terminating unused romex "in wall"

[dlleno]

Hi.

I'm converting a over-the-range hood to a microwave, and to do this I'm putting in a dedicated 20A circuit to replace what is there to power the hood. The hood is (currently) powered by the (15A) kitchen lighting circuit, and is direct wired (no box).

The addition of a 20A circuit and wall plug (in the overhead cabinet) means that I wont' be using the existing 15A hood wire, which is 14/2/g romex. What is the best practice or applicable codes regarding what to do with this wire left "unused"?

 

[kb2tha]

Unsure of applicable code but best practice would probably be to find out where it feeds from and disconnect it at that point. Then the entire line is dead and a non issue. Perhaps label both ends as non functionng or dead.

 

[dlleno]

yea I meant to say... I can't get to the other end. its part of the existing kitchen lighting circuit that is routed through the various studs in the walls. I just didn't know how to deal with a live but not used wire...

 

[p_mori7]

i would run the wire into a surface mounted box inside the cabinet, cap the wires with wire nuts and electrical tape, then put a cover on the box.

 

[Milton Shaw]

It should be connected in an outlet or ceiling box somewhere, some of the non contact electrical testers will read through a wall and can be used to trace the hot wire back to the outlet/box. Then open the box disconnect it and then wire nut the black/white together at both ends to show its a non functioning wire. If you have a labeler also put a label on both ends showing this. I know my fluke 179 meter will read a wire in a wall from about 8 -12 inches away in the most sensitive setting.

 

[ddawg16]

Make sure you put a note on it......it will remind you what it was for a few years from now....or the new owners will know.....that way we don't get the "What is this wire for?" post in a few years.

 

[rockchucker]

i would run the wire into a surface mounted box inside the cabinet, cap the wires with wire nuts and electrical tape, then put a cover on the box.

100%

 

[matt151617]

If it's still live then it'll need to be capped inside a box and still accessible. If you can completely disconnect it at both ends, it can be clipped off and drywalled over or covered.

 

[rsanter]

i would run the wire into a surface mounted box inside the cabinet, cap the wires with wire nuts and electrical tape, then put a cover on the box.

This is the only right answer if you can't completely remove the wire

Bob

 

[nehog]

I had exactly the same problem, and I just wire nutted the wires, installed a box and figured it was good... No way I'd find the old wire origin.

 

[kert]

I had exactly the same problem, and I just wire nutted the wires, installed a box and figured it was good... No way I'd find the old wire origin.

I assume the house was like this when you bought it, but this is one of the reasons that burying junction boxes is agains code.

 

[nehog]

I assume the house was like this when you bought it, but this is one of the reasons that burying junction boxes is agains code.

Huh? Who buried a junction box? Originally the house (like the OP's) had no box, wire came out of the wall and into the original hood. I installed a box, outlet and nutted the original wires, nothing buried (that I know of.) It just wasn't worth my time to take out the other outlets and find the one which sourced the range hood, and heck maybe some day I'll want that wire for something! (Though I have no idea what!)

 

[p_mori7]

Huh? Who buried a junction box? Originally the house (like the OP's) had no box, wire came out of the wall and into the original hood. I installed a box, outlet and nutted the original wires, nothing buried (that I know of.) It just wasn't worth my time to take out the other outlets and find the one which sourced the range hood, and heck maybe some day I'll want that wire for something! (Though I have no idea what!)

under cabinet lighting ?

 

[wssix99]

Hi.

I'm converting a over-the-range hood to a microwave, and to do this I'm putting in a dedicated 20A circuit to replace what is there to power the hood. The hood is (currently) powered by the (15A) kitchen lighting circuit, and is direct wired (no box).

The addition of a 20A circuit and wall plug (in the overhead cabinet) means that I wont' be using the existing 15A hood wire, which is 14/2/g romex. What is the best practice or applicable codes regarding what to do with this wire left "unused"?

Couldn't you just put in a dedicated 15A circuit if your current circuit would be overloaded? That way you could re-use some of the wires.

A dedicated 20A circuit sounds like overkill since you'll be putting in a 15A outlet and your new microwave/hood has a 15A plug on it, right?

 

[matt151617]

I believe all kitchen circuits are required to be 20 amps now with current code. At least specifically for the dedicated microwave circuit, that is required to be 20 amps.

 

[Lotek]

under cabinet lighting ?

That would be my suggestion, why waste an already pulled circuit.

 

[Highbeam]

I pulled the wire from the range hood up into the attic and capped it off in an accessible box with cover when I switched to a microwave and had to run a dedicated 20 amp circuit. You need 20 amps for a microwave, those babies are 1800 watts. Anyway, later I reused that former range hood wire for can lights in the living room.

So it was good to not abandon it for dead in the wall.

 

[rlitman]

If it's still live then it'll need to be capped inside a box and still accessible. If you can completely disconnect it at both ends, it can be clipped off and drywalled over or covered.

Instead of clipping a wire on both ends, just wirenut everything together.
Black -> White -> Ground
That way anyone who looks at it in the future will know for sure that it is dead.

 

[ket-tek]

Heck I'm looking to get my microwave out from over the stove, modify my upper cabinets over another area to re-install it, and put a hood fan back over the stove.

I know it's just the way homes are built these days and having the microwave mounted off the counter is a great space saver and makes the counters easier to clean. But I can't stand the small amount of height between the microwave and stove. And I also miss how much better a hood fan actually worked as a fan than the internal microwave ones, as well as how much better the lighting is on most hoods compared to the tiny two-prong halogen bulbs under most microwaves.

Just saying..

Otherwise get that wire pulled into a box and put a blank plate on it like the guys are saying if you can't find the source to disconnect it...

 

[davemackie]

I'd suggest just to pull it into the box that you're putting your new microwave plug in, cap it off (put wire connectors on the ends of the individual conductors) label it and leave it coiled up in the box. It's not hurting anything, there's no need to do anything more.

 

[wssix99]

You need 20 amps for a microwave, those babies are 1800 watts.

Not if it has a 15A plug on it. The cooking wattage is not necessarily what the unit draws.

 

[Highbeam]

Not if it has a 15A plug on it. The cooking wattage is not necessarily what the unit draws.

Did you even bother to do the math? 1800 watts at 120 volts is 15 amps! This is why you need a 20 amp ciruit.

 

[pattenp]

Not if it has a 15A plug on it. The cooking wattage is not necessarily what the unit draws.

True about the cooking wattage, but a straight blade 15A plug is not what determines the required amp circuit. 15A outlets are used on 20A circuits. My microwave pulls 13.5A which should be put on a 20A circuit, but the cord has a 15A style plug on it.

 

[wssix99]

Did you even bother to do the math? 1800 watts at 120 volts is 15 amps! This is why you need a 20 amp ciruit.

The math doesn't exactly work out like that... The wattage of a microwave is an advertised number. (Like my 450 hp car only has a 425 hp engine.) If you look at the label inside the microwave, it will tell you how many amps it really draws. For example, I have a "1200 watt" microwave that draws 13.8 amps at peak.

The bottom line is that if an appliance (speaking NA here) draws more than 15 A, its going to have a 20A plug on it.

True about the cooking wattage, but a straight blade 15A plug is not what determines the required amp circuit.

True

15A outlets are used on 20A circuits.

True

My microwave pulls 13.5A which should be put on a 20A circuit, but the cord has a 15A style plug on it.

In new construction, sure one should use a 20A circuit. But if an existing 15A circuit is there and enough headroom exists on that circuit, there's no harm in using it.

 

[dlleno]

Couldn't you just put in a dedicated 15A circuit if your current circuit would be overloaded? That way you could re-use some of the wires.

A dedicated 20A circuit sounds like overkill since you'll be putting in a 15A outlet and your new microwave/hood has a 15A plug on it, right?

I can't re-use wire because the origin of what is exposed can't be located and is already part of the kitchen lighting circuit. A dedicated 20A circuit is local code, but doesn't apply to my house due to its age. it turned out it was easy to run a new circuit up there. the old is terminated inside an old work box now.