critique my circuiting plan

[Nate Nagel]

OK, so I'm in the middle of re-circuiting my house, breaking up existing circuits and pulling new homeruns so all appliances work in harmony, etc.

I am thinking I will end up with:

basement: two general 15A lighting/recep ckts (exist.) 1x 20A ckt for laundry (currently two, one for washer and one for dryer, both also feeding things elsewhere in the house which will be put on their own circuits) with GFCI recep. at first location; one 20A ckt. for furnace; one 20A ckt. for circulation pump for solar water heater panel and also convenience outlet for ironing (exist.) this one is massive overkill but it is there so I will leave it alone.

1st floor: one 15A general lighting/recep ckt. (exist) one 15A ckt for kitchen ceiling fan and light and also stairway landing lights and one recep. in living room (just split off from washing machine circuit) one 20A circuit for dishwasher, one 20A circuit intended for nonexistent disposer, now serving as one countertop outlet (GFCI recep already installed.) One 20A circuit serving dedicated recep for microwave and toaster oven on rolling cart (just split off from general lighting ckt.) One 20A ckt. for refrig. currently sharing ckt. with one recep. in living room (probably for window mounted A/C unit? thinking of splitting this one off.) Would like to split other countertop outlet (there are only two) off of general lighting ckt. as the lights dim when coffeemaker gets going, and I like my coffee, would then put on own 20A circuit so I would have the now-required two 20A countertop circuits. Also the gas range is now not wired as it was also on the clothes washer circuit, should I pull that as a dedicated circuit or could it share with something on the 1st floor?

2nd floor: now solely on one 15A circuit with the exception of one single recep. on its own 20A circuit, I assume for another window mount A/C unit. Would like to pull another 20A ckt. up for bathroom so I can add a recep. in there and also possibly a through-wall vent fan (don't want to mess with roof as it is metal.) Maybe if general lighting/recep ckt. has a natural point at which to break it split that into two as well and pull another 14AWG home run.

I haven't even started to assess the subpanel in the garage yet... (another issue for another time.)

My breaker box is starting to look really, really busy with all the half-height breakers BUT I can already see the benefits with the lack of dimming lights etc. when certain appliances kick on... Yes, the panel is rated for what I'm doing and I still have four unused spaces that I'm trying to keep free should I decide to put a little workshop area in the basement and want a 240V outlet for a welder or what have you.

Any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated.

nate

[Pete C.]

You can never have things separate enough short of home running everything. In my shop rebuild that's basically what I've done.

Bathroom should certainly have it's own GFCI circuit since a hair dryer will just about max a circuit. Depending on how your HVAC is, if you expect to need a portable heater to take the chill off a room (conserving energy or making up for a deficient furnace) you should have individual circuits for those rooms. Bedrooms should have AFCI breakers.

Kitchen should really have at least two GFCI circuits so that if you are say broiling something in a toaster oven, firing up the coffee pot or stand mixer doesn't trip the breaker. My kitchen has something like 5

20A circuits counting the dedicated fridge circuit, more if you count lighting circuits.

There are no 15A circuits at all in my house. If I were you I wouldn't consider anything but 12ga 20A circuits for anything new, the modest cost increase vs. your time and the future limitations of a 15A circuit. You only need to reserve space for a two pole breaker for the shop, just install a sub panel for the shop, much easier. My shop has a 125A 32 space sub panel.

Pete C.

[buffalobill]

[N8N]

I forgot to mention that I did install an AFCI for the 2nd floor general circuit, and will add another if I end up splitting it. I am aware of the requirement for GFCI in the bathroom, it currently does not have one simply because there is no receptacle in the bathroom. If/when I get to that it will definitely get one.

Yup. It will have four including the fridge, w/two GFCI for the countertops when I am done.

Since all the existing wiring is hidden behind plaster, if I split the circuit on the 2nd floor the "new" circuit will remain 15A. Otherwise I agree with you. My (detached) garage does have a 100A sub panel in it but about half my basement is still unfinished and I am undecided if that should be a secondary workspace or not... I think the financial department wants to turn part of it into a bathroom though which would be kind of a PITA what with the sewer being buried under the concrete floor and all.

nate

[Pete C.]

It's not a PITA, it's a shopping opportunity. New angle grinder and abrasive wheel or circular saw and diamond wheel to make the cuts in the concrete. Perhaps some new chisels and a sledge hammer...

Pete C.

[N8N]

LOL maybe you're right, but I'm unclear on who's going to pay for all that stuff... I get the "you have too many tools already" lecture quite regularly, most recently when I went out and bought a new Sawzall (although it made cutting the old ceiling box out of the kitchen a piece of cake.)

nate

[Pete C.]

If you're getting that lecture either you aren't doing enough of her projects or you need to dump her.

Pete C.

[N8N]

There's other redeeming "allowances" she makes, like not entering the garage, and not complaining about the fact that my "real" car is a 20 year old Porsche (and that there's also an old Studebaker that isn't exactly driveable at the moment.)

Actually, it's now kinda "her" car but I figure that's better than her hating the damn thing.

I just need to get her to understand the necessity and use of various tools that I don't have :)

nate