Electrician came today

[mharmon]

First time posting, very long time lurker.

So the electrician came to my house today to do some garage wiring. Based on what I have read here, I'm wondering if he did things correctly.

I had him add more outlets in the garage and wire a 50a out for my welder and run wire for my compressor.

The question is on the compressor wiring. It is 48 feet of surface mounted conduit on a block wall. At any rate, he ran 12 awg wire. My compressor is an older quincy 325 from 1957. I have a baldor l1430t The data plate says that it is 20.6 fla. and he put it on a 20 amp breaker. I would have asked him why he left but I had to go to work.

I think that circuit is undersized for what I need. What do the experts think? and if different what should I ask that he change it to?

 

[Shocker]

Undersized. You will need to upgrade to a 30amp breaker along with some 10g wire to make it correct.

 

[Speedy Petey]

A 25 or 30A breaker with #12 is perfectly code legal and safe.
A compressor is NOT a continuous load and is a motor load. Shocker, read up on Art.430 of the NEC.
I'm surprised he didn't have a 30 with him.

 

[awdblazer]

10awg and max breaker size of 50amp

 

[theoldwizard1]

A 25 or 30A breaker with #12 is perfectly code legal and safe.
A compressor is NOT a continuous load and is a motor load. Shocker, read up on Art.430 of the NEC.
I'm surprised he didn't have a 30 with him.

I would have paid extra for #10 and a 30A breaker. Peace of mind and prepped for a 3-5 hp motor.

 

[mharmon]

I would have paid extra for #10 and a 30A breaker. Peace of mind and prepped for a 3-5 hp motor.

The motor that I have is rated at 5 hp according to Baldor's website.

So what I'm hearing is that I need to have the breaker only switched out to 30A. Is that right or should he have used larger wire too? I haven't paid the guy yet. Since, I kinda know the guy from work, he said that we would do it hourly and he would give me cost on materials. A couple extra bucks here and there don't matter to me if it is done right. I showed him what I want to hook to each circuit, ie the motor, and said that I wanted it done right. Otherwise, I would have done it wrong myself.

 

[pattenp]

A 25 or 30A breaker with #12 is perfectly code legal and safe.
A compressor is NOT a continuous load and is a motor load. Shocker, read up on Art.430 of the NEC.
I'm surprised he didn't have a 30 with him.

The OP said this was a circuit with an outlet. I thought the 25A or 30A breaker was okay on #12 with a hardwired motor load. With the circuit having an outlet where anything could be plugged in, the breaker would need to be sized to the amp rating of the wire. Or is it okay by code to identified the outlet for only certain uses?

 

[madosta]

Is it a 220v 20amp outlet? Yuck.

Maybe hardwired, disconnect?

 

[mharmon]

I forgot to mention that the plan is to hardwire the motor.

 

[sberry]

If he isnt done you could always offer up a few$ to change the wire out. As a matter of personal taste could go either way on this, in a home hobby garage it wont make a pinch of sheet, I like a 10 because it can take a different comp should it need to be changed. Beauty of piped wire, can change at any time. I would say your electrician knows exactly what he is doing.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Is it a 220v 20amp outlet? Yuck.

That's how my compressor is hooked up and I will bet dozens of other !

 

[theoldwizard1]

If he isnt done you could always offer up a few$ to change the wire out. As a matter of personal taste could go either way on this, in a home hobby garage it wont make a pinch of sheet, I like a 10 because it can take a different comp should it need to be changed.

My point exactly !

Beauty of piped wire, can change at any time.

Roger that !

 

[sberry]

If using a cable it needs to be up a size.

 

[sberry]

The OP said this was a circuit with an outlet. I thought the 25A or 30A breaker was okay on #12 with a hardwired motor load. With the circuit having an outlet where anything could be plugged in, the breaker would need to be sized to the amp rating of the wire. Or is it okay by code to identified the outlet for only certain uses?

I bet this doesnt quite meet to the letter of the code.

 

[truckn_r]

The breaker should at least be up sized, but if were my garage and I paid someone to do an installation for me I would want #10 on a 30 amp breaker. Your compressor will run more efficiently with larger wire as well, it wont be starved of voltage.

 

[Speedy Petey]

The OP said this was a circuit with an outlet. I thought the 25A or 30A breaker was okay on #12 with a hardwired motor load. With the circuit having an outlet where anything could be plugged in, the breaker would need to be sized to the amp rating of the wire. Or is it okay by code to identified the outlet for only certain uses?

There is nothing that states a receptacle can't be used under Art's 430, 440, 630.
I do agree though that applying these code allowances to a receptacle circuit is not the best idea.

 

[Norcal]

There is nothing that states a receptacle can't be used under Art's 430, 440, 630.
I do agree though that applying these code allowances to a receptacle circuit is not the best idea.

If it is a 20A receptacle then 20A is max, see 210.21(B)(3), & may only have a load of 16 amperes, per 210.21(B)(2), the OP did not specify the size, so it's a WAG on my part as to what is there....

 

[wyliesdiesels]

If it is a 20A receptacle then 20A is max, see 210.21(B)(3), & may only have a load of 16 amperes, per 210.21(B)(2), the OP did not specify the size, so it's a WAG on my part as to what is there....

The OP is planning on hard wiring it so he should be fine!

 

[mharmon]

Electrician finished up yesterday. Haven't had a chance to ask him about the wiring, but all of you make it sound like it should be okay. I have read so many threads around here on compressor wiring I started to get confused.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Speedy Petey]

If it is a 20A receptacle then 20A is max, see 210.21(B)(3), & may only have a load of 16 amperes, per 210.21(B)(2),

A single receptacle on an individual circuit can have a load up to it's rating.
210.21(B)(2) is for branch circuits supplying two or more receptacles.

You are right though, if this were cord and plug connected it could not be on a 20A circuit if it were even slightly more than a 20A draw.