MWBC

[sparkyapprentice0311]

I have a question for the experienced guys. So here's the situation. My sister and brother in law demoed out a wall to make their kitchen and living room more open. There was a receptacle on each side of the wall.Every room has a switched receptacle for floor lamps. Instead of using my brain and pulling the romex up into the attic and mounting it to a truss, I decided to cut the romex and to pull it into the attic. Great, the living room lights don't work as well as the garage lights, also some of the receptacles don't work as well. I go up into the attic where I pushed the romex up and notice that I have a 14/2 and a 12/3. There's 12/3 in the kitchen going to a receptacle and a two gang switch box that has a switch for the recep and it also turns on the lights in the garage. I know that this is something that should be simple to figure out but I feel like an idiot. I traced the 12/3 back to the panel and it appears to be a home run. The 14/2 has voltage going to it but it's coming from a junction box in the garage. Insults are welcome but I would appreciate feedback with those insults! haha

 

[Dennis Alwon]

The 12/3 is probably for receptacles on the kitchen counter. The 14/2 is probably feeding receptacles in their living room but without a lot more info this is hard to guess

 

[sparkyapprentice0311]

The 12/3 is probably for receptacles on the kitchen counter. The 14/2 is probably feeding receptacles in their living room but without a lot more info this is hard to guess

I tried to edit my post but it wasn't approved yet. After thinking about it. Every recep is back stabbed instead of pig tailed and would cause everything else down the line to fail. Which from my schooling and 2 years of experience tells me that it's essentially a series circuit. So the 14/2 supplied the living room. So if I add receps to the 12/3, breaking the tab off on the line side and to the 14/2 it should resolve the issue?

 

[Little Bill]

I tried to edit my post but it wasn't approved yet. After thinking about it. Every recep is back stabbed instead of pig tailed and would cause everything else down the line to fail. Which from my schooling and 2 years of experience tells me that it's essentially a series circuit. So the 14/2 supplied the living room. So if I add receps to the 12/3, breaking the tab off on the line side and to the 14/2 it should resolve the issue?

The simplest thing for you to do is go into the attic and add junction boxes and splice back the wires you cut. The 12-3 to 12-3 and 14-2 to 14-2. Get everything back working, then you can move/add receptacles as needed. Not sure what you meant by braking the tabs on the line side for 12-3 and 14-2, but you can't mix the two on the same circuit unless it was a 15A circuit.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

The op is talking about the tabs on the recep. but I am confused by his 12/3 and 14./2 in the same sentence

 

[oldsparky52]

The op is talking about the tabs on the recep. but I am confused by his 12/3 and 14./2 in the same sentence

I took it (like you said) that the 12/3 was a HR for the kitchen receptacles and the 14/2 was part of the lighting/gen purpose circuit.

 

[oldsparky52]

I So if I add receps to the 12/3, breaking the tab off on the line side and to the 14/2 it should resolve the issue?

No! Do not connect the 14/2 circuit with the 12's, anywhere.

 

[oldsparky52]

What did the 14/2 that you cut land (both ends)? Do you know?

 

[sparkyapprentice0311]

The simplest thing for you to do is go into the attic and add junction boxes and splice back the wires you cut. The 12-3 to 12-3 and 14-2 to 14-2. Get everything back working, then you can move/add receptacles as needed. Not sure what you meant by braking the tabs on the line side for 12-3 and 14-2, but you can't mix the two on the same circuit unless it was a 15A circuit.

It's just one 12/3 and one 14/2. The 12/3 is switched. So if I break off the tab from the gold screw terminal side, it would make the top part of the duplex recep continuous and the bottom side switched? As far as the 14/2 goes. Just land that on a different receptacle?

 

[sparkyapprentice0311]

What did the 14/2 that you cut land (both ends)? Do you know?

It landed on a receptacle that was in the living room, i'm assuming. I'm heading over there now so I was going to ring out that 14/2 with another recep that's behind their couch in the living room.

 

[sparkyapprentice0311]

No! Do not connect the 14/2 circuit with the 12's, anywhere.

Ha, sorry. I get excited when I talk about electrical. The 12/3 is for the kitchen, i'm guessing. Any kitchen i've ever worked in has been 12awg. I wasn't going to land the 12/3 and 14/2 together.

 

[hbiss]

I traced the 12/3 back to the panel and it appears to be a home run.

Ok. You mention MWBC in your title. Since you traced this cable back to the panel, did you think to see what breakers the red and black are on? Maybe one is 20A and the other 15A? That might provide part of this puzzle.

The 12/3 is switched...

If it's a home run how can it be switched? Missing a lot of information here.

-Hal

 

[roger]

I'm sorry but this is above your experience and you should have an electrician you work with help you, with that said I am closing this thread.

Roger