Disposal on #14 protected at 20 amps ?

[mxslick]

The pig draws 4.5 amps so no chance of overload. The #14 is the romex going to the receptacle under the sink. So what i have is a motor on #14. I know the hole setup violates nec but has worked fine for 11 years. I will in time likely fix it right. The place was built in 73 so has a few issues and i been fixing as time permits. I usually am over on what i install but this was something i just discovered while remodeling. This one of them i wont get paid type jobs.

Hmm, let's see..4.5 amps on a momentary load, the only part of the run (if I understand this correctly) is the run from the switch to the disposall receptacle, it has held up nicely for 11 years.

Table 310-16 lists 60deg C insulated 14 ga wire in a cable as 20 amps (if 90deg C it's 25 amps) with of course the Sec.240 reference for an OCPD of 15 amps.

What all this says to me is leave it alone! The downgraded OCPD is based on feed/home runs which would be subject to long-term loads and multiple devices in use, so this short piece to the disposall is one Code violation I wouldn't even lose sleep over.

There were (until inspectors caught on, correctly I will add) many homes wired with #14 switch legs with #12 feeds. Again, although a technical violation, from a REAL-WORLD viewpoint, not a latent fire hazard.

 

[mxslick]

EDITED TO ADD: Apologizing in advance for the duplicate posts, but the thread was not showing my last post until after I posted this one..strange. Mods/admin, have your server checked since this happened to others on other threads, you have a node or drive going bad.

The pig draws 4.5 amps so no chance of overload. The #14 is the romex going to the receptacle under the sink. So what i have is a motor on #14. I know the hole setup violates nec but has worked fine for 11 years. I will in time likely fix it right. The place was built in 73 so has a few issues and i been fixing as time permits. I usually am over on what i install but this was something i just discovered while remodeling. This one of them i wont get paid type jobs.

Ok, so you have a 4.5 amp intermittent load , user controlled by a switch, with a short length of #14 on a 20 amp OCPD.

This is one area where even though the Code says it's not right, there is NO latent fire hazard here.

Table 310-16 (ref. 1999 NEC, book I have on hand) says a #14 60deg C conductor is rated at 20 amps and a 90deg C #14 is good for 25 amps. Of course there is the magic asterisk sending you to Sec, 240-3 which limits the OCPD to 15 amps.

But, the intent of the 240-3 citation is to prevent excessive temperature rise in a #14 that say feeds a branch circuit which would have multiple receptacles or loads and could possibly be loaded to 20 amps continuously (but if you think about it, if the wire can according to the table handle 20 amps, why the restriction?)

In short, why go through the hassle of changing it out? It is a minor thing in the big picture and not one I would lose sleep over.

And remember that for some time (until the inspectors/AHJ's caught on) it was common practice to install #14 switch loops on a #12 lighting circuit. Again, although not Code-Compliant, unless you're feeding a huge chandelier I fail to see a hazard.