You can put the recep. & lights on a 20 amp circuit or you can split the recep. and lights to 2 circuits. In a typical 3 bedroom home I put the recep for the 2 bedrooms on one circuit, the master bedroom on one circuit and all the lights on the 3rd circuit but that is just my choice.

That is what I generally do too, but as far as code is concerned, you can put all of it on one circuit. Just depends on what quality of job you want to do.
 

Jim W in Tampa

Senior Member
Location
Tampa Florida
Why are the power needs of a master bedroom assumed to be more than another bedroom?

It almost always has the most toys. Actually is no good reason but i have always put the master receptacles and lights on its own circuit and made the other 2 bedrooms share 1. And 20 years ago you i put the 2 kids rooms and bathroom lights and receptacles on just one 15 amp breaker. Never had problems.
With the price of copper and arck fault breakers i am not sure what is cheaper. Hopefully i will never need wire another house.
 

Split Bolt

Senior Member
Why are the power needs of a master bedroom assumed to be more than another bedroom?

Yeah, usually it's the smallest bedroom that gets converted into a home office with a copier, computer equipment, shredder, etc. Some Brother laser printers that some of my clients own will make lights dim all around the house when they warm up. I remember looking into it for a client who was complaining that whenever his Brother printer was used, his UPS would kick-in on his computer. And it wasn't even plugged into the UPS with the computer! I was able to get another circuit there on the opposite phase of the MWBC, but it still happened! I had found a few websites of people complaining about them. One lady posted that she liked it because wherever she was in her house, she could tell if something had just printed! (It was a combo unit with FAX as well) Sorry to go off topic so much!
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
Why are the power needs of a master bedroom assumed to be more than another bedroom?
Old habit. Years ago I did many passive solar houses and people often ended up with a portable heater. I used to put each bedroom on a separate circuit. Now I don't really want 3 room together so the master seems to be the place to split them up.
 
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