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Smawgunner
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# Posted: 11 Jan 2016 04:29pm
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Can someone print this picture out and draw where the wires go in this circuit run and then repost? I know it's asking a lot. I kind of know how it should be wired but I want to get a second opinion. Each light simply has one switch but they'll be in the same box.
Thanks!
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 11 Jan 2016 05:07pm
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Q? Need a little more than that to offer any advice.
Assuming this is an AC circuit? And you are using 2 conductor Romex or similar. Is there any wiring done so far? Or this is all in the planning stages?
Does, or will the power (black hot wire) go to the switch box, or does the power go to the light fixtures and then get switched from there? Or you don't know or care as of right now?
Are the devices with twin circles outlets / receptacles? I don't understand their placement... in the same gang box with the switches, some other place connected to .....
Is this all to be run from one breaker or several?
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Smawgunner
Member
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# Posted: 11 Jan 2016 05:30pm - Edited by: Smawgunner
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Thanks for the reply Don. It's on grid 110. It's in the planning stage. The breaker box would be feeding in from the left (oriented right side up...iPad does funny things with my pics). So the power goes to an outlet first, then to the switches (all three in one gang box) operating 3 separate lights, then off to another outlet. It'll be 12-2 Romex. Nothing heavy on this circuit, just floor lamps and such.
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Haltzy
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# Posted: 11 Jan 2016 07:21pm - Edited by: Haltzy
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To be honest, I would consider calling a friend if you are unsure with a simple electrical question. The outcome of doing it incorrectly could cause serious injury or damage.
That being said;
I would come to your first plug 12-2, run 12-2 to your switch box, 12-2 to each light, 12-2 to your next plug and then the next plug. All whites will tie together blacks(hot) will be switched for each light. I would personally use 14-2 if your not anticipating any heavy loads.
Like a said before, this is basic wiring and if you have not done this before i would get someone to help wyou with the basics.
Be safe. Cheers.
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darz5150
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# Posted: 11 Jan 2016 08:12pm - Edited by: darz5150
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12-2. 20 amps
14-2. 15 amps
You can google charts for wire ampacity. You may want to run Romex with a ground wire.
When you wire your switches/outlets, the black wire goes on the brass colored terminal, and the white goes on the silver colored, the ground wire goes to the green colored screw.
20 amp grounded plug
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wiring diagram
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15 amp/not grounded
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light switch
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 11 Jan 2016 08:18pm
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I would do seperate circuits. 12AWG is big, heavy and hard to work with and not needed for lighting. Run a 14AWG to switch box from a 15 amp breaker, then to each lamp.
Seperate run to the outlets using 12AWG and a 15 or 20 amp breaker.
Or if you do want it on a single circuit, run to all outlets, inline (daisy chained, but wired parallel) and then "T" off the closest one up to your 3 gang switch box with all 3 light switches, then run those to corresponding lights.
This is not how its usually done, because if a outlet pops a breaker, lights are gone too. Most wire lighting separate from outlets.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 11 Jan 2016 08:32pm
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Yes, #12 = 20 amps capacity and #14 = 15 amps capacity
Ditto what toyota said on #12 being stiff and unweildly.
That triple gang box is going to be crowded with lots of wires and 14 AWG will make it easier to push them all back into the box, IMO.
I'm not at home so no scanner no pictures. Hope my words make sense. And note that there is more than one way to wire this. This is "me".
So a Romex line from service panel to the first box and receptacle. Black wire to brass screw towards one end and white wire to the silver screw near same end. The other brass and silver screws will feed the power on down the line using the same black wire on brass and white wire on silver convention. Use a wire nut to combine the bare ground from the incoming and outgoing lines and a short bare or green pigtail from wire nut to the ground terminal on the receptacle.
If this was me I would then run one Romex line to the switch gang box and a separate Romex line downstream to the other receptacles. Reason; the triple gang box is going to be crowded and there are limits to how many wires can be terminated in a wire nut.
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Yellow wire nut has a normal max of 4 - #14. For 4- #12 you need red wire nuts. There are combination limits when using mixed sizes. 4 wires is the usual limit.
If you had to run a downstream line from the triple gang box you would need to multiply the number of wire nuts in order to not exceed the limits. There's part of my reason for running a separate line from the first receptacle box to the others.
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At the three gang box I would split the incoming black with a wire nut and separate black pigtail to each switch. That is 4 wires; the incoming black power and three pigtails, one to each switch.
The white wire would terminate in another wire nut. The ground wire in yet another wire nut.
A Romex wire would run from the triple gang box to each light fixture box; three separate Romex lines. The first (top or bottom, your choice) terminal on the switch would connect to the incoming black wire. The second terminal on each switch would connect to the black wire in the outgoing Romex lines (going to the light fixtures.) The bare grounds would all be connected in the triple gang box with a wire nut; one incoming wire and three outgoing.
The white wire in the lines between switch box and the light fixture boxes would all terminate inside the triple gang box with a wire nut along with the incoming white wire.
Hope that helps / makes sense.
And note that Romex always has a bare ground. When we say 14-2 Romex it is understood there is a bare ground. Ungrounded receptacles may still be available but they are meant ONLY for use in OLD wiring that has no ground wire. A ground equipped receptacle should NEVER be inserted into an OLD Non-grounded wiring system and we should NEVER use an ungrounded receptacle in a grounded system.
And toyota is also right that best practice is to separate the lighting from the receptacles. That does reduce the liklihood of plunging yourself into darkness if a heavy load pops a breaker.
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darz5150
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# Posted: 11 Jan 2016 08:38pm - Edited by: darz5150
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I agree about running lites on a different breaker than outlets.
How many breakers do you have in your panel?
Here's another pic of the outlet wiring.
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Bzzzzzt
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# Posted: 12 Jan 2016 09:44am
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Smawgunner: Forget everything everyone has told you in this thread and go buy yourself a book on basic wiring principles or hire an electrician.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s?k=basic+wiring
I cant recommend any of these books personally but you clearly need more help than this forum can adequately give you.
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SE Ohio
Member
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# Posted: 12 Jan 2016 10:30am
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Smawgunner, stop on by my Columbus address and pick up a free wiring book at your convenience.
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Smawgunner
Member
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# Posted: 12 Jan 2016 07:31pm
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Thanks for the info all. Taking the advice of running two circuits..one with lighting and one with recepticals is a good one. That I can do and it's straight forward. SE, thanks for the offer...what is your Cols address? It'd be good to meet up with you.
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SE Ohio
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# Posted: 13 Jan 2016 07:58am
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Smawgunner, send me an email (address in member profile)
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