Residential NEC Requirements for Garage

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guypowerup

Member
I just got "nailed" by an inspector. I ran a 12/3 Romex to a Washing machine outlet in a laundry room from the panel. I then took a 12/2 to the garage GFCI outlet. Red takes care of the Washer....Black takes care of the Garage. I was written up..."Garage Must Have Designated Circuit". Perhaps I am wrong in assuming that the shared neutral violates the "designated circuit" rule......a rule I can't even find in the codebook. My questions are: Does the NEC require a designated circuit for the garage and does the shared neutral violate a "Designated Circuit description?
 
jumper

jumper

Senior Member
Location
3 Hr 2 Min from Winged Horses
I am probably wrong, but I think it can be considered a individual circuit.

210.4 Multiwire Branch Circuits.
(A) General. Branch circuits recognized by this article
shall be permitted as multiwire circuits. A multiwire circuit
shall be permitted to be considered as multiple circuits.
 
480sparky

480sparky

Senior Member
Location
Iowegia
Resi garages are not required anywhere in the NEC to have dedicated circuits. Ask the inspector for a Code reference. Unless it's a local amendment, you won't get one.
 
jxofaltrds

jxofaltrds

Inspector Mike®
Location
Mike P. Columbus Ohio
Occupation
ESI, PI, RBO
guypowerup said:
I just got "nailed" by an inspector. I ran a 12/3 Romex to a Washing machine outlet in a laundry room from the panel. I then took a 12/2 to the garage GFCI outlet. Red takes care of the Washer....Black takes care of the Garage. I was written up..."Garage Must Have Designated Circuit". Perhaps I am wrong in assuming that the shared neutral violates the "designated circuit" rule......a rule I can't even find in the codebook. My questions are: Does the NEC require a designated circuit for the garage and does the shared neutral violate a "Designated Circuit description?
Click to expand...

Say what!

1 No requirement in the NEC. Local?
2 What about doing this elsewhere? Kitchens?
3 You have two circuits.
4 He must give you the code section.
 
jumper

jumper

Senior Member
Location
3 Hr 2 Min from Winged Horses
I gotta go with the others, nothing in 210.11 and 210.52(G) just says:

(G) Basements and Garages. For a one-family dwelling,
the following provisions shall apply:
(1) At least one receptacle outlet, in addition to those for
specific equipment, shall be installed in each basement,
in each attached garage, and in each detached garage
with electric power.
 
raider1

raider1

Senior Member
Staff member
Location
Logan, Utah
Welcome to the forum.:)

As the others have already stated, the inspector must cite a code reference for the "Violation". Ask the inspector to show you where that requirement is in the code.

The NEC does not require the garage to have a "designated" circuit, I think the inspector is confused and is enforcing "What I Like To See" codes.

Chris
 
B

bobserrano

Member
Location
Silicon Valley, California
As an electrical inspector myself, in my opinion, if you GFCI the garage recptacles, handle tie the breakers of the MWBCs, properly label at the panel, you are good to go. Inspectors need to read and understand the code and make calls that can be justied by citing a code section. He is probably a rookie and probably never heard of Mike Holt.
 
G

guypowerup

Member
Hey Everybody....Thank you very much for your input. I appreciate your ideas/comments. It is tough nowadays to make a living out there and if you are doing it right why do it over? Again ....thank you all!

P.S. This is a GREAT Website!
 
Jim W in Tampa

Jim W in Tampa

Senior Member
Location
Tampa Florida
Be nice and ask him for code number. Unless you have a local rule your good to go with a breaker tie or 2 pole.
And you did not need dedicated circuit for garage. Give him a chance to back down cause he will
 
ceb58

ceb58

Senior Member
Location
Raeford, NC
The inspector could have the wording in 210.52 (G) (1) confused. "in addition to those for specific equipment"
You must have one recpt. plus the ones for specific equipment. But no where dose it say that is must be a dedicated circuit.
 
T

taylorp

Guest
guypowerup said:
I just got "nailed" by an inspector. I ran a 12/3 Romex to a Washing machine outlet in a laundry room from the panel. I then took a 12/2 to the garage GFCI outlet. Red takes care of the Washer....Black takes care of the Garage. I was written up..."Garage Must Have Designated Circuit". Perhaps I am wrong in assuming that the shared neutral violates the "designated circuit" rule......a rule I can't even find in the codebook. My questions are: Does the NEC require a designated circuit for the garage and does the shared neutral violate a "Designated Circuit description?
Click to expand...

Guypowerup. I think the inspector meant to say "Laundry Must Have Designated Circuit."

210.10(C)(2) Laundry Branch Circuits. In addition to the number
of branch circuits required by other parts of this section, at
least one additional 20-ampere branch circuit shall be provided
to supply the laundry receptacle outlet(s) required by
210.52(F). This circuit shall have no other outlets.

Your circuit, even though it has a shared neutral and fed by a double pole circuit breaker, is still one branch circuit.

Article 100, Definitions.

Branch Circuit. The circuit conductors between the final
overcurrent device protecting the circuit and the outlet(s).

Branch Circuit, Multiwire. A branch circuit that consists
of two or more ungrounded conductors that have a voltage
between them, and a grounded conductor that has equal
voltage between it and each ungrounded conductor of the
circuit and that is connected to the neutral or grounded
conductor of the system.
 
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ceb58

ceb58

Senior Member
Location
Raeford, NC
taylorp said:
Guypowerup. I think the inspector meant to say "Laundry Must Have Designated Circuit."

210.10(C)(2) Laundry Branch Circuits. In addition to the number
of branch circuits required by other parts of this section, at
least one additional 20-ampere branch circuit shall be provided
to supply the laundry receptacle outlet(s) required by
210.52(F). This circuit shall have no other outlets.

Your circuit, even though it has a shared neutral and fed by a double pole circuit breaker, is still one branch circuit.

Article 100, Definitions.

Branch Circuit. The circuit conductors between the final
overcurrent device protecting the circuit and the outlet(s).

Branch Circuit, Multiwire. A branch circuit that consists
of two or more ungrounded conductors that have a voltage
between them, and a grounded conductor that has equal
voltage between it and each ungrounded conductor of the
circuit and that is connected to the neutral or grounded
conductor of the system.
Click to expand...

This is no different than running 12-3 to the kitchen and splitting them to make the 2 requried SABC's. Going by what the OP said the inspector is trying to say the circ. to the garage must be a dedicated circ.
 
T

taylorp

Guest
ceb58 said:
This is no different than running 12-3 to the kitchen and splitting them to make the 2 requried SABC's. Going by what the OP said the inspector is trying to say the circ. to the garage must be a dedicated circ.
Click to expand...

If we look carefully at the wording of 210.4, it says A multiwire circuit
shall be permitted to be considered as multiple circuits. I agree that technically this is no different than running a 12-3 w ground to the kitchen and calling it two circuits.

But think about what we are doing when we run such a circuit to the kitchen. We are using the entire circuit for the electrical load in the kitchen, not for other rooms.

Apparently the AHJ does not agree with Guypowerup's installation. He wants a circuit run to the garage, and not one tapped off the branch circuit to the Laundry. It seems he does not permit the branch circuit to considered as a multiple circuit. I can see why the Inspector requested the changes. I just wouldn't have said the Garage required a designated circuit.

Maybe Guypowerup can show 210.4 to the Inspector and ask him to reverse his decision, but looking at 210.10(C)(2), I doubt that he will.

Just my observation, but under "normal" conditions, multiwire branch circuits feed the same room and don't jump from room to room.

But again, I am not saying this is a "violation," its just not what I would do. Apparently the Inspector feels that this is a violation and he has the final word. Good luck Guypowerup.
 
T

taylorp

Guest
ActionDave said:
Not the way I wire houses. AFCI's have messed things up a bit, but I will still use a 12/3 home run to feed two bathrooms or a laundry and something else.
Click to expand...

There is usually more than one way to accomplish what you are trying to do. I am only saying that I see the Inspectors point of view.

Multiwire branch circuits are common, but as I said, they "normally" feed a single room such as a kitchen or bathroom. This way, you don't disconnect the power to different users when you turn the circuit breaker off or it trips. You can imagine two bathrooms (one for teenage girls, the other for parents) that share a multibranch circuit. When one side trips or is shut off for maintenance, then both bathrooms have no appliance power. What is normal for me may be abnormal for you. :)

Apparently the Inspector sees things this way and doesn't agree with guypowerup's installation.

The interpertation of the NEC rests in the hands of the AHJ, not me.

90.4 . . . . The authority having jurisdiction for
enforcement of the Code has the responsibility for making
interpretations of the rules, for deciding on the approval of
equipment and materials, and for granting the special permission
contemplated in a number of the rules. . . . .
 
Dennis Alwon

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
TaylorP, I don't understand your logic. A MWBC does not have to stay within a room and there is nothing in the NEC that requires it. You say you can see why the inspector failed this install but again there is no NEC basis for what you say or what the inspector says. Because you don't like it has nothing to do with the situation and should not even be part of the compliant discussion.

FWIW, I rarely, probably 2 or 3 times in my life, use MWBC in a home. Big deal, that's my choice. If I inspected a home with MWBC then I would have no basis to turn down the job.

If the inspector understood the physics a bit more then perhaps he would understand there is no problem with MWBC , if installed to code.
 
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