Wiring&breaker for lighting circuit

[millinghill]

Point taken and agreed. To summarize and rephrase: house is located in New York, the subject is a lighting circuit(s) on which there will be 4 groups of luminaires (one group in each "room" of the basement, and each group ha ving 4-6 luminaires, and each luminaire being rated at 75watts by its manuf acturer), and each group is activated via separate switches; and NO recepta cles will be installed on this/these dedicated circuits.

And it seems that even though it is NOT prohibited by the NEC, the concensu s is that I should split this into two 15amp lighting circuits for two reas ons: easier to work with 14awg, and better design such that a tripped break er wont plunge the entire basement into darkness.

Did I get all that right? :) All comments appreciated.

[millinghill]

Point taken and agreed. To summarize and rephrase: house is located in New York, the subject is a lighting circuit(s) on which there will be 4 groups of luminaires (one group in each "room" of the basement, and each group ha ving 4-6 luminaires, and each luminaire being rated at 75watts by its manuf acturer), and each group is activated via separate switches; and NO recepta cles will be installed on this/these dedicated circuits.

And even though the NEC does not prohibit me from wiring this via 12awg and one 20amp breaker, the concensus is that I should split this into two 15am p lighting circuits for two reasons: easier to work with 14awg, and better design such that a tripped breaker wont plunge the entire basement into dar kness.

Did I get all that right? :) All comments appreciated.

[trader_4]

On Monday, September 28, 2015 at 9:52:28 AM UTC-4, [e-mail] wrote :

ew York, the subject is a lighting circuit(s) on which there will be 4 grou ps of luminaires (one group in each "room" of the basement, and each group having 4-6 luminaires, and each luminaire being rated at 75watts by its man ufacturer), and each group is activated via separate switches; and NO recep tacles will be installed on this/these dedicated circuits.

nd one 20amp breaker, the concensus is that I should split this into two 15 amp lighting circuits for two reasons: easier to work with 14awg, and bette r design such that a tripped breaker wont plunge the entire basement into d arkness.

I believe GFRE who's the authority on code issues, said that you can put it all on one 14 amp circuit if you want to. I agree with two circuits being marginally better though, from the blackout standpoint. But I can't recall a breaker here ever tripping on a circuit that is dedicated to lighting. I can recall plenty of cases where the utility has gone down, plunging everything into darkness. Since that's survivable and in my world actually occurs with some frequency, the additional benefit of having two lighting circuits is a nit, IMO.

[bob haller]

ultimately whats the cost and work effort between 2 15 amp lighting circuits, or one perhaps code compliant but questionable single circuit alternative.

better to go with the 2 15 amp circuits....

[trader_4]

On Sunday, September 27, 2015 at 11:10:28 PM UTC-4, Don Y wrote: circuit so I can let light stream in through an open doorway, etc.

That would seem to be the best observation. OP is worried about 75W times X number of fixtures, etc. For new work, the obvious solution today is an LED fixture that is just that and won't accept an incandescent.

[gfretwell]

U/L does not certify that there will not be a fire, only that it will be totally contained in the equipment.

No idea but I do know NYC has adopted the NEC after 100 years of having their own code. That doesn't mean all the inspectors agree.

[gfretwell]

That is not really true but if the boss (AHJ) agrees you are stuck. In Florida the AHJ is the state, not the local BO. There are no "local codes". Just be sure you are right before you go through that process. At the end of the day, it may come down to what plan review said about your plans. Not "built to plan" is a slam dunk for the inspector..

OTOH in residential there is no 180va rule on receptacles and you would win that fight if some inspector tried to enforce it..I have never seen one try. It is a basic concept in residential load calculations that you do it by square footage, not receptacle count. The receptacle placement requirements pretty much assure you will have plenty you never use.

[gfretwell]

Yup, legally it could all be on a single 15 amp circuit but that might be a bad "design" decision.

[gfretwell]

Excellent idea for anyone.

[gfretwell]

I still have one of the old school battery lights with the big incandescent floods When the battery dies I may look at a LED replacement although if I just put LED bulbs in there, it would last forever on the battery.

I do have a switch in it that puts the lights in series if I want and makes the battery last a real long time. That is still plenty of walking around light.

[gfretwell]

No I haven't actually looked.

[tony944]

HOW MUCH OF AC YOU HAVE TO COMPENSATE THE HEAT ???

Hi. I'm laying out my basement lighting. I expect to have 25 recessed lights, each is 75watt max rating (even though I will use LED, I know I must still assume max rating of fixture). 25x75=1875watts/120V = 15.6amps. So, I cannot use one 15amp breaker and 14awg wire. Can I wire all the lights with 12awg and a 20amp breaker? All comments appreciated.

Thanks Theodore

[gfretwell]

A little over a half a ton (6.4 kbtu sensible heat)