Reflections on Receptacle Spacing

[north star]

= $ =

renosteinke,

You are not the norm or typical electrical component
user........I would venture to say that "the masses" aren't
too concerned with placement of receptacles, switches,
etc. either, hence, the codes only meets the minimum.
While doing your remodel, as long as you meet the
minimum requirements, you're good!

If the "rules" did not exist, as has been in the past,
...anyone could do what they want, and anarchy would
ensue, ...again!.......Also, if you [ or others ] build
something in a location NOT to the minimums, and
for some reason you move away from that location,
the AHJ is stuck with what has been constructed.

The codes; while they seem to be a lot of minutia, have
developed for a reason......Unfortunately, they do not
cover every single aspect of what every individual
wants or desires for their living conditions........No
disrespect to you, but in a lot of areas around this
planet, the minimums are not being met, and peoples
lives change, ...sometimes rather quickly.

= $ =

 

[Open Neutral]

Until you have the occasional outlet that is dedicated to a specific load that uses most of the capacity of the circuit:happyyes:

I have found that 95% of the time, people covet devices over amps.

 

[renosteinke]

Right - that's definitely an issue, and not one directly addressed by the code.

An example is my kitchen counter- where it's quite easy to overload a circuit. Even under the latestcode, where you have two SABC's, it's quite possible to have the toaster, microwave,and coffeepot all going at the same time in the morning. Or, in the evening, the electric skillet, the bread machine, the microwave, and the crock pot going. No matter how you wire the counters, they all just might be on the same circuit. Add a space heater to the mix, and an overload becomes quite likely.

Maybe I'm not the 'typical' user .... but who is? " Typical is but an average of all our individual quirks. Think of code rules as a 'one size fits most' solution. Every now and then, we need to compare our 'rules of thumb' to the actual conditions. My 'temporary' wiring has given me a rare, actual opportunity to compare 'utility' to 'codebook.'

It's not a 'legal' question as much as it's a design question. Look at your own home, and compare where your loads are in reference where your receptacles are. If you were building anew, what would you do different?

Nor is this a 'one-time' exercise. Our lives continue to change. That cute pic of the TV and the wall of receptacles might make you smile, but .... when you think about it, look at how the TV has influenced our trade. Ten years ago no one ever put a receptacle 60" up in the middle of a wall - then the flat screen TV came out and changed the way we live.

 

[Open Neutral]

An example is my kitchen counter- where it's quite easy to overload a circuit. Even under the latestcode, where you have two SABC's, it's quite possible to have the toaster, microwave,and coffeepot all going at the same time in the morning. Or, in the evening, the electric skillet, the bread machine, the microwave, and the crock pot going. No matter how you wire the counters, they all just might be on the same circuit. Add a space heater to the mix, and an overload becomes quite likely.

I regard the two issues: # of outlets, # of circuits as if not antiparallel, at least in different planes. (Well, you CAN say "At least one outlet per circuit" ¹...) But does 4 outlets on a circuit, split between 2 boxes, create more or less overloads than doing so with 4 in one box?

That cute pic of the TV and the wall of receptacles might make you smile, but .... when you think about it, look at how the TV has influenced our trade. Ten years ago no one ever put a receptacle 60" up in the middle of a wall - then the flat screen TV came out and changed the way we live.

Here is my POV. We don't have a TV plugged in anymore; rather a TV, a DVR, a cable box, the WiFI adapter & a DVD player. Or in my case, since I don't bow to cable gods AND I'm antediluvian: A TV, 2 CECB's, and a genuine VHS/DVD machine. In either case that outlet wall looks attractive; where do I order it?


1: Is splitting an outlet between 2 circuits {still/ever} legal? I recall doing so for a microwave and dorm fridge....but the statue of limitations has expired.