General Purpose branch circuit and refrigerators

[stickboy1375]

This is how I am reading it now, and in a way it makes sense. I believe the reasoning behind is the assumption that a short circuit in an applience a user has connected to a receptacle is higher than the risk of a short circuit in a ceiling light, which the user will interact less with.

In the event of a short circuit, you do not want to loose the light in the room, as then you can not find your way safely to the breaker box. By totally separating the light circuits from the receptacle circuits you are lowering the chance of ending up with no light in a room in the event of a short circuit somewhere in the system.

I recall from Northern Europe, that we do NOT separate the two circuits. Guess what: when something went bad, you sat there in complete darkness, wishing you were a smoker and thus equiped with a lighter to show you the way to the breaker box

I don't believe that is the reason at all, other wise we would just be required to install emergency lighting. IMO, it's simply a load issue...

 

[tallguy]

I recall from Northern Europe, that we do NOT separate the two circuits. Guess what: when something went bad, you sat there in complete darkness, wishing you were a smoker and thus equiped with a lighter to show you the way to the breaker box

This is the reason that I've always heard that it is bad design practice to wire an entire room on one circuit -- regardless of whether or not it is allowed per NEC.

I think there has to be more to 210.52(B) than that though since it only applies to SABCs. Why so much more important to be concerned about this here rather than a bedroom, living room, or (worse) pitch dark basement?

 

[LarryFine]

I think there has to be more to 210.52(B) than that though since it only applies to SABCs. Why so much more important to be concerned about this here rather than a bedroom, living room, or (worse) pitch dark basement?

Maybe because a malfunctioning appliance that takes out a lighting circuit could plunge someone into darkness while surrounded by dangerously-hot surfaces and equipment.

 

[stickboy1375]

Maybe because a malfunctioning appliance that takes out a lighting circuit could plunge someone into darkness while surrounded by dangerously-hot surfaces and equipment.

And theres a difference between this and a POCO failure?

 

[iwire]

And theres a difference between this and a POCO failure?

I was thinking the same thing.

Short of installing EBUs (I have a couple in my house) you can not count on the lights.

 

[tallguy]

And theres a difference between this and a POCO failure?

Which, incidentally, is way more likely to occur than a branch CB tripping. We have POCO failures here once or twice a year on average. Can't recall the last time a CB tripped (except around the holidays -- known issues).

When I lived in Maine we had POCO failures of about 1-2 minutes on a monthly basis it seemed. Supposedly this was necessary for "regular maintenance". Ridiculous.