Residential Wiring

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rjdellinger

New member
Location
Pennsylvania
I am wiring a family room with 12/3 w/ground. The black wire will be used to energize outlets and red wire will be used to energize lighting. Is it permissible to energize the the two hot wires with opposite phases? In other words, may I energize the black wire from the left side of the breaker panel and the red wire from the right side of the panel?
 
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bennie

Esteemed Member
Re: Residential Wiring

Have an electrician check for 240 volts between the black and red wire.

Good luck: Bennie
 
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randyo

Member
Location
Maryland
Re: Residential Wiring

I think the easy answer is NO BUT YES!!!

your question is a bit tricky to respond to.

First off, your left side vs. right side.
If you run 12/3 from your pannel It MUST be on a double poll breaker. So .... what is the deffinition of a double poll breaker, you might ask. Well it just so happens that it DOES pull one lead off of the right side and one from the left... So your answer is NO, YOU cant wire it that way BUT the breaker does it for you.....so there you go... as for the wiring of the receptcles.. NO!!! the black on one side and the red on the other will give you a 220v recpt.
HOWEVER, if you ment the top recp with the black and the botton with the red... then yes you can do that... If you know how...

Sa for the recpt and lighting thing, I dont quite get it, so I will leave it alone...

But allow me to be the first(second realy) to sugest that you DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME.
It may seen easy to pull cables through walls but hooking it all up and doing it right are three different things.
the first will ware you out, the second can kill you, the third can kill your whole family.

SO, MY attitude(may differ from the general concesus here) if you are bent on doing it your self.. DO four things first.
#1, buy and read as much as you can...
#2, find freinds that are pros or have done it before to help.
#3, Get a copy of the 2002 NEC and read it cover to cover
#4, Keep asking questions untill you are sure you have the right answer. (that does mean us)


So happy wireing and PLEASE notify your next of kin first.
 
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inspector 102

Senior Member
Location
Northern Indiana
Re: Residential Wiring

It would appear that you are attempting to create separate circuits using a share neutral. If this is the case, you must utilize a handle tie between the overcurrent devices to ensure that all energize components. Why not utilize one circuit as a home run to the first switch, then swith the red line and leave the black line continuos hot.
 
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racraft

Senior Member
Re: Residential Wiring

I will attempt to answer your question, but please first answer some that have been posed here. Specifically, by "lighting" do you mean one or more light fixtures controlled by switches, or do you mean lights plugged into outlets that are controlled by switches?
 
don_resqcapt19

don_resqcapt19

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Illinois
Occupation
retired electrician
Re: Residential Wiring

inspector 102
It would appear that you are attempting to create separate circuits using a share neutral. If this is the case, you must utilize a handle tie between the overcurrent devices to ensure that all energize components.
Click to expand...
Please quote the code section that requires handle ties.
Don
 
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inspector 102

Senior Member
Location
Northern Indiana
Re: Residential Wiring

racraft - I am referring to the top half of a receptacle being switched while the bottom half remains energized. Be sure a break the tab on the "hot" side only so the neutral is shared
don_resqcapt19 - Section 210.4(B) refers to multiwire branch circuits. This would be when two separate circuits are supply one device or equipment.
 
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racraft

Senior Member
Re: Residential Wiring

Thanks inspector 102, but I understand exactly what you are saying. What I want to know is what the original poster is asking about.

If he wants to do what you are suggesting then I agree with you, he should probably run 12/2 to the switch and then 12/3 to each duplex outlet, with the red wire being switched.

However, I get the impression he wants to do something else.
 
don_resqcapt19

don_resqcapt19

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Illinois
Occupation
retired electrician
Re: Residential Wiring

inspector,
I just don't read the original question as having both hots on the same yoke. You are, of course, correct if both hots are on a common yoke.
Don
 
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a.wayne3@verizon.net

Guest
Re: Residential Wiring

Don agreed if the multi wire branch circuit supplies ONE yoke then it has to have a handle tie so as to break BOTH ungrounded conductors at the same time 210.4 b,it doesn`t sound like this is the senario.Sounds like he just wants to run a 12/3 home run and split the 2 circuits to supply the lighting and receptacles respectively.We do this all the time,and insure that on trim out the 2 circuits are on seperate phases 210.11 b
 
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