Assigning receptacles to circuits by office or proximity?

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xguard

Senior Member
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Baton Rouge, LA
For an office building, is it more common to have receptacles assigned to circuits based on the office the receptacles are located as opposed to the physical location of the receptacles. By physical location I mean grouping together receptacles that are in the same wall but opposite sides of the wall (serving adjacent rooms). It looks cleaner on my drawing to have them assigned by office, and I can make up examples where it makes more sense in some regards but seems potentially wasteful in terms of conduit, conductors, time, etc. as compared to grouping them based on their physical proximity.

Is there a consensus on how this should be done?

Thank you
 
For an office building, is it more common to have receptacles assigned to circuits based on the office the receptacles are located as opposed to the physical location of the receptacles. By physical location I mean grouping together receptacles that are in the same wall but opposite sides of the wall (serving adjacent rooms). It looks cleaner on my drawing to have them assigned by office, and I can make up examples where it makes more sense in some regards but seems potentially wasteful in terms of conduit, conductors, time, etc. as compared to grouping them based on their physical proximity.

Is there a consensus on how this should be done?

Thank you

Are you going to dedicate one circuit for each office? Or are you going to try to allow a certain amount of receptacles on each circuit?

It certainly would make it easier to mark the panel with one circuit for each office but I doubt you will find a consensus that this is the only/best way to do things.
 
Are you going to dedicate one circuit for each office? Or are you going to try to allow a certain amount of receptacles on each circuit?

It certainly would make it easier to mark the panel with one circuit for each office but I doubt you will find a consensus that this is the only/best way to do things.

3-5 receptacles per circuit was my plan.

That's a valid point about marking the panel. It seems impossible if they are serving multiple offices. I do intend to label all receptacles with the circuit number.
 
Put me in the by each office group... do you know what all these offices will have in them? Laser printers can be very power hungry on initial startup.
 
I always go by room, in my case classrooms. Much easier to locate the proper breaker. I realize it’s more circuits than you need, but our classrooms always get 3 circuits, mainly was due to MWBC’s at the time, but it still stands with either separate neutrals or 3 pole breaker. One on the teaching wall (front), one in the teachers station (back wall) and one split between the two side walls. Rarely have I had to add circuits or outlets in our district of nearly 1,000 classrooms.
Offices are about the same but fewer circuits. If I’m working in one office, they usually have requested the work. If I have to shut off the power to an adjacent office, they are usually less than thrilled. :rant:
 
I always go by room, in my case classrooms. Much easier to locate the proper breaker. I realize it’s more circuits than you need, but our classrooms always get 3 circuits, mainly was due to MWBC’s at the time, but it still stands with either separate neutrals or 3 pole breaker. One on the teaching wall (front), one in the teachers station (back wall) and one split between the two side walls. Rarely have I had to add circuits or outlets in our district of nearly 1,000 classrooms.
Offices are about the same but fewer circuits. If I’m working in one office, they usually have requested the work. If I have to shut off the power to an adjacent office, they are usually less than thrilled. :rant:

Good Point!!
 
Put me in the by each office group... do you know what all these offices will have in them? Laser printers can be very power hungry on initial startup.
Worse yet when they have a couple hundred page print job in progress.
 
For an office building, is it more common to have receptacles assigned to circuits based on the office the receptacles are located as opposed to the physical location of the receptacles. By physical location I mean grouping together receptacles that are in the same wall but opposite sides of the wall (serving adjacent rooms). It looks cleaner on my drawing to have them assigned by office, and I can make up examples where it makes more sense in some regards but seems potentially wasteful in terms of conduit, conductors, time, etc. as compared to grouping them based on their physical proximity.

Is there a consensus on how this should be done?

Thank you

I look at the panel location and try to keep the left side odd numbers, right side even numbers of the hallways all things indexed to North; left to right, top to bottom, front to back.
It helps piping the job, identifying circuits, cleaner landing in the panel, in the field many times what is on the print for room numbers isn't what ends up on the door.
 
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