On Thu, 9 Jul 2020 10:32:18 -0400, Ralph Mowery
wrote:

In article ,
says...
Ouch! Was that wired by a pro? Lights and receptacles on the same
breaker?

Yes, the electricians are pros, but Fretwell is fond of saying any monkey
can get a license. I asked them about the wiring because I've had a lot of
electrical issues in the first year and they said that the builder, DR
Horton, wants them to do it that way. Take the 3-car garage, as another
example. A single 20a breaker covers 3 receptacles on the walls, 2
receptacles on the ceiling for the GDOs, a pair of light fixtures on the
driveway and 4 weatherproof receptacles on the exterior of the house. The
GFCI on that circuit was way too twitchy, tripping every week or two for no
reason, so they changed the breaker and it's been better so far. At my last
house, all of that was on 3 breakers rather than one.




I worked with a monkey that had his electrical license.

Around 1972 I moved into a duplex that had 2 bedrooms, kitchen, living
room and bathroom. It had a disconect switch in the kitchen and it had
2 20 amp fuses in it. I don't know how they were wired,but thought that
sure was a small ammount. The apartment was built either just before or
just after WW2. I do not recall which.


I an not sure I ever said a monkey could get an EC license (I only
remember talking about "home inspectors") but if that monkey can pass
2 or 3, 100 question, multiple guess, open book tests and come up with
the bond and insurance money, they can be an EC here. In some mobbed
up union states up north, the IBEW certifies electricians and it
depends on who you know down at the local hall.
As for how many breakers, the code calls for 3va per square foot of
living space so you can see how 20a circuits can quickly cover that
area with a minimum of breakers. (one 20 can cover 800 sq/ft), NFPA
has added to the breaker count with rules starting in the 70s that now
require dedicated 20s for the kitchen (2), the laundry and the
bathrooms. Some AHJs also want dedicated circuits for certain fixed in
place appliances like dish washers, microwaves and disposals.
Obviously some contractors squeeze that nickel as hard as they can,
installing a small disposal so it can legally share with the dish
washer, stuff like that. I suggest if they cut corners on things like
that which are easy to see, imagine what is going on inside the walls.