Try n clarify
Try n clarify
What we have is a corridor in which 2x4 floursent fixtures are dropped in the grid. We have a conduit run on one side of the corridor with j-boxes dropped near the fixtures and 6 foot 12/2 mc fixture whips in the j-boxes to whip down to the fixtures. That particular side of the corridor got crowded so we have to jump to the other side of the corridor to finish our lighting run. It will take two more j-boxes to finish this particular lighting run, both of which will also have 6 foot 12/2 mc fixture whips in them for the last two lights in the run.
The 14's I'm speaking of are indead the tap wires in the fixtures going to the ballasts. They are the wires that the 12/2 mc fixture whips tie into in order to power the lights.
Since there is so much clutter, water pipes, duct work, etc in the way, crossing from the cluttered side of the wall by piping out of the last j-box on that side in order to get to the other side of the wall will be a challenge to put it mildly.
So, the idea was to bring the 12/2 mc fixture whip that is in the last j-box on the cluttered side of the wall into the fixture the same as all the others.
Like I said though, we still need to continue the run to the last two fixtures in the corridor, we just need to jump to the other side of the corridor. The last two j-boxes on the other side, just like all the others in the building will also contain a 6 foot 12/2 mc fixture whip in order to supply power those two remaining fixtures in the corridor.
The question is can we simply put the 6 foot 12/2 mc factory fixture whip coming from that last lighting run j-box on the cluttered side of the corridor into the fixture for our power as usual, and then, for reasons already discussed, continue the lighting run by running flex with #12's out the other side of the fixture in order to make getting to the more open side of the corridor easier? The flex, like the rest of the run, would contain #12 feeders in order to finish the run and it would simply go into a j-box on the open/other side of the corridor. This j-box would then, as is the job norm, contain another 6 foot 12/2 fixture whip to power the next light and of course conduit would then run down line to another j-box to whip into the last light on the run. Those 12's in the flex(feeders), along with the 12/2's from the 6 foot mc factory fixture whip in that last j-box on the crowded side of the corridor will both splice into the #14 fixture taps in this particular fixture and, like I said, the flex would then continue out the other side of the fixture to a j-box on the more open side of the corridor in order to finish off the run which will consist of two more j-boxes both containing the same 6 foot 12/2 mc fixture whips we've been using.
It was said that this could not be done and that instead, a conduit containing the #12 feeders would have to go into that last j-box on the cluttered side of the corridor and somehow get across to the not so cluttered side and into the j-box on that said for the next fixture. In other words, it was said that because the fixture taps were 14's, that coming off of them with 12's and out the other side of the fixture with flex to a j-box set to whip into the next fixture, was not allowed due to the fact that the fixture taps are 14's and the circuit conductors are 12's and due to that, the only way to get across the corridor was to come out of the last j-box on the cluttered side into a j-box on the other side. That way all the feeders(12's) would be spliced in a j-box and not in the fixture on the #14 taps.
I don't understand this. All the fixture taps in every fixture in the building are 14's. Actually, they may be 16's but I don't think so. Anyway, all the 6 foot mc factory fixture whips are 12/2's or 12/3's.. Since 12's from the whips tie into the #14 fixture taps of every fixture on site, then why couldn't the 12's that would come out the other side of this particular fixture through the flex as the circuit feeders that run into a j-box where they would continue feeding this lighting run? It would make things much simpler and, like I said, to me that would be no different than if we were to daisy chain the fixtures with those 12/2 whips. Either way, it's 12's coming in, 12's going out, and both are gonna be spliced to the #14 fixture taps. It really feels no different to me than daisy chaining only instead of fixture to fixture, it would be fixture to j-box with the fixture basically acting as my chase for crossing the corridor.
Am I wrong here? Does this make anymore sense for those that were confused?
