Electrical Wiring Question.

[tony barnhill]

I am using romax.

& the diagram I posted worked! Now, I've just gotta make the connections permanent & in the flex conduit (Romax runnnig through flex conduit).

 

[DNK]

Still NOT a good idea to use #10 wire.

 

[TR6BILL]

You gotta realize that Tony fools with MGs. He is hard-headed.

And they prolly don't have electrical inspectors in Alabama.

 

[Deleted member 3577]

Speaking of hard headed...

Where do I get one of those cat helmets?

Fizz had a little accident while chasing the red laser dot yesterday.
Now she's a bit less interested in it.

 

[NutmegCT]

Tony - I'm entering curmudgeon mode again ...

If you've got professionals doing all that other work, why not have an approved contractor do the electrical stuff?

Aren't you risking a possible future problem with your homeowner's policy fire coverage?

Just a thought.
Tom

 

[Deleted member 3577]

All the wiring in my house is 12; but because I'm putting 2 can lights in the circuit with 75 watt bulbs in each of them

150 watts = 1.25 amps (@120 volts)
14 wire is rated at 15 amps but only use 80% of that (12 amps)

14 wire is quite enough.
10 wire is....well....Not necessary unless you're thinking about hooking up a welder to your ceiling fan

There is, however, no safety issue in using it.

 

[Tinster]

Tony!
A payback rag on yer butt for you.

I'm good at most home improvements- as you've seen in my home.
Is my master bathroom to die for, or what?

I hire professional experts for ANY electical work.
Take some of your rusty old money and have an expert
install the wire for your two light switches!!

We had two very dear friends barely escape alive from their home, in pajamas, when their attic, low O2 burned for a few
hours, and then got an oxygen supply. The house fell down on them in flames. They lost everything.

Not worth doing electrical stuff you ain't an expert with.
A #10 wire, overloaded, will produce enough heat to ignite pine wood.

d

 

[AweMan]

I know what reverse polarity is and how to use it, I know what straight polarity is and how to use it too, I know what D.C. current is for and how to use it, and I know what A.C. current is and how to use it too. I even know what High frequency is and how to use it and why one might need it. As long as it is all in reference to Welding.
As for wiring a light bulb! S.P.D.T. I can handle, one bulb or several on one circuit. As for wire size, I would be on the safe side and go bigger than actually needed if I wasn`t sure.
As for wiring double switches with multiple bulbs I`m afraid I would have to get someone that knows what they are doing.
What i`m saying is .... an electrician .... I am NOT!
I wouldn`t risk my home or my family on something like electrical wiring of which I know very little.
So ...... No advice here and
good luck.

 

[vping]

I'd be leary of the #10 myself. My wife did the entire house with some guideance from a Licensed electrician. All of it was OK'd by an inspector before we could shut down the wall's and then a follow up afterwards, got us a CofO. We ran some 12 but mostly 14 and do not have problems at all.

 

[tony barnhill]

I appreciate the concern; but, guys, you'll remember guys that I built my entire house & garage by myself - started it 15 years ago when I was much younger & stronger! Framing, carpentry work, cabinets, plumbing, HVAC, electrical, etc.....all of it - I did it! Me! Myself! I!

The only reason I'm using contractors on this particular job is I'm getting too old to do some of the heavy work plus I want it done quickly - not the slow process I take (and as I get older, I get slower!). There are somethings I kept out of the contractors bill of work because I want to do them myself - purely personal, nothing else.

I'm not afraid of wiring issues...I just was so tired last night that I couldn't get my mind around that particular circuit.....I have other 3-way circuits with multiple lights in the house & garage that I did, I just simply forgot how to do it (was trying series instead of parallel). Both of the new 3-way circuits I wanted to install but couldn't remember how to do are now finished (I went back out last night & did them after I had rested and thought them through).

Everything I do in my house/garsae is to the Southern Building Code as that's what I would have to worry about were I to be inspected...but, no inspections because my house is grandfathered into the era before inspections were put into effect locally....so, its just me I have to please (& I'm not gonna take any shortcuts!)

The #10 wire doesn't bother me - I know its overkill but with the circuit breaker I'm using & the fact that combined there'll be 4 75 watt spot-type bulbs, I want to use it. Its not a safety issue though.

 

[DNK]

Tony!Not worth doing electrical stuff you ain't an expert with.
A #10 wire, overloaded, will produce enough heat to ignite pine wood.

d

Thank you Dale.
Tony- My kids bunker down room has 8 cans on 1 switch ,4 cans on another and 1 can by itself. All full watage cans.
All running on #14 wire.

Hate to see you lose the TM by fire.

 

[tony barnhill]

Tony!Not worth doing electrical stuff you ain't an expert with.
A #10 wire, overloaded, will produce enough heat to ignite pine wood.

d

Thank you Dale.
Tony- My kids bunker down room has 8 cans on 1 switch ,4 cans on another and 1 can by itself. All full watage cans.
All running on #14 wire.

Hate to see you lose the TM by fire.

I appreciate your concern - not gonna happen....2 of the cans on one circuit will light Jerri's pantry & the other 2 will light the stairway to the 2nd floor of my garage...neither circuit will likely be lit more than a few minutes at a time, the one in Jerri's pantry probably the longest...so, I don't think the circuits will ever overheat as we religiously turn lights off when not in use!

While most household circuits can get by using #14 copper wire, which should have 15-amp protection, all my normal household circuits use #12 copper wire with 20-amp protection. There's not a 15-amp circuit breaker in either of the 2 (yep, I have 2 boxes) 200-amp boxes in my house or the 100-amp box in my garage.

Oh, I've had one of the circuits running for over an hour now - no fires!! It'll never run that long under normal useage. And I'm gonna let it run until 10pm, that'll be a pretty definitive test.

 

[DNK]

The lights over loading the circuit is not the problem Tony.If the can has a problem by the time it trips the breaker it will be too late.
Sorry to beat a dead horse on this just don't want you to have a problem.
Is the inside work being inspected by the city or county?

 

[vping]

Not a post to sway you away but why use #10? I did all of my garage in 12/3 with the outlet on top being 1 circuit and the bottom being another. It was a slight pain but working with #10 is probably 4 time harder, especially trying to stuff a switch back in and speaking of switches, how'd you even attach the wire to the switch? These suckers are usually designed for #12 max.

 

[sparkydave]

The lights over loading the circuit is not the problem Tony.If the can has a problem by the time it trips the breaker it will be too late.
Sorry to beat a dead horse on this just don't want you to have a problem.
Is the inside work being inspected by the city or county?

Don, I think you are confused. #10 wire is much thicker than #14, and is capable of carrying more current. If anything, it will be safer than the lighter wire, though much heavier than Tony needs. If the breaker doesn't do its job, then it doesn't matter what gauge wire you have, as something is going to get very hot very quickly. If the fixture has a problem (like a short), then it won't matter whether it is #14 or #10; the breaker will trip quickly.

Edit: Just to elaborate a little further. Since the #10 will have less resistance per foot (thicker wire = less resistance), it will dissipate less power as heat (lower loss) and have a lower voltage drop than something thinner when carrying a given current. Typically, when running a long run of wire to a distant load, the next larger wire gauge (next lower number) is used to minimize the voltage drop. So, so long as Tony has the appropriate breaker, then larger wire is no safety issue. The safety issue is if he goes to a smaller wire (larger number), and he's running at or near the 20 amps the breaker is rated for. Then you have issues with excessive voltage drop and the wires getting warm. Ask my sister about the time she plugged the vacuum cleaner into a skinny extension cord that was maybe #18 or #20 and melted it. Or, ask me why I went running from the open house where the homeowner with a little electrical knowledge (a.k.a. a dangerous thing) had wired his ceiling fans and light fixtures with #26 telephone wire :eeek:. Lower wire gauge number = heavier wire = more current capacity = better. Higher wire gauge number = thinner wire = less current capacity = BAD.

 

[tony barnhill]

The lights over loading the circuit is not the problem Tony.If the can has a problem by the time it trips the breaker it will be too late.
Sorry to beat a dead horse on this just don't want you to have a problem.
Is the inside work being inspected by the city or county?

Don, I think you are confused. #10 wire is much thicker than #14, and is capable of carrying more current. If anything, it will be safer than the lighter wire, though much heavier than Tony needs. If the breaker doesn't do its job, then it doesn't matter what gauge wire you have, as something is going to get very hot very quickly. If the fixture has a problem (like a short), then it won't matter whether it is #14 or #10; the breaker will trip quickly.

CO-RRECT!

I wanted to do something on this job so I reserved all the wiring for myself!

The plumber is finished with his rough work so now the sheetrock in the bathroom can go up...finisher stopped by yesterday to see wehat he has to do...he'll start Friday weather permitting.

but why use #10? I did all of my garage in 12/3 with the outlet on top being 1 circuit and the bottom being another. It was a slight pain but working with #10 is probably 4 time harder, especially trying to stuff a switch back in and speaking of switches, how'd you even attach the wire to the switch? These suckers are usually designed for #12 max.

Real reason, vinnie, was that I found some neat 3-way switches designed for larger wire & had 25' of #10 so decided to try them.

Is the inside work being inspected by the city or county?

Like I sdaid earlier, I'm grandfathered & don't have to be inspected...I inspect myself & am following Southern Building Code as I have from the beginning of my house build in 1993.

 

[NutmegCT]

Tony - what I was originally getting at was ... if this new electrical work isn't inspected "officially", isn't there a problem with insurance coverage if you ever have to file a fire/smoke damage claim?

Like - heaven forbid - when you need the coverage the most, the company says "sorry - that work was never inspected".

My own homeowner's policy grandfathered my house in because when it was built (1826) there warn't no thing like farm insurance! But any new work since the policy was issued must be inspected by the local authority.

T.

 

[tony barnhill]

Tony - what I was originally getting at was ... if this new electrical work isn't inspected "officially", isn't there a problem with insurance coverage if you ever have to file a fire/smoke damage claim?

Like - heaven forbid - when you need the coverage the most, the company says "sorry - that work was never inspected".

My own homeowner's policy grandfathered my house in because when it was built (1826) there warn't no thing like farm insurance! But any new work since the policy was issued must be inspected by the local authority.

T.

Nope - no problem with insurance.

 

[Wray]

Glad you got it squared away. Re: inspection, our new house could have burnt to the ground if we had been away from home. The inspector wouldn't have made any difference, a carpenter had shot a finish nail through the service cable. The licensed contractor who wired the house didn't even have a voltmeter. The nail was removed but it had arced and a couple of months later the service cable shorted and melted in half. I caught it in time, yanked the meter and pulled some siding off to make sure the fire was out.

I've never seen an inspector do anything other than make sure the outlets where the right height and the wire the right gauge. Never seen one actually test the system.

 

[TR6BILL]

Real reason, vinnie, was that I found some neat 3-way switches designed for larger wire & had 25' of #10 so decided to try them.

Kinda like this, Tony?

That oughta hold yer 10 gauge wire