"Toller" wrote in message
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"Jason" wrote in message
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"Mikepier" wrote in message
oups.com...
If I'm reading your post correctly, you have a 20A breaker on 14 guage
wire. That is a fire hazard. First things first, change the breaker to
15A.
If you have ungrounded wire, you could just put in a 15A GFCI breaker
that will take care of the whole circuit. As far as the fluorescent
lights, I am not sure if it will present a problem. I have my
fluorescent lights on a GFCI breaker and it seems to be OK.
By the way, the washer, dryer and freezer should be on their own
circuits. AT the very least the washer since it uses up the most juice.


Thank you for the response. Yes the circuit breaker feeding the 4
outlets is 20 amps. Since the wires are in conduit I cannot get to them
easily and I am doing a load of laundry right now. The ungrounded romex
coming from the junction box with the four outlets has no writing on it,
but I am pretty sure it is 14 gauge. This 14 gauge wire only feeds the 1
outlet in the bathroom and the fluorescent light. The outlet in the
bathroom powers a hair dryer, sometimes a vacuum cleaner. That might be
why the 14 gauge is there and why the bathroom is powered by the washing
machine circuit. Whoever put in the wire figured there was not enough
load in the bathroom to run 12 gauge everywhere. The freezer is dead and
we will be getting rid of it soon and it will not be replaced, so do you
still think the washer and dryer each need there own circuit?

So to recap, if you have a 20 amp circuit breaker, you need 12 gauge wire
running everywhere on that circuit. Is this correct? What about a 15
amp circuit breaker with 12 gauge wire, is that OK?

Yes, all wire on a 20a breaker has to be 12 or larger. In general there
is no problem having a 15a breaker with #12, it just has to be at least
#14.

But you have a number of problems. If you do anything to change the
circuit you will have to bring it up to current code. You are very very
far away from current code. The bathroom has to have a 20a circuit, and
it cannot share with any other room; etc. You cannot legally do what you
want.

A half bath with only 1 outlet and 1 flourescent light needs a 20a circuit?
Good grief. I know I am really far from current code, the ungrounded wire
and no GFCI being a big part of the problem. I think it might be time to
see if the local building inspector would be willing to answer a few
questions.

Thanks,
Jason