Replies are in line
John Manning wrote:
Hi,
I need to have a circuit in my house replaced with 12 gauge wire and the
existing 15 amp receptacles replaced with 20 amp ones. There is good attic
access to do the run and they can use the existing 14 gauge wire to pull the
12 gauge wire down to the receptacles(I would guess).
Sorry but you guessed wrong. The original wiring is stapled or
otherwise secured to the structure within twelve or eight inches of the
box depending on whether the box has internal clamps or not. The cable
is then secured every X feet there after with "X" depending on the type
of cable. That usually works out to two staples or more per wall cavity.
If you really do need twenty ampere receptacles then you will need to
run one circuit for each such receptacle that you really need. Twenty
ampere receptacles are only required were the device to be supplied has
a twenty ampere plug on it's cord. That is only true on loads that draw
more than fifteen amperes for a short period or more than twelve amperes
for more than three hours. So do you really need to be able to plug in
multiple twenty ampere loads or not? If you have one load that you want
to be able to plug in a bunch of different outlets than your original
approach is good.
The circuit is for 2 rooms and the rooms share a common wall. It is about
80 feet from the main breaker box to the farthest receptacle.
The information is not adequate to even guess.
What would be a reasonable price to have this done(barring any unforseen
problems)? The house is in NE Florida if that matters.
TIA,
John
Additional questions: Is the local electrical inspector honest or on the
pad? Does he/she make up their own rules on the fly or stick to the US
NEC? Are the walls in your home fire blocked?
The best you will get here is a guess. Obtain three bids from local
electrical contractors and then you will know. You see the local
electrical contractors already know what the regulatory environment is
like and they are familiar with local construction practices.
--
Tom H
|