Outdoor Lighting Circuit/Conductor Protection

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alcornjr

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I have an outdoor lighting circuit being fed from a 50A breaker. Some lights on this circuit are split off inside a JB to a canopy where a #10 Wire is used for those lights only that equal approximately 5 amps. Lighting distance for this split-off is about 30 feet.

Do I need to put a fuse in that JB to protect the #10 Wire that feeds these few lights?

Thank You For Your Time
 
Do you really need a 50 amp breaker or was that chosen based on the wire size used for voltage drop?

Not very likely you can leave the 10 AWG AND the fixtures at the far end protected by a 50 amp breaker.

Check out 210.23(C) about the fixtures...do they have "heavy duty lampholders"?

For the 10 AWG check out 240.20 and 240.21 and see if you can find a way to allow the 10 AWG.

BTW, don't forget 250.122(B).
 
Thank You Bob

The 50A breaker is used for the overall load of the CKT. About 39A load X 125% & use next breaker size.

The fixtures do have heavy duty lampholders. The load for the tap conductors themselves (#10 AWG) will be about 5 amps and the tap conductors themselves are less than 100 feet in length.

Still I don't see if fuses are needed in the JB for those fixtures on the tap. I see the code has exceptions to OCP using the conductor itself as OCP. Don't know if this applies to outdoor lighting circuits using tap conductors.

Any other opinions are appreciated.

Thanks again.

John
 
alcornjr said:
The load for the tap conductors themselves (#10 AWG) will be about 5 amps and the tap conductors themselves are less than 100 feet in length.

Still I don't see if fuses are needed in the JB for those fixtures on the tap. I see the code has exceptions to OCP using the conductor itself as OCP. Don't know if this applies to outdoor lighting circuits using tap conductors.

Any other opinions are appreciated.
Click to expand...
As if you could stop us! :)

These are not tap conductors in the tap-conductor-rules sense, they are branch-circuit conductors, and should be protected within their ampacity; in this case, 30a.

Most rules are specific, not broad, in their coverage. One allowance does not cover all.
 
Pierre C Belarge said:
Larry
Take a look at the exception to 210.19(A)(4).
Click to expand...

Pierre, are you sure about that. I don't see any of the situations in the op.

Exception No. 1: Tap conductors shall have an ampacity sufficient 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 (fixtures) with taps extending not longer than 450 mm (18 in.) beyond any portion of the lampholder or luminaire (fixture).
(b) A fixture having tap conductors as provided in 410.67. (18")
(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.
Rick
 
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