Thread: Using #14 wire for one light on 20A breaker
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dpb dpb is offline
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Default Using #14 wire for one light on 20A breaker
wrote:
I am wondering how the code views this. I was just wiring my barn and
ran out of 12-2 romex. Rather than buy more, I decided to just use
14-2 since I had 200 feet of it. This 14-2 is only going to one
light, one of those porcelin fixtures that are rated at 100W.

As far as safety, I am not worried in the least. It's only going to
run one 100W bulb (or less). As far as being inspected, I am also not
worried. In barns and sheds they really dont care, unless there are
bare wires or some obvious danger source. I'm just curious how the
code views that? ...
In my case, I have one center light fed by #12, and one light on the
left another on the right. Each of those lights are fed off the
center light with about 16 feet of #14.

If you don't care, why ask?

By code, it's not up to snuff, because code is designed to protect the
fixed wiring, not the fixtures or other end load. I agree it's not an
inherent safety hazard as described as long as the use remains as is.

I would be somewhat suprised if an inspection (assuming you're in a
place where zoning applies and it will be inspected) didn't point it
out as a deficiency, but that would be dependent on, as you say, what
your local inspector's penchant/foibles is/are...

Of course, you can easily alleviate the issue by putting a 15A breaker
in the panel for that lighting circuit and be over-sized rather than
under-sized in a portion of the circuit.

Me being me, I'd probably have just got another roll of 12 and finished
it out simply for the self-aesthetics of the job and knowing that
eventually I'd use that roll for other stuff around the place, but
again, that's just me having had to grow up under my grandpa and dad...


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