Aye... but your looking to 210.19 for specific provisions for "tap" conductors. As mentioned earlier, BCTC's are still BCC's. What does the general provision start with? Does 240.4(E) or (1) thereof give any specific reference to 210.19(A)(3&4)... or just the general. Have you not seen elsewhere in the Code where Exceptions are referenced specifically???
Again, I am not looking for specific "tap" provisions in 210.19. I think you are projecting that onto my argument. I agree, wholeheartedly, that branch-circuit tap conductors ARE branch-circuit conductors. I argued that earlier in the thread. I also agree that 240(E)(1) references 210.19(A)(4), and not just Ex.No.1 of 210.19(A)(4). But this not change what I have been arguing. I will try to further explain my argument below.
Without a specific reference to Exception No. 1, the general provision applies. Also, later in your post you go on to mention tap conductors under Exception No. 2... It does not mention tap conductors. In a literal interpretation using your logic, you would not be able to jump to Articles 400 & 402 without a specific reference to tap conductors. The other side of the coin using your logic, if 210.19(A)(4) Exception No. 2 applies to tap conductors, then so does 210.19(A)(4) general provision... and we know Articles 400 & 402 permit a #14 to be protected by a 20A OCPD under certain conditions... but Exception No. 2 says shall be permitted to be smaller than #14, which further emphasizes the general provision being applicable.
I believe that I previously argued that 210.19(A)(4) Ex.No.2 would permit tap conductors smaller than #14, only IF those flexible cords or fixture wires are installed as PERMITTED by other sections. I haven't looked thru the whole code, but I think there is something in 240.5 about tap conductors.
Agreed... but we've already established that by going through 240.4 that #14tap conductors are permitted to have OCPD in excess of 15A. Yet 240.4(E)(1) says in accordance with 210.19(A)(3&4), i.e. the subsections in their entirety... not just the Exceptions thereto.
Yes, 240.4(E)(1) does not reference only Ex.No.1, but that does not change my point, as I will explain below. (Hope the suspense is building.)
It serves the purpose of permitting a tap cnductor which is smaller than #14.
Although 210.19(A)(4)Ex.No.1
MAY serve the purpose of permitting a tap conductor which is smaller than #14, it certainly does
NOT permit a tap conductor smaller than #14 when using 60deg terminations, and it certainly does
NOT permit a tap conductor smaller than #14 then using 75deg terminations. I suppose if you have 90deg terminations & 90deg conductors, you could use #16AWG (with and ampacity of 18) for a tap conductor per Ex.No.1.
Finally, if I understand your argument correctly, you are saying #14 tap conductors can be tapped from a 20A or larger branch circuit at locations other than those listed in 210.19(A)(4)Ex.No.1, such as your examples in post #130.
Let me try to better explain why I disagree, and why I am not looking for specific references to "tap" conductors after following 240.4(E)(1) back to 210.19(A)(4).
As has already been noted, 210.20(B) sends you to 240.4 for branch-circuit conductor protection. 240.4(D)(3) requires 15A OCPD for #14AWG, unless permitted by 240.4(E). 240.4(E)(1) permits tap conductors to be
protected against overcurrent protection in accordance with 210.19(A)(4). So lets go back to 210.19(A)(4) and see how it permits conductors to be
protected against overcurrent protection.
The main section of 210.19(A)(4) says "Branch circuit conductors...shall have an ampacity sufficient for the load served and shall not be smaller than #14AWG." There is NOTHING in the main section of 210.19(A)(4) that talks about overcurrent protection.
210.19(A)(4)Ex.No.2 says "Fixture wires and flexible cords shall be permitted to be smaller than #14AWG as permitted by 240.5." There is NOTHING in the Ex.No.2 of 210.19(A)(4) that talks about overcurrent protection.
210.19(A)(4)Ex.No.1 says "Tap conductors shall have an ampacity sufficient for the load served. In addition, they shall have an ampacity of not less than 15 for circuits
RATED less than 40 amperes, and not less than 20 for circuits
RATED at 40 or 50 amperes and only where the tap conductors supply any of the following loads:"
The
ONLY reference to
overcurrent protection in 210.19(A)(4), as directed by 240.4(E)(1), is located in Exception No.1.
It is not a reference to "tap" conductors that I am searching out in 210.19(A)(4), as you have suggested. It is a reference to "overcurrent protection" because that is what 240.4(E)(1) tells me to search for.
It is for this reason that branch-circuit tap conductors (other than those permitted in 210.2 and 210.19(A)(3)) are limited to the loads listed in 210.19(A)(4) Ex.No.1.