Garage 20 amp circuit

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peter d

peter d

Senior Member
Location
New England
I've been having a friendly dispute with some coworkers. We wire a lot of new houses and the standard practice is to wire garages like this - one 15 amp circuit for the garage door opener, which is protected by accessible receptacle GFCI on an adjacent wall to protect it. Sometimes the garage lights are on the same circuit. The rest of the garage outlets are on a separate 20 amp circuit. I don't believe this is compliant. I read the code as the require all garage outlets to be on a 20 amp circuit without exception.

What say you?
 
Here is the article

(G) Basements, Garages, and Accessory Buildings. For one andtwo- family dwellings, at least one receptacle outlet shall be
installed in the areas specified in 210.52(G)(1) through (3).
These receptacles shall be in addition to receptacles required
for specific equipment.
(1) Garages. In each attached garage and in each detached
garage with electric power, at least one receptacle outlet shall
be installed in each vehicle bay and not more than 1.7 m
(51∕2 ft) above the floor.
Click to expand...


(4) Garage Branch Circuits. In addition to the number of
branch circuits required by other parts of this section, at least
one 120-volt, 20-ampere branch circuit shall be installed to
supply receptacle outlets in attached garages and in detached
garages with electric power. This circuit shall have no other
outlets.
Exception: This circuit shall be permitted to supply readily accessible
outdoor receptacle outlets.
Click to expand...
 
infinity said:
Where does (C)(4) say that the 20 amp circuit must supply all receptacles?
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It doesn't. As I see it, if you have one 20A circuit supplying receptacles (and nothing else, such as lights), you can install additional circuits to do whatever you please.

Edited to add: See the article that Dennis quoted in Post 5. It acknowledges that there may be other receptacles for specific equipment. I would include the door opener in that category. So I don't see a violation in using a 15 amp circuit for the door opener, as long as you have at least one 20A circuit feeding receptacles. I can also see including the lights with the door opener.

 
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As I read what Peter wrote-- the 20 amp receptacle circuit had lights on it. I see that is not correct. Now if you have one garage door opener and it draws more than 7.5 amps you will have a problem with 210.23(A)(2)
 
Dennis Alwon said:
As I read what Peter wrote-- the 20 amp receptacle circuit had lights on it. I see that is not correct. Now if you have one garage door opener and it draws more than 7.5 amps you will have a problem with 210.23(A)(2)
Click to expand...


No, the 15 amp circuit has the lights on it. The 20 amp was outlets only.
 
charlie b said:
It doesn't. As I see it, if you have one 20A circuit supplying receptacles (and nothing else, such as lights), you can install additional circuits to do whatever you please.

Edited to add: See the article that Dennis quoted in Post 5. It acknowledges that there may be other receptacles for specific equipment. I would include the door opener in that category. So I don't see a violation in using a 15 amp circuit for the door opener, as long as you have at least one 20A circuit feeding receptacles. I can also see including the lights with the door opener.
Click to expand...

The door opener is plugged into a receptacle outlet. Why would it be exempt from the 20 amp requirement? :huh:

"4) Garage Branch Circuits. In addition to the number of
branch circuits required by other parts of this section, at least
one 120-volt, 20-ampere branch circuit shall be installed to
supply receptacle outlets in attached garages and in detached
garages with electric power. "
 
peter d said:
The door opener is plugged into a receptacle outlet. Why would it be exempt from the 20 amp requirement? :huh:

"4) Garage Branch Circuits. In addition to the number of
branch circuits required by other parts of this section, at least
one 120-volt, 20-ampere branch circuit shall be installed to
supply receptacle outlets in attached garages and in detached
garages with electric power. "
Click to expand...

The wording in that section does not say that it must supply all of the receptacle outlets in the garage.
 
Hi guys, I am in house industrial and have learned to only install 20 amp receptacles. The only houses I work on are mine and my daughters and still only use 20 amp outlets. Is there really that much of a cost savings with 15 as opposed to 20 amp?

Steve
 
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