I have replaced my electric HW, thereby making the 30 amp circuit obsolete. That circuit runs from a double breaker to a Square D Safety Switch. I plan on replacing the double breaker with two singles, a 20 amp and a 15 amp. The 15 amp will be for future use.
I will use the 20 amp for a new circuit to my new home office in the basement, re-routing and re-using the existing 3/4″ EMT. I will replace the 2 black (10 guage?) THHN wires with a neutral and a hot 12 guage THHN wire and run it directly from the breaker to to a 20 amp GFCI outlet. I will branch a couple of additional 20 amp outlets off of the GFCI.
Am I missing anything? Any suggestions?
Replies
Option
Depending on what circuits you currently have in the basement, you might consider repulling 220 to the basement, (you will have to pull the exisiting wires first), and installing a subpanel there for the basement.
220 to the basement
Thanks for the suggestion, but there are enough circuits in the basement. I'm only doing this because of the availablity of the obsolete circuit and to isolate my office equipment.
Wireing
You seem to have it pretty much figured out. The only sugestion I would offer is to pull a ground wire (greeen #12) with the black and white for the 20 amp circuite. The conduite is a legal grounding path, but the new version of the NEC requires a bonding jumper from the receptical to the metalic box. The yoke of the receptical is no longer considered an adequate gounding path. If you pull a green wire in with the new circuite you can skip the bonding jumper at the box and be assured you have a good ground back to the panel.
Helpfull hint:
Pull out only one of the #10 wire in the conduite, then use the remaining wire to pull the new #12 's. Since you are pulling into or from a hot panel, cut a piece of card board and fit it snuggly inside the panel so that it covers all of the live conductors and busses. Leave just enough cardboard cut out the around the conduite you are pulling in for the new/old wire to enter or leave. The cardboard is not an insulator but does act as a shield to keep both hands, fingers and wire ends from inadvertenly coming in contact with energized stuff in a panel box.
Are you also running the 15 amp circuite at the same time, or in the same conduite?
yoke of the receptical
Thanks for the feedback.
I am using 4" metal boxes where the yoke is trimmed and the receptical is attached to the cover. I will use a bare/green jumper from the ground screw on receptical to the box as it is no big deal on this small project.
Yes, I had planned on using the #10 to pull the #12, pulling up into the panel rather than from the panel. I have an LB connection between the floor joists directly below the panel that should minimize my exposurel. Thanks for the cardboard tip!
I have no plans for the 15 amp circuit at this time, but I understand that I can use the same EMT for that circuit.
15 Amp circuite
I would go ahead and pull a couple of #14 wires in when you pull in the #12's. Just roll them up in the panel box and leave enough in the 4x4 box to make up a connection later. It is a whole lot easier to pull them in now than try to pull though a conduite that already has wire in it, and you are less likely to skin up any of the wires.
Why remove the 10ga.?
You have perfectly good wire already in the wall, is there a reason you HAVE to pull it? Unless you are short a conductor or ground wire, there is no need to waste this perfectly good wire... that has MORE capacity than you will be using.
Even if all you do is pigtail on some 12ga to finish the circuit - no need to pull new!
Why remove the #10?
Good point!
Except that the old circuit (less than 50 feet) was two (black) hots. Since I was relocating the circuit in my basement, it wasn't too much trouble to change to #12. Plus my (white) neutral is #12, so there would have been a mix and the new run is only 25 feet..