"Marc Miller" wrote in message
news:TKDEe.67451$R21.42940@lakeread06...
I'm no electrician so I thought I would post a question. What's the
maximum
draw
that can be connected to a standard household circuit? I have a 200amp
panel and just installed a circuit with numerous outlets and a fluorescent
light fixture on a 15amp breaker with 12/2 Romex (Does that mean all
equipment connected cannot exceed 15amps on this one circuit?). I put two
duplex outlets
together so I would have four connections in the basement, and then the
wire
was run to the garage to power the light as well as one duplex outlet.
Just
curious as I don't want to get in trouble.

You can get in trouble.

You can run up to 12 amps (80%) on a 15a circuit. Yes, you can have more
than one item connected, but you cannot use them all at the same time if
they exceed the total allowed. That should also trip the breaker.

Now that you have a 200A panel, why would you run the circuit the way you
did? You have three outlets and the garage light on one circuit. You are
in the garage using the circular saw with the light on. Your wife decides
she want to iron a curtain and plugs in the iron. The breaker trips and you
are standing in the dark with saw in one hand and a board ready to fall
apart in the other.

I'm not a licensed electrician but I do have some commons sense about
circuits. I don't want my lights going out when I trip a breaker with a tool
or appliance. The setup you have is only done by hacks, cheap SOBs or those
to lazy to run separate circuits. Don't allow yourself to fall in those
categories.