Subject: Re: How many outlets on a breaker?

From: [email-masked] (Alan Murphy)
Date: Sun, 09 Feb 1997 03:07:19 GMT

You can have as many as you want.  The limit is on how many things you
can run off a single breaker.  15 outlets with 15 devices each pulling
.95 of an amp on a 15 amp breaker wouldn't over load it... 

Alan

On Thu, 06 Feb 1997 18:45:01 -0600, [email-masked] (Rich
Kula) wrote:

>I am doing a wire-upgrade in my workshop outside. I have just built a new
>workbench and it is a pain in the butt trying to always bend down and
>crawling over this and that..Word to the WISE: YOU CAN NEVER HAVE ENUFF
>OUTLETTS!!!!
>
>   Anyways, what is the rule of thumb with how many outlets one can put on
>a 15 or 20 amp breaker? Does the code stipulate the maximum amount of
>outlets one can put on the aforementioned breaker setup? Ideally, I would
>like to put about 7 on each sub-panel breaker?
>
>   Any feedback would sure be appreciated.
>
>   TIA ,
>
>   Rich

***********************************************************
Jesus is My Favorite Carpenter, 
  and he doesn't use a blade
  guard either.

Alan Murphy
Las Vegas, NV

***********************************************************

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From: [email-masked] (HDSherwin)
Date: 9 Feb 1997 18:29:53 GMT

I guess if you don't want to comply with electrical code you could use as
many outlets as you want, but the NEC limits you to 13 on a 20A circuit.
(Many electricians limit it to about 7 or 8.)

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From: [email-masked] (Luigi Zanasi)
Date: Sun, 09 Feb 1997 19:21:10 GMT

>.95 of an amp on a 15 amp breaker wouldn't over load it... 

Yeah but, running an electric heater and a power tool on the same
circuit could blow it. Remember, Rich is in Manitoba, probably in the
city Canadians affectionately call Winterpeg. ;-) Besides, the
Canadian Electrical Code specifies a maximum of 12 outlets (plug-ins
and lights) per 15 amp circuit. 

And you can't use 20 amps circuits in Canada. It's also cheaper to use
15 amps, because you can use 14 gauge wire rather than the 12 gauge I
believe is needed for 20 amps.

Luigi

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 09 Feb 1997 22:18:42 GMT

On Sun, 09 Feb 1997 03:07:19 GMT, [email-masked] (Alan

>.95 of an amp on a 15 amp breaker wouldn't over load it... 

I'm not sure of the exact answer, but I'm pretty sure this is wrong.
My old NEC considers each receptacle outlet to have a load of 180
volt-amperes.  A 120 volt, 15 amp circuit would have a capacity of
120*15=1800 volt-amperes, for a maximum number of 10 receptacle
outlets per circuit.

There seems to be an exception for receptacles serving "plug- and
cord-connected equipment," but it doesn't make sense to me that the
exception would result in an unlimited number of allowable
receptacles.

I would be very interested in a definitive answer to this question.

Rick Marinelli
[email-masked]

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From: The Lorax <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 1997 18:59:20 -0600

> .95 of an amp on a 15 amp breaker wouldn't over load it... 

     You are of course completely correct here, but as with most
everything in our society there is a political side to it.  In most areas
building codes will specify a maximum number of outlets you can have wired
to a single 15 or 20 amp breaker.  If you have more than the prescribed
number you can be cited that your wiring is in violation and a potential
fire code.  This is utterly bogus but can lead to hundreds of dollars in
fines and/or a court battle if you don't follow their rules to the letter.

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From: [email-masked] (Alan)
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 1997 04:41:21 GMT

Thank you.

I was speaking figurativly.. not Legally... sorry for the
confusion....

Personally I don't know why you would want 15 outlets on the same
breaker... after all a breaker is what $7.00?

And you have to run romex anyway!

Alan

>fines and/or a court battle if you don't follow their rules to the letter. 

********************************************
Jesus is My Favorite Carpenter, 
  and he doesn't use a blade
         guard either.

Alan Murphy
Las Vegas, NV

********************************************

---

From: [email-masked] (Alan)
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 1997 07:00:26 GMT

Well here is the Answer according to the U.S. 
National Electrical Code....

5 outlets on any 15 amp  circut.

(It used to be 8 for homes and 5 for industrial
but now it seem that it is just a flat 5

Alan

Alan Murphy
Las Vegas, NV

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 13 Feb 1997 02:52:07 GMT

Hi to all,
I need help. Best friend ( wife) ask me to build her a wall mounted quilt hanger. She wants to display her full sized quilts. I have invisioned a double wood bar with thur bolts into threaded inserts and its lookig pretty ugly. I have never seen a quilt wall hanger. She wants to have the quilt fully open and hang it from this thing. I would really appreciate any and all ideas and help. please post here or e-mail me.
                                    Wooddon

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From: [email-masked] (Mike Thompson)
Date: 13 Feb 1997 15:16:34 GMT

In <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] writes:
>Hi to all,
>I need help. Best friend ( wife) ask me to build her a wall mounted quilt hanger. She wants to display her full sized quilts. I have invisioned a double wood bar with thur bolts into threaded inserts and its lookig pretty ugly. I have never seen a quilt
wall hanger. She wants to have the quilt fully open and hang it from this thing. I would really appreciate any and all ideas and help. please post here or e-mail me.
>                                    Wooddon

Two boards of favorite material, 4 inches wide and as long as the quilt.
Board 1, run a trough lengthwise 2/3 down from the designated top.
Board 2, attach half-round molding along same line as trough in board one so
that if you lay board 2 on board 1 the half round snuggles in the trough.
Pre-drill board 2 every 12 inches 1/3 to 1/2 down from the designated top.
Attach board 1 to the wall high enough to hang the quilt.
With help, hang the quilt so that the top edge overlays the trough but does
not reach the hole drilled through board 2, which is where board two will be
screwed to board 1.
Screw through board 2 into board 1 - this will pinch the quilt between the
half-round and the trough, kind of like a clothes pin (remember those?).
Continue down the length until the quilt is hung.  Since the quilt is only
pinched between the wood, there is no permanent damage.
You will have to cover the screw heads on the outside of board 2 - match your
decorating - country, you might attach small painted wood hearts.  Oak and
formal, maybe small routed squares.  Up to you.

Works great.  Were I an ascii artist, and if I thought what I draw on my
machine would look the same on your machine, I'd draw this.  But....
Good luck!

- Mike

 *********************   No IBM Opinions Here!  ********************
  Michael E. Thompson ([email-masked])
                       T/L 678-0779  (512) 838-0779
                       IBM Austin, Austin, TX, USA
 *********************   No IBM Opinions Here!  ********************

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From: [email-masked] (R. Duniway)
Date: 14 Feb 1997 04:14:05 GMT

>fines and/or a court battle if you don't follow their rules to the letter. 

Are you sure about this assertion?  My copy of the UEC chapter on 
calculating circuit load says there is no prescribed limit on the number 
of outlets which can be wired to a single circuit, with the exception of
outlets dedicated to particular purposes such as refrigerators.  Since 
most local building codes now follow one of the model codes, I don't see
why such a limit would apply.  Also, most building departments don't 
impose fines for violations, they just make you tear out the offending
items and replace them with conforming items.  In the case of wired
in outlets that would hardly amount to hundreds of dollars.  Building 
inspectors are generally reasonable people, believe it or not.

Bob Duniway	Dr. Bob's Home Rehab  [email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (D. Van Ess)
Date: 14 Feb 1997 17:34:16 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>,
R. Duniway <[email-masked]> wrote:
>>number you can be cited that your w

When I wired my shop I put in 6 lines of 110 with 4 outlets on each
I wired it in such a way that a 110 box would be on a different circuit
than the ones on either side.  That way I would have 3 lines to use in one
area.
I also ran one 110 phase along one side of my shop and the other phase on
the other side. (My Shop is 20 heet wide.)  So from any place in my shop
the worst voltage shock I can get is 110V (for a malfunctioning tool to
ground) If the phases are mixed you could manage to come in contact with
220V (110 - -110) 

I have 3 lines of 220 with three boxes.  I bunch the three boxes together
because they are used to run stationary tools and those are distributed
about the shop.  I also ran 2 lines of 220 for the electric heat I have.
They only have 1 box each because the 4K heaters take the full load.

Dave Van Ess