Remodeling basement due to minor flood last year and just got all the insulation and wall framing up and adding some wiring while everything is open. I want to add an outlet near the new stairs I just built which will be carpeted - soon. Wife wants an outlet nearby for the vacuum. Only circuit that is handy is a lighting circuit for the basement lights (14ga wire, 15A circuit).
I've traced it out and it goes around the basement to 3 light fixtures then terminates going up through the 1st floor into a living room outlet where we have a lamp plugged in. I was under the impression (obviously wrong) - that wiring for lighting circuits were supposed to be on their own circuits and have no outlets. Rationale being that if the circuit breaker trips while using say a vacuum cleaner, you still have lights.
At any rate, anyone know if the NEC has anything against this for residential? I was planning on making it a GFI outlet since all other basement outlets are on a GFI breaker. That line is not near where I want to place the outlet...
Figured that if the contractor that built the house 30+ years ago must have had an electrical inspection and that the wiring scheme met code - then. I'll give our local code office a buzz in the am to see if they have any qualms about it but they have given me bad/wrong advice in the past - so they're hard to believe.
Thanks for your time,
Bob S.