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I guess I'll call the building inspector tomorrow to find out which one has been adopted in NJ and what local changes if any have been adopted in my town.
$50 a pop for AFCIs !
Any cheaper source?
e:
Why is OP doing a COMPLETE rewire?
For a lot less work and expense he may be able to selectively upgrade kitchen and bath, replace main service and just run new circuits to heavy loads.
just wondering cause a complete gut and replace is hard work and very disruptive, and better done if your gutting the home and say insulating too.
I'd worry more about the electricity usage than the square feet. My house was wired by an idiot electrician. I have the living room, two bathrooms and the master bedroom on ONE 15A circuit. It could just about handle the six 60W lamps and the space heater in the bathroom. Much more than that blew the breaker.
I'm not 100% sure of what is currently required , and it will be different in Canada and the US. Canada USUALLY has higher requirements than the USA. To the best of my recollection:
Definitely recommended, and I believe in Canada required if hardwired
- possibly get away with a "disconnect" - and it will depend if it has a "sanitizer" (built in water heater)
Definitely required in Canada
GFCI NOT required for refrigerator in Basement - but MUST be a dedicated outlet.
I believe it is in Canada
Is in Canada
Definitely recommended
Canadian code is an outlet within 6 feet of any occupied area of the house.
Easy way to do this. Get an electronic timer switch with an over-ride. The light will not come on unless the timer says yes and the motion sensor says yes. Then add a parallel "bypass" switch that turns the lights on regardless of what the timer or motion detector says. The over-ride function allows you to turn the motion detector portion of the ,light off, or on, when the timer says to do the opposite.
The 3 wire would be a requirement for the system I described.
Perhaps he has ungrounded early romex, or early aluminum wire? Or perhaps the wiring has proven to be inadequate, and the original layout is so convoluted that just rewiring is so much simpler to figure out???
Herre, code requires them in bedrooms. Don't know what code is where you are.
Ken
IMHO Wayne has the best and most complete answer.
One calculation is at 3 watts per square foot which gives 1 circuit (15A) per 600 sq. ft. But there are alternate calculations and some of the required circuits may count.
As someone said, a 20A circuit for the bathroom(s).
Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms are not a NEC requirement but may well be required by state or local codes.
Generally in the 2008 NEC if a circuit does not require a GFCI it requires AFCI protection. There is a list.
============== I have major doubts the OP has a realistic idea of the difficulty if walls are not open. Or the amount of work involved.
The OP should have _at least one real good book_ on wiring based on the NEC version that will be enforced. That book should have answered many of the questions that were asked. And, for example, there were minimal questions about where GFCIs are required. Or what rooms the kitchen appliance circuits have to supply.
The OP had best make a floor plan, with all the electric indicated, and run it past the inspector. There are *numerous* gotchas that are possible. Like, with a "complete rewire" will receptacle spacing have to meet the requirements for new construction. The attitude of the inspector will make a huge difference in how smoothly the job will go. If I was the inspector my attitude would not be very good unless the OP has done a *lot* more research. The inspector does not have to tell you how to do the work, and you may find out there is a problem when the inspector tags it.
While you can get good answers to limited questions on this newsgroup, this question is way to broad to give a very complete answer.
Why you ask? All 3 of the reasons you mention.
1 Aluminum wiring. Ends have snapped off in 50% of the locations I have touched, like when changing the ceiling fixtures. One flickering utility light in the basement turned out to have burned loose wire in the box. I have also had breakers trip because the load wires attached to the breakers had softened and worked loose from deformation. 2 Inadequate. SWMBO's 50,000 Watt hair dryer dims most of the upstairs lights when powered on. House was built in 70s when nobody had computers, monitors, printers, cell phones, etc. 3 Convoluted. Before I start I'll need to map the entire house outlet by outlet because things that may be up to code make no sense. When the toaster and coffee pot are on and someone trips the breaker by turning on the microwave the basement lights also go out.
While Edison circuits would make the number of pulls less I plan on staying away from them.
I don't know how common the floating common or 'hot' common problems are but I don't need to take the chance. Lowes has 1,000' of 12/2 for $260 so wire isn't that expensive.
Also the next guy might be very surprised to find 220v in a junction box under the sink.
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