paralleling branch circuit conductors ?

[ritelec]

Hello.

Will Parellelling two 14-2 bx's be dangerous?

In an attic area there where two open slices right next to each other

Each open splice went into the same fixture right below it. So power with open splice came into light and power out of light with open splice. The light also had another power out of it

I boxes the open splices in one box. Without thinking I spliced the power in and out "and" the two 10" pieces going into the light ( not seperating the in and out to the light but Parellelling them )

Is this 10" parallization dangerous ?
Should I loose sleep over it and rewire it immediately or change it another day ?

I don't see an issue but thought I'd I ask

Thank you

 

[ActionDave]

I would sleep one night and get up in the morning and go fix it. You have a clear violation of 310.4.

 

[Smart $]

I would sleep one night and get up in the morning and go fix it. You have a clear violation of 310.4.

Allowed for the first violation. No sleep permitted on subsequent violations.

 

[ritelec]

Yes. Agreed. Thank you.

 

[JFletcher]

So, you have 2 10" sections of 14/2 feeding one light that draws maybe an amp instead of one 14/2? on a 15A breaker?

If this is correct, I am going back to bed, and should I pull a Rip Van Winkle, I doubt I'd have a nightmare over this.

 

[kwired]

If you rewire it immediately you shouldn't have the chance to lose any sleep over it. Unless you were planning on taking a nap before immediately rewiring it.

 

[ritelec]

So, you have 2 10" sections of 14/2 feeding one light that draws maybe an amp instead of one 14/2? on a 15A breaker?

If this is correct, I am going back to bed, and should I pull a Rip Van Winkle, I doubt I'd have a nightmare over this.

thats what I was thinking...( would of actually been 2 bulbs and a couple plugs :- ) )

but it's all good. went and rewired it...


was wondering how the current flow would have been though ... coming and going from all different directions ??

truly running in parallel ?? or in on one hot and back on the other neutral ??

all of the above ??


well, it's corrected so ....

thanks all.

 

[JFletcher]

thats what I was thinking...( would of actually been 2 bulbs and a couple plugs :- ) )

but it's all good. went and rewired it...


was wondering how the current flow would have been though ... coming and going from all different directions ??

truly running in parallel ?? or in on one hot and back on the other neutral ??

all of the above ??


well, it's corrected so ....

thanks all.

The hots and neutrals have to be in the same cable/conduit. Paralleling conductors smaller than 1/0 Cu is a separate violation. But if you had 2 14/2 where one would suffice, *roughly* half the current would flow on each, assuming they are almost the same length, material, and wire type (Cu/Cu vs Cu/Al).

What you describe is a violation, but not nearly the same thing as running 2 14/2 in place of 10/2 to, say, a water heater on a 30A breaker. If, over time, you lost the hot on one side and the neutral on the other, and the cables werent grouped closely together, there could be problems.

There are millions of unintentional parallel neutrals in small (<10ga) wiring across the US and houses aren't burning down daily because of it, tho it makes installing AFCI breakers... 'interesting'.