4 ms·
That's exactly what I did; lighting got less power hungry as we moved away from incandescent so there was no reason to continue to use fatter copper there. But
by dreamcompiler 4y ago
That's exactly what I did; lighting got less power hungry as we moved away from incandescent so there was no reason to continue to use fatter copper there. But it would have been legal to use 14 gauge/15A for every circuit in my house in New Mexico; I chose to use 12 gauge/20A for outlets instead.
- Kirby64 4y agoNot actually true, to be clear, for outlets. Yes, the majority are allowed to be 15 amp circuits, however there are a few circuits (notably, ones in the kitchen) that by code (any recent code, NEC 2007 or beyond I think) that mandate that they be 20 amp circuits. Notably: * Kitchens must have at least two separate 20 amp circuits (for use for small appliances on countertops, traditionally) for general use * Fridges need a dedicated 20 amp circuit * Microwaves need a dedicated 20 amp circuit Beyond that, yeah, absolute minimum is 15 amp throughout the house.
- dreamcompiler 4y agoI built my first house in 1997 so my memory of NEC is mostly from then. It seemed ludicrous to run 15A circuits especially to kitchens and bathrooms, so I didn't. It did require GFCIs in the usual places back then. I built another house in 2007 and by that time AFCIs were required in bedrooms. The code does seem to get a bit better over time.