Fluorescent lighting whips

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Smokeyhill

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West Virginia
There has been a huge argument break out at work about lighting whips. I could really use a code verification to solve this issue and break up a fight between to electricians. Here is the scenario:

Our warehouse is installing some new fluorescent lighting in an area for future use. Each lighting circuit is 20A 120V. We are running 12ga THHN in 3/4 pipe as the main feed, with a J-box at each light. One electrician wants to use standard 14/2 MC as the lighting whips which will be less than 6 feet long. The other electrician insists that 14/2 MC is illegal and all whips must be 12/2 MC. Can anyone please reference the code that proves one way or the other right? I'm fairly new at this job. At my last company, we daisy chained 12/2 in and out of the lights, so this was never an issue. I really need a code reference here before these guys kill each other.
 
Smokeyhill said:
There has been a huge argument break out at work about lighting whips. I could really use a code verification to solve this issue and break up a fight between to electricians. Here is the scenario:

Our warehouse is installing some new fluorescent lighting in an area for future use. Each lighting circuit is 20A 120V. We are running 12ga THHN in 3/4 pipe as the main feed, with a J-box at each light. One electrician wants to use standard 14/2 MC as the lighting whips which will be less than 6 feet long. The other electrician insists that 14/2 MC is illegal and all whips must be 12/2 MC. Can anyone please reference the code that proves one way or the other right? I'm fairly new at this job. At my last company, we daisy chained 12/2 in and out of the lights, so this was never an issue. I really need a code reference here before these guys kill each other.
Click to expand...


I would look at 240.5 (B) (2)


edit: after looking at article 402, I am not sure 240.5 (B)(2) will apply to your situation. You mentioned standard 14/2 MC, not fixture wiring.
 
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Odds are that you could even use 18awg in those whips so long as it is only going to the lay in fixture and not daisy chaining because they would then be classified as tap conductors.

You will often see this with lay in fixtures that come with supplied whips.
 
iwire said:
Not with common THHN or THWN, it would have to be a wire listed as a fixture wire.
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I agree, the smallest THHN/THWN is #14 so it would need to be a different insulation type if it were smaller than #14.
 
So, in a nutshell, it is the opinion of this forum that #14 MC can't be used to feed fixtures on a 20 amp branch circuit because they are not listed fixture wires. Is that correct?
 
Strathead said:
So, in a nutshell, it is the opinion of this forum that #14 MC can't be used to feed fixtures on a 20 amp branch circuit because they are not listed fixture wires. Is that correct?
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Yes, even though you could use a #18 fixture wire whip you cannot make that same whip out of #14 MC cable unless that cable were constructed with listed fixture wires.
 
infinity said:
Yes, even though you could use a #18 fixture wire whip you cannot make that same whip out of #14 MC cable unless that cable were constructed with listed fixture wires.
Click to expand...


Sir, my interpretation of 410.117 and 210.19 (A)(4) would allow 14 AWG MC cable to be used on a 20 amp circuit as long as the whips were under 6' and the wire was rated for the temperature encountered in the fixture.

Is this incorrect?

210.19 (A)(4) allows:

(4) Other Loads. Branch-circuit conductors that supply
loads other than those specified in 210.2 and other than
cooking appliances as covered in 210.19(A)(3) shall have
an ampacity sufficient for the loads served and shall not be
smaller than 14 AWG.


Exception No. 1: Tap conductors shall have an ampacity
suffıcient for the load served. In addition, they shall have an
ampacity of not less than 15 for circuits rated less than 40
amperes and not less than 20 for circuits rated at 40 or 50
amperes and only where these tap conductors supply any of
the following loads:



(a) Individual lampholders or luminaires with taps extending
not longer than 450 mm (18 in.) beyond any portion
of the lampholder or luminaire.
(b) A luminaire having tap conductors as provided in
410.117.
(c) Individual outlets, other than receptacle outlets,
with taps not over 450 mm (18 in.) long.
(d) Infrared lamp industrial heating appliances.
(e) Nonheating leads of deicing and snow-melting
cables and mats.
Exception No. 2: Fixture wires and flexible cords shall be
permitted to be smaller than 14 AWG as permitted by
240.5.





410.117 (C) Tap Conductors: Tap conductors of a type suitable
the temperature encountered shall be permitted to be run from
the luminaire terminal connection to an outlet box placed at
least 300 mm (1 ft) from the luminaire. Such tap conductors
shall be in suitable raceway or Type AC or MC cable
of at least 450 mm (18 in.) but not more than 1.8 m (6 ft) in
length.
 
Saturn_Europa said:
Sir, my interpretation of 410.117 and 210.19 (A)(4) would allow 14 AWG MC cable to be used on a 20 amp circuit as long as the whips were under 6' and the wire was rated for the temperature encountered in the fixture.

Is this incorrect?

210.19 (A)(4) allows:

(4) Other Loads. Branch-circuit conductors that supply
loads other than those specified in 210.2 and other than
cooking appliances as covered in 210.19(A)(3) shall have
an ampacity sufficient for the loads served and shall not be
smaller than 14 AWG.


Exception No. 1: Tap conductors shall have an ampacity
suffıcient for the load served. In addition, they shall have an
ampacity of not less than 15 for circuits rated less than 40
amperes and not less than 20 for circuits rated at 40 or 50
amperes and only where these tap conductors supply any of
the following loads:



(a) Individual lampholders or luminaires with taps extending
not longer than 450 mm (18 in.) beyond any portion
of the lampholder or luminaire.
(b) A luminaire having tap conductors as provided in
410.117.
(c) Individual outlets, other than receptacle outlets,
with taps not over 450 mm (18 in.) long.
(d) Infrared lamp industrial heating appliances.
(e) Nonheating leads of deicing and snow-melting
cables and mats.
Exception No. 2: Fixture wires and flexible cords shall be
permitted to be smaller than 14 AWG as permitted by
240.5.





410.117 (C) Tap Conductors: Tap conductors of a type suitable
the temperature encountered shall be permitted to be run from
the luminaire terminal connection to an outlet box placed at
least 300 mm (1 ft) from the luminaire. Such tap conductors
shall be in suitable raceway or Type AC or MC cable
of at least 450 mm (18 in.) but not more than 1.8 m (6 ft) in
length.
Click to expand...

410.117 applies to the wiring between the lamp socket and the fixture junction box.
 
410.117 (C) Tap Conductors: Tap conductors of a type suitablethe temperature encountered shall be permitted to be run from
the luminaire terminal connection to an outlet box placed at
least 300 mm (1 ft) from the luminaire. Such tap conductors
shall be in suitable raceway or Type AC or MC cable
of at least 450 mm (18 in.) but not more than 1.8 m (6 ft) in
length.




 
Luminaire whips

Luminaire whips

From what I understand in 410:52/402.5 saying that the wire with the right insulation characteristics-THHN is ok fixture wire and the
410:117C ok's an MC tap? The question is: does tap mean a lesser gauge wire whose ampacity is good for 20 anyhow.
 
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