Outlets per circuit ?

I will defer to other, more knowledgeable folks on # of outlets per circuit.

But if you're in the US, you may want to at least conform to National Electric Code (NEC), so that if there's ever a cause for an insurance claim, an insurance adjuster and/or fire inspector could see it was done, at least, to that standard.

Btw, seem to recall the NEC says bedrooms&Living rooms get AFCI breakers, and bathrooms need 20Amps with GFCI outlets or breaker(s).

Also I highly recommend this guidebook:

For a residence you can have as many as you want.

I've

Not sure what that means, seems to imply that the stove and those 3 are on the same circuit? Code requires min of two 20A circuits for counter top receptacles only.

that should meet the min then.

that's where the kitchen appliances will live .

Per code, it needs to be 20a. Given what one hair dryer can pull, 20a for each would be better, unless ones a half bath.

Also, most areas, eg kitchen, laundry, bed room, need to be on AFCI.

The rule of thumb is to apply 1.5 amps per receptacle.

NEC specifies that a circuit breaker shouldn't handle more than 80% of the load for which it is rated unless the breaker is labeled otherwise. Therefore, 10 outlets for a 20 amp circuit keeps it at the 80% required load.

While not specifically required, it is recommended that lighting and power outlets be on separate circuits in a room. The exception to this is a swit ched outlet for a table lamp. The reasoning is that if the power circuit i s tripped, lights will remain on for safety.

Dan

The only place the lights and outlets will be on the same circuit is the cellar . It's function is storage and a place to hide during really bad storms - if the lights go out that will be the least of my problems .

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Snag

I'm not sure what all the hoo-hoo is about AFCI breakers , unless it's because people are using the push-in terminals on the back of the outlets . I don't , always use the screw terminal and always make sure they're tightened properly . So far there's only one place where I have made connections anywhere but at the outlet/switch , and that's inside a metal box , not plastic . I was going to pull power for the cellar there , changed my mind and decided it gets it's own circuit . Out here where we live the volunteer fire dept sucks , I'm trying to be proactive about the possibility of an electrical fire . One of our neighbors had an electrically caused fire , nearly lost their house . I don't know who did their wiring , might have been the home owner .

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Snag

Another post indicates that I use 80% max , based on an average load of 1.5 amps/outlet .

Those outlets on the counter top will only be used for light loads , all the "big" loads will be on the island circuits . The big loads right now are on a separate temporary circuit that will be taken out when the island is built .

We don't use hair dryers ... though a later owner/tenant/guest might . Recommendation noted . The least expensive solution there might be to put the master bath on a standard breaker and use a GFCI outlet . Can't change the other bath without major work , it's wired with 14 ga and the walls there are finished .

This AFCI deal is fairly new isn't it ? If I've got wiring connections arcing I have f***ed up ...

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Snag

Thanks , I didn't know that . I'm going to stick with 5 outlets max , ya never know what I might plug in ...

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Snag

I was in my hose 30 years and found out that one of the kitchen counter outlets is on the same circuit at one in the dining room. We went from a 2 slice toaster to a 4 slice and with the AC in the dining room on, it tripped the breaker.

Breakfast this morbning is bacon, eggs, and your choice of toast or air conditioning.

And that's exactly the sort of problem I want to avoid . As I understand it , every time a breaker trips it can decrease the load capacity . So far we haven't tripped a single one ... and I want to keep it that way .

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Snag

On Thu 15 Jun 2017 06:52:47a, Ed Pawlowski told us...

We have a tiny kitchen with only 2 outlets, each on a separate circuit. With various countertop appliances to use, we must pick one over the other at any given time. For example, I can't run the coffee maker and toaster at the same time as they are both located at the same outlet. Likewise, multiple appliances complete for use at the other outlet.

Our co-op was built in the 1950s, but was completely re-wired sometime in the 1980s. We have a 200 amp panel, but there was no logic in what was combined for any given circuit. We've the strangest combinations. At least they had the forethought to have some switched outlets in every room, as there are no ceiling lights. Ceiling outlets for the ceiling fans have no wallswitches. We bought fans that have remote controls rather than dealing with pull chains.

That 80% is already in the limit for "small conductors" (14, 12 and

That is legal but points out why the 2 small appliance circuits is a minimum standard. Typically, if you know you will have an AC, you will pull in a dedicated circuit just for that, (perhaps swapping in a space heater in winter)

"(B) Small Appliances. (1) Receptacle Outlets Served. In the kitchen, pantry, breakfast room, dining room, or similar area of a dwelling unit, the two or more

As far as lighting circuits , the "main" bath and laundry share a 15A , the kitchen , living room , and bedroom/master bath each have their own .

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Snag

That's fine.

You asked in anther post about AFCI tripping from backstabbed connections being loose. As I understand it, they should trip from that. They will also trip for other arcing conditions like missing insulation and a hot arcing against metal, or a bad cord with arcing between the hot and neutral, etc. How many fires this is supposed to prevent, how well it actually works to find these faults vs possible false trips, IDK, because I don't have them either, but in principle they sound like a good idea.

In the NEC, "general lighting" refers to virtually all of the outlets in a dwelling, lighting or otherwise. The exceptions are bath, kitchen, laundry receptacles and circuits installed to serve fixed in place equipment which are computed separately.

I'm a little leery of a breaker device being shoved down my throat when it costs from 6-8 times what a regular breaker costs . Not that I'm trying to cheap out , at this point money isn't really a limiting factor . Kinda like every time they produce a new vaccine all at once we're all gonna die if we don't get it . And the last few (?) years or so it seems like lobbyists have a disproportionate amount of influence . Makes me wonder if that's why they've suddenly become an absolute necessity ...

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Snag

On 06/15/2017 10:07 AM, Terry Coombs wrote: ...

Just ensure you've got lighting split enough that one tripped breaker still leaves with enough on to find your way in the dark from whereever you might happen to be at the time to the box.

One small rental had all main floor lighting on one; it got dark really quick that way... :) Many years ago and some tract houses yet today are wired to minimize the run distance for a cost-only design; that can still put a large area out that can be highly inconvenient.