20 Amp Circuits

[electrofelon]

Yes, thats what I mean. You can pickup more outlets with a 20a circ than with a 15a circ, which means less circuits and less AFCI circuit breakers. The cost difference between #12 and #14 wire is not as bad as the breaker cost. Personally, the only #14 that I would use in a house is 14-3 for the smoke/co detectors.

IMO using #12 for lighting is a huge PIA. I don't see saving a breaker or two by going to #12 resulting in any savings in the end.

 

[James L]

IMO using #12 for lighting is a huge PIA. I don't see saving a breaker or two by going to #12 resulting in any savings in the end.

It's not any savings.
12/2 costs 50% more than 14/2 but allows only 33% more openings. Then the time making up, refiguring circuit paths to avoid overfilling boxes, etc...

All to save $150 on 3 breakers

 

[augie47]

I've always been a #14 lighting guy. Ease of connections and now the reality of low load LEDs.
As an inspector, eith the Carlon boxes prevelant in this area, unless one is very careful, with 3w and 4w switching I can almost guarantee a box fill problem on a house that is all #12.

 

[Little Bill]

I've always been a #14 lighting guy. Ease of connections and now the reality of low load LEDs.
As an inspector, eith the Carlon boxes prevelant in this area, unless one is very careful, with 3w and 4w switching I can almost guarantee a box fill problem on a house that is all #12.

Yes, yes, and YES!!!

 

[brantmacga]

it's such a common practice here to wire everything commercial on minimum 20 amp circuits, nobody even thinks twice about it. Even though it's not an NEC requirement, that would be beyond sacrilegious. That would be akin to a mortal sin.

I can’t think of a single commercial project I’ve done that didn’t specify #12 minimum on the drawings. I get it on receps, but it doesn’t make sense to me to use 20A lighting circuits when they’re typically loaded to less than 30-40%, if that. It’s not just a waste of money, but it’s a waste of resources in the extra copper used.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[zbang]

They use metric amps.

Um.... amps are metric (and volts and watts, too).