12/2 with a #14 grounded conductor

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ivsenroute

ivsenroute

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Florida
Changed out an FPE for a Homeline 200/40 today. One of the 220 electric baseboard heat wires was not like the others. I could not read the insulation but it had a 12awg ungrounded conductor and a 14awg ungrounded.
The grounding conductor was about a 16awg. I could not find a splice in it anywhere to explain this.

Anyone ever come across this? Home was built in the 60's.

Crap, I meant to post this in the contractors business section, not here. Sorry
 
That was the first kind or romex to have a ground.. it was used for kitchen circuits mostly. The 14/2 had no ground at all... bad old days
 
ivsenroute said:
it had a 12awg ungrounded conductor and a 14awg ungrounded.
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Sorry, I missed the 14 part:-?


Roger
 
roger said:
This was normal of older NM.

Roger
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This is the first time I have ever come across this situation since I have been doing residential electrical with most of it being renovations on older homes.

I have never come across a reduced size neutral. This surprises me. A reduced equipment ground but not a reduced neutral.
 
BLACK4TRUCK said:
GEEZ.. I missed the smaller neutral.. must of been a bad batch of wire someone found at a garage sale
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The reduced ground was common but a 12 & 14 in the same sheating thats unusual.
 
I've seen a lot of old wire but never anything like that.

In some old army barracks I came across some 2 wire cloth romex with an insulated hot and a bare neutral.
 
ivsenroute said:
Changed out an FPE for a Homeline 200/40 today. One of the 220 electric baseboard heat wires was not like the others. I could not read the insulation but it had a 12awg ungrounded conductor and a 14awg ungrounded.
The grounding conductor was about a 16awg. I could not find a splice in it anywhere to explain this.

Anyone ever come across this? Home was built in the 60's.

Crap, I meant to post this in the contractors business section, not here. Sorry
Click to expand...
It must be a manufacture mistake. How could they call it 12-2 if it isn't :confused:
 
OK, #12 with a #16 grounding conductor, is this a problem? No, it was large enough to trip the overcurrent device with no problem. However, it could not be used as a grounded conductor and a lot of people were doing just that.

Next, bad ol' day of no grounding conductors. What did you use a grounding conductor for in the bed room, living room, dining room, etc.? It wasn't needed and wasn't required. Now you need it for all the electronic equipment. :smile:
 
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