I'm not that technical, but even with running 1/0 in parallel, both
conductors must be the same length or there will be an imbalance. Possibly
that type of imbalance would be accentuated in a smaller conductor. If for
no other reason, the NEC tries to standardize methods and materials, so
people in the industry can more easily diagnose problems that occur.


"Bob" wrote in message
oups.com...

RBM (remove this) wrote:
No matter how you slice it, you're still paralleling conductors. Nec
requires 1/0 awg as the minimum size you can parallel



OK, at the risk of admitting a code violation, here's a different
variation of the problem. I ran a double run of 12/2 w/g to my shop
(because I had it available vs buying new wire). But it is fed from a
single 20A breaker. The double run was for voltage drop rather than
additional current. Technically I guess that's a violation, but I
don't see a safety issue, do you?

Bob