receptacle code question

[jvitez]

For my workshop, I want to install dual gang boxes with 2 receptacles each for convenience. I was planning on a shared neutral split receptacle type of wiring with a dual pole 15 amp breaker feeding 14/3, but now I wonder if it would be code compliant to do the following:

1. Install white receptacles on the left side of each dual gang box, and grey receptacles on the right side of each.
2. Feed left hand receptacles with single pole 15 amp breaker, 14/2 NMD.
3. Feed right hand receptacles with second single pole 15 amp breaker, 14/2.

Having 2 colors would give me a visual clue as to what I have plugged in where.

Now, is this allowed? I'm in Canada. Would I have to use a dual pole 15 amp breaker or bond the handles of the two single pole breakers?

 

[Absea]

I wouldn't do that. First of all, if the breakers are connected to opposite buss bars you have the potential for 220 in the box. Also, someone will eventually "kill" the power to work on the box and will only have half of the power off. I doubt that it would meet code in Canada.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Why do you want to use 14/2 wire in a shop? Most shops will have longer runs (depending on how big the building is) and certainly heavier loads per receptacle. In a house, you plug in a table lamp, draw a amp or two, in a shop you plug in a drill press and draw several amps. You want heavy wire in a shop. 14/2 is doing you and the next owner a real dis-service.

Charles

 

[hidollartoys]

For my workshop, I want to install dual gang boxes with 2 receptacles each for convenience. I was planning on a shared neutral split receptacle type of wiring with a dual pole 15 amp breaker feeding 14/3, but now I wonder if it would be code compliant to do the following:

1. Install white receptacles on the left side of each dual gang box, and grey receptacles on the right side of each.
2. Feed left hand receptacles with single pole 15 amp breaker, 14/2 NMD.
3. Feed right hand receptacles with second single pole 15 amp breaker, 14/2.

Having 2 colors would give me a visual clue as to what I have plugged in where.

Now, is this allowed? I'm in Canada. Would I have to use a dual pole 15 amp breaker or bond the handles of the two single pole breakers?

Whole lot of work for WHAT? Not sure what your thought process is. You are making this WAAAAAAAAAY harder that it should be. As Charles said: Just go with 20 amp circuits everywhere and be done with it.

 

[D KRAGER]

Now, is this allowed? I'm in Canada. Would I have to use a dual pole 15 amp breaker or bond the handles of the two single pole breakers?

NO NO NO. Bonding the handles (double breaker) is for 220 volt.

You can use a single common for two separate 110v circuits if the circuits are on different phases. But don't mess with that! If you change something down the road, and don't remember what you did, it could spell trouble!

Do what everyone has said, run 12 gauge wire and use 20 amp breakers. Run a few different circuits and stagger the outlets on different circuits around the space.

 

[tfi racing]

Now, is this allowed? I'm in Canada. Would I have to use a dual pole 15 amp breaker or bond the handles of the two single pole breakers?

Well,you can if you want,and the CEC could technically allow it with a double pole breaker,or the handles tied on single pole breakers.But realistically why?
I would recommend what the other posters suggest,12/2 with the option of a 20A breaker if you feel you need it,just keep the # of receptacles to a reasonable level on each circuit and feel free to double gang them as you intend to.Three wire split circuits were once the norm in Canada,but are quickly losing favour as our code moves closer to the NEC,especially in residential applications.

 

[jvitez]

Why do you want to use 14/2 wire in a shop?
Charles

Whole lot of work for WHAT? Not sure what your thought process is.

Well,you can if you want,and the CEC could technically allow it with a double pole breaker,or the handles tied on single pole breakers.But realistically why?
I would recommend what the other posters suggest,12/2 with the option of a 20A breaker if you feel you need it,just keep the # of receptacles to a reasonable level on each circuit and feel free to double gang them as you intend to.Three wire split circuits were once the norm in Canada,but are quickly losing favour as our code moves closer to the NEC,especially in residential applications.

There definitely is a difference between Canadian and US practices. I rarely see 20 amp residential circuits. Almost everything is 15 amp, therefore 14/2. At least that's what I've seen here in Manitoba.

My thought process was to have split receptacles, so I can plug a 1500w heater and a drill, heat gun, shop vac, etc into the same receptacle instead of running extension cords. Then I thought of the convenience of double gang boxes with 2 receptacles, hence my question.

Our 3 year old house has many shared neutral circuits with 14/3 running 2 separate circuits. Last house was the same. The last 3 houses and 1 condo I've lived in all had split receptacle kitchen plugs, which is CEC approved here. I've never seen 20 amp kitchen circuits in any friends' newer houses despite this being allowed now.

It's interesting that we're going more to the US 20 amp circuit method vs 3 wire split. To me, two 15 amp circuits are better than one 20 amp one. I guess it's easier to wire a single 20 amp circuit though. Of course, two 20 amp circuits are even better! Good point about up-sizing the wire due to length.

OK, I'll ditch my Rube Goldberg idea and alternate 12/2 20 amp circuits with double gang receptacles. I do have a tendency to make things more complicated than necessary. Mild OCD tendencies I guess Thanks everyone for your help. This is a great forum!

 

[Wow]

You can use a single common for two separate 110v circuits if the circuits are on different phases. But don't mess with that! If you change something down the road, and don't remember what you did, it could spell trouble!

There is nothing wrong with that, that's why it's allowed by code. In my shop I have 3 phase power, which means I have THREE hot wires for every neutral. This is why they run power in 3 phase for large service, less wiring, more shared neutrals.

I wouldn't do that. First of all, if the breakers are connected to opposite buss bars you have the potential for 220 in the box.

So what? 220 (240v most commonly) isn't anymore dangerous than 120v. Everywhere besides north america, that's the only voltage they have. My water heater runs off 240v and it's wires are both connected in a junction box...GASP!

 

[sberry]

I agree with 20A circuits for shops, many motor loads. I use multi wire circuits especially on long runs where there may be simultaneous loads. Good example is my home, had 1 15A for kitchen, ran a 12/3 for toasters and micro circuit about 60 ft. Personally I never run recepts on 14, only use it for lights. I rarely mix lights and recepts, never in a house. If it takes a plug its on a 20. Remember, the code is somewhat a minimum standard and they do allow 14 for these but it doesn't make it best practice especially to a guy doing his own wiring where the only additional cost is the difference in wire.
Chop saws, small comps, vacuum, even small welders often trip even a 20. Personally some general circuits are cool for miscellaneous but I would want a couple dedicated for heavy tools, from breaker, wire, to the outlet. No connectors and if there is ever any problem there is an option for changing the breaker. I like a section of surface mount pipe going back to the panel for a shop, so easy to add if needed.
Things rarely turn out exactly to plan in a shop, I actually like to wire after/as I move in and around. I have 1 circuit with 22 recepts and a lot with 1. I have one place, one of these days will pull 1 more wire to change to multi wire to add circuit. 3 circuits now there, each with own N, will tie a back to the N of 1, pull wire add breaker and will have 4.

 

[D KRAGER]

There is nothing wrong with that, that's why it's allowed by code. In my shop I have 3 phase power, which means I have THREE hot wires for every neutral. This is why they run power in 3 phase for large service, less wiring, more shared neutrals.

Yea that's what I was trying to say, that it's ok. BUT If someone ever came in and switched the breaker box around (Homeowner that doesn't know any better, adding a breaker so they move another one to a different location in the box) There could be the possibility of having the 2 circuits with shared common on the same phase, not allowed.

 

[sberry]

Just for giggles, many of these have since been modified especially after I figure out where things really go.

 

[D KRAGER]

Just for giggles, many of these have since been modified especially after I figure out where things really go.

LOL

Yea I know what you mean. I've redone some of my wiring like 3 times, I keep adding things, changing others.

And yes I have used a shared common on separate circuits on my lighting. Too many wires to pull.

 

[VHF]

Three wire split circuits were once the norm in Canada,but are quickly losing favour as our code moves closer to the NEC,especially in residential applications.

Weren't 3-wire MWBC (multi-wire branch circuits) common or even required for kitchens in Canada?

My 1970 ranch house in Wisconsin had a 20A 3-wire MWBC for the kitchen where 1/2 of each duplex receptical was on a different hot leg. That way if the toaster and waffle iron are plugged into the same duplex receptical you aren't drawing the combined amperage.

Of course, GFCI requirements for kitchen recepticals put a stop to this practice in the US many years ago.

It might still make sense for a shop if not using GFCI protection, although I wouldn't run anything smaller than #12. Keep in mind that with a 240V double breaker feeding the MWBC if you overload one side both sides will trip.

I was going to do MWBC for the lights in my garage, but I decided it would be handy to shut one circuit off for maintenance while having some lights on, so I'm now planning to just run two independent circuits.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Yea that's what I was trying to say, that it's ok. BUT If someone ever came in and switched the breaker box around (Homeowner that doesn't know any better, adding a breaker so they move another one to a different location in the box) There could be the possibility of having the 2 circuits with shared common on the same phase, not allowed.

One of the several reasons the NEC (in the US) now requires the handles of the two breakers supplying a multiwire (shared neutral) circuit, to be tied together (using a double pole breaker is the easiest way to do this).

Charles

 

[kbs2244]

What you have described is the way I prefer to do garage outlets.
I think it is called an “Edison Circuit.”
I like it for the reasons you gave.
I only work with EMT (pipe) so I am running red black and white 12s.
It sounds like you are running Romex, so go with 12/3.

If you put one duplex with the ground up and the other with it down you can have the neutrals right next to each other and connect them with a 3 inch wire.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

What you have described is the way I prefer to do garage outlets.
I think it is called an “Edison Circuit.”
I like it for the reasons you gave.
I only work with EMT (pipe) so I am running red black and white 12s.
It sounds like you are running Romex, so go with 12/3.

If you put one duplex with the ground up and the other with it down you can have the neutrals right next to each other and connect them with a 3 inch wire.

Multiwire neutrals need to be pigtailed to the receptacle. Code requires that removal of a receptacle (temporary for maintenance or permanent) will not interrupt the neutral circuit, so you cannot run the neutral straight to a receptacle and then off to the next one and so forth.

Charles

 

[Wow]

In my old shop I thought long and hard about cutting bigger holes in the walls around each outlet, and make it a double gang box with 4 outlets.

Then I went and bought 10 of these:
http://www.filmtools.com/prime-triple-tap-yellow.html
and stuck one in every outlet. Viola, 4 holes! Easiest install ever.

My new shop I have to rewire anyway, so I'm just going to use a bunch of regular receptacles...

 

[jvitez]

Weren't 3-wire MWBC (multi-wire branch circuits) common or even required for kitchens in Canada?

Correct. It was code required actually. Only relatively recently has the Canadian Electrical Code allowed the NEC 20 amp kitchen circuit to be used instead of 2 shared neutral 15 amp circuits.

 

[kbs2244]

You are right Charles.
I should have mentioned that I pig tail the outlets.

 

[Falcon67]

You could save a little by running 15A circuits along your bench surface and using 20A circuits for general use along the open walls. OR - plan it out and run 20A to your equipment (drill press, etc) and 15A elsewhere. Except for a welder cart, you are not really going to have anything on the bench or under a car that draws 15A. 80% of the stuff plugged into an outlet in my shop is diddly stuff - chargers, lamps, drop light, clock, hand drill, fan, sander, chop saw, etc. None of it draws much current at all. The serious equipment uses dedicated outlets and the 110V welder uses 20A wall plugs.

 

[Norcal]

Please note that GFCI protection is required for garage receptacles and accessory building in section 210.8(A) (2), 2005 NEC,which makes the use of a multiwire circuit more costly because a new 2 pole GFCI circuit breaker cannot be normally bought for less $$$ then a couple of GFCI receptacles.

 

[jvitez]

Please note that GFCI protection is required for garage receptacles and accessory building in section 210.8(A) (2), 2005 NEC

The CEC doesn't require GFCI's in the garage, only exterior receptacles and those less than 6ft from water indoors, ie shaver plugs, kitchen plugs close to the sink, etc.

Another difference between CEC & NEC, but important to know for anyone reading this thread. Thanks!

 

[Falcon67]

Good point - forgot to mention that all my general use outlets are GFCI or fed through one.

 

[Wow]

Good point - forgot to mention that all my general use outlets are GFCI or fed through one.

All my outlets are individually GFCI'ed, that is, if one trips, it doesn't kill the whole circuit. Doesn't cause any issues for me running multiwire (3 hot) circuits.