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At least violate Code a little less
Putting a GFCI in a box on a cable is a codevio. Using Romex for cordage is a codevio. And using junction boxes for portable boxes is also a code vio, but let's at least use a tough box and a strain relief, eh? Here's what you need.
square steel junction box, 4" square, drawn one-piece (not welded 5-piece)
Strain ...
5
10 gauge is larger than 12 gauge. If you meant "can I use the smaller one coz it's cheaper", the answer to that is pretty universally no, but you don't need us to tell you that.
The distance might be a factor that might call for going with a larger wire (that would be #8 or #6). But if your pump is recommending the 30A breaker, its draw is certainly ...
3
No!
A non-contact tester is used to double-check that a circuit is on/wired correctly (i.e., if it doesn't light up when expected, then there is a problem) or off (i.e., if it lights up when you don't not expected, then there is a problem). When used to check that a circuit is off, that is typically to make sure that it is safe to work on the wiring:
Check ...
3
As the gauge number goes up, the size goes DOWN. You cannot use 12ga wire on a 30A breaker, 10ga is the minimum size. Whether or not you can use 10ga wire for something that is 160' away is another issue relating to what's called "voltage drop" and is caused by the natural resistance of the wire based on the actual load at the other end. How you combat ...
3
I'll be darned. You can do it.
The crux of the issue is supplying a 20A NEMA 5-20 receptacle (T-shaped neutral) on a 15A breaker.
Since you will only have one socket on the entire circuit, this applies.
210.21(B)(1) Single Receptacle on an Individual Branch Circuit. A single receptacle installed on an individual branch circuit shall have an ampere ...
2
I have also been advised to include some lights on the smoke & fire detector circuit, in order to give you some indication if the smoke & fire has gone offline. I believe Ed Beal's comment about 760.41.b refers to dedicated fire alarm panels, and that residential detectors are considered receptacles.
I found this https://www.electriciantalk.com/f5/...
2
The 20 amp circuit breaker with 12/2 cable and 15 amp duplex receptacles allows for a total sustainable power consumption of 1,920 watts (20 amp x 80% x 120 volts) as opposed to 1,440 watts (15 amp x 80% x 120 volts). Thus, the 20 amp circuit breaker allows me to run a 1,500 watt spacer heater, a 170 watt laptop power adapter, and 2 external monitors all on ...
2
There are two separate issues here:
Bare Ground vs. Anything Else
A bare ground of a particular size is, nominally, no different from an insulated wire of the same size. However, wrapping a length of wire with electrical tape does not provide the same level of protection as manufactured insulation, and is not considered a reliable substitute. Among the ...
2
No, you can't feed a split receptacle from circuits with differently-sized breakers. Here's why:
You can, but you have to meet certain conditions:
The National Electrical Code now requires that the two hot wires in a split receptacle must be connected to a double-pole circuit breaker, so that when the breaker is shut off, the action will automatically ...
2
Absolutely. You are always allowed to upsize the wire. You will need to pigtail the ends of the wires onto a smaller wire so it will fit on the terminals at both ends.
I gather you've recently visited a voltage drop calculator. A few tricks on using those effectively:
Use the Ampere rating of the actual loads you will be powering, never use the amps ...
2
First, this wire is probably dead and unused because of how short someone cut it. It's not usable like that and I would hope the person that cut it intended it to be dead and never used in the future. That said, the work was done by an amateur so you shouldn't assume anything.
You are correct that you shouldn't work on a circuit when the breaker is on (...
2
I'd use a saddle box instead
Instead of trying to cobble together something out of two different boxes, raising issues of access to the upper box, I would use a saddle box that fits around the rafter instead, as shown below (photo for exposition only). This provides adequate space for splicing while allowing easy access to all the wiring here just by ...
1
What you've described is the correct way to do this.
As the currents in the two phase wires are fed from different phases, they do not add together fully, and so the neutral will not be overloaded.
1
Safe to touch the insulation (that is undamaged)...
But NOT the conductor under any circumstances.
But for me, and this is IMHO, give me my favorite Fluke multimeter over that device as when I need to check for a loss of voltage ie 10% or 20% low etc it's the tool for the job.
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Isherwood raises the most relevant point I think, but another issue is that you would only be able to use an outlet (with the tabs removed) with maximum 15A rating. This pretty much negates any advantage of having a 20A circuit (presumably with 12G wire run) anyway.
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I am surprised that Wickes did not have any lighting cable in stock (either 1mm^2 or 1.5mm^2) to enable doing the job properly.
Using earth cable is not advised even if it is the same copper diameter as if the tape falls off (which it can over time) would be very dangerous for any person working on it in the future.
Get the correct cable and do the job ...
1
One of your three black wires is actually connected to the LOAD NEUTRAL terminal so you have two hots and one neutral. Unfortunately, whoever installed this used three black wires and apparently did not mark the neutral.
The wires can be used but you must replace the breaker. Putting a standard 15 or 20 amp outlet on a 50 amp breaker is highly dangerous and ...
1
Joe, the metal Simpson plates are for exactly that purpose put them on every 2x4 over the wire. Don't cut the wire or you'll have to add in a j-box, actually 2 of them.
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