tap rule

[kbrandt]

Hey guys, wondering if you could help me.

I went to a house today and they have a 60 amp 2 pole breakers going to a j-box and terminating on landing lugs. Well off the bottom part of the lugs they are going to a waterheater with #10-30 amp waterheater a foot or 2 away. Then off the bottom of the lugs they are feeding a stove 50 amps, about 18 feet away. Is this legal?

I suggested to the owner to put each on separate circuit. I don't think they have had any problems, but this is a rental and the owner wants it to code.

Thanks for any reply,
Kevin

 

[augie47]

You state 60 amp 2 pole breakers, is that 1 2 pole to the stove and 1 2 pole to the water heater or just one two-pole breaker ?
(a problem, either way..but for clarification)

 

[charlie b]

As Gus said, it is not legal in either case. You mentioned the tap rule in the title of this thread. There are indeed rules that sometimes allow you to connect smaller wires to larger wires, and they are spelled out in the tap rules of 240.21.

One overriding consideration of all the tap rules is that, given that you are not protecting the smaller wire with its own (smaller rated) overcurrent device at the point of its connection to the larger wire, you must instead provide that overcurrent protection at the load end of the smaller wire. Your description did not include a separate breaker or fuse at the location of the water heater or the stove. So right there I know that this will not satisfy any of the tap rules. I don?t need to look up any rules about lengths of the tap, or relative ampacities of the smaller and larger wires, for that is a fatal flaw by itself.

Regarding the notion that they haven?t had any problems, that is not really a surprise. This is a situation that could remain in place for decades, and never result in any fires, sparks, injuries, or other problems. That does not make it safe. All conductors are required to be protected against overcurrent. The purpose of the overcurrent protection is to prevent fires and other issues. The installation you described has no such protection.

 

[kbrandt]

Sorry put an s at the end. It is one 2 pole 60 amp breaker to lugs. #10 to a disconnect a foot away then to waterheater, but does not have a disconnect or breaker to the stove. Just right off the lugs to the stove.

 

[augie47]

as charlieb states, you will be in violation of the tap rule primarily due to the lack of your "tap" terminating in an overcurrent device.
In addition: (a) You didn't state a wire size, but under today's Code the temperature limitations on NM and SE cable would likely put your wire in violation; (b) the 60 amp overcurrent is most likely a violation of the overcurrent protection clause of 422 Part II; (c) Straight-wiring of both appliances without a disconnect means is most likely a violation of 422 Part III.