![]() ![]() Unfortunately, there is a lot of conflicting information about SPT-1 and SPT-2 wire that tends to cause some confusion. Sometimes referred to as lamp wire or zip cord, these two wire types are found in more than just Christmas lighting so it’s a question that is asked often. If you are making repairs to strings for the first time or are trying your hand at building custom light strings using stringers or bulk wire, you may find yourself wondering what the difference is between SPT-1 and SPT-2 wire. Will the next homeowner hate you for it? Probably.Īlways keep safety in mind and if at all possible run the 14/2 directly from the panel instead of jumping from the switch.Now that the holiday season is nearly at hand, it’s time to start getting out lights and decorations. It is also fine to run all your general outlets in a home on one single feed. So yes it is fine if you must use 14/2 wire on a circuit fed by 12/2 as long as it is on a 15 amp breaker. Remember the code is the MINUMUM requirement so use your best judgement and take precautions for the next electrician or DIY homeowner who may not be so savvy with wiring as one might thing. You have it in the van – Seriously, if you have left over 14/2 from another job go ahead and use it. If it is a job with a lot of lighting,consider running 14/2 feeds directly to switches just for safety.Įasy to install – 14/2 is much easier in today’s modern sleek lighting fixtures with the sometimes tiny junction boxes that they come with. Reasons to consider running 14/2 on 12/2 circuit The best practice would be running #14 from the panel so the next electrician servicing the house will not be tempted to up the breaker size to 20 amps when they see #12 wire and the customer tells them that the circuit breaker keeps tripping. If you look at the 2 asterisks ** however it sends you to 240.4(D) which specifies that #12 AWG should only be on a 20amp breaker.įor this reason it is good practice to label the #12 inside the panel as “ran to #14 lights, do not increase breaker size” or something of that nature. ![]() Side note: On the table and in the code book on table 310.15(b)16 it says that 12awg copper wire is rated for 25 amps. If 12/2 which is rated for 20 amps according to NEC code, ( see this PDF for illustration) is landed on your panel and you change the existing 20 amp breaker to 15 amps, who is to say someone won’t come along later and change it to 20 amps? Is 12/2 landed on the panel on a 20 amp breaker? There are however some risks involved that you should consider if it is worth running 14/2 on a 12/2 circuit. This will prevent overheating of the 14 gauge wires which are only rated for 15amps from over heating and causing a potential fire. You must size your breaker to the smallest size wire in the circuit. You will have to make sure the 12/2 is fed from a 15amp breaker however. Yes, it is okay to use 14/2 wire with 12/2 wire on the same circuit. Some light housings just provide so little wire space that running 14/2 instead of 12/2 is the difference between a hard work day and light work but is it okay to run 14/2 on a 12/2 circuit? It fits in boxes better, is easier to manipulate and work with etc. Also a lot of people prefer working with 14/2. Many times it is a good money saving option if you have a lot of lights to wire but the switch box is fed with 12/2. There are a few situations one might see the need to use 14/2 wire with 12/2 on the same circuit.
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