electric question

J

jronnn

Well-Known Member
im out of circuit breaker space and i need to wire 3 lines of #12 wire (240v) to 1 breaker.... i was wondering if itd be possible to have the 3 #12 wires connected to a foot of #6 wire thats connected to a breaker (wires would be connected with a split bolt connector)... and id do that for both hots and ground

obviously this isnt ideal and id rather give each line of #12 its own breaker but i cant. so would it be safe to do?? thanks
 
qballizhere

qballizhere

Well-Known Member
jronnn said:
im out of circuit breaker space and i need to wire 3 lines of #12 wire (240v) to 1 breaker.... i was wondering if itd be possible to have the 3 #12 wires connected to a foot of #6 wire thats connected to a breaker (wires would be connected with a split bolt connector)... and id do that for both hots and ground

obviously this isnt ideal and id rather give each line of #12 its own breaker but i cant. so would it be safe to do?? thanks
Click to expand...
I would look into using the tandem breakers like
http://www.homedepot.com/b/Electrical-Power-Distribution-Circuit-Breakers-Tandem-Breakers/N-5yc1vZbm0f?NCNI-5&searchRedirect=tandom+breaker&semanticToken=1004+++>+++tandem+breaker+{category}+canaveral{1:1}
and see if you can make some room
 
J

jronnn

Well-Known Member
qballizhere said:
I would look into using the tandem breakers like
http://www.homedepot.com/b/Electrical-Power-Distribution-Circuit-Breakers-Tandem-Breakers/N-5yc1vZbm0f?NCNI-5&searchRedirect=tandom+breaker&semanticToken=1004+++>+++tandem+breaker+{category}+canaveral{1:1}
and see if you can make some room
Click to expand...
thanks i never even knew those existed... and thank you again because im an idiot.... you just made me remember that theres such thing as a sub panel lol idk how the hell i forgot i can just install a subpanel
 
SSGrower

SSGrower

Well-Known Member
jronnn said:
thanks i never even knew those existed... and thank you again because im an idiot.... you just made me remember that theres such thing as a sub panel lol idk how the hell i forgot i can just install a subpanel
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You risk overloading the main panel. Totally agree with @CriticalCheeze here. and Just cause they sell it at home depot don't mean it won't kill you just as dead. Get a licensed electrician to look at your specific situation please.
 
since1991

since1991

Well-Known Member
Get an electrician. Many pot friendly ones out there. You need a bigger fuse box. Every house i boomed up needed a bigger box. Once you get the bigger box..plenty of space to wire your set up. Its easy once the box is installed. Dedicated circuits for outlets...a.c. Dehuey...and relay box for lights and trigger timer. Real deal setups you can even wire up a dedicated sub panel. But the bigger fuse box upgrade...i always leave that to the sparkies. Once they leave...its game on.
 
ruwtz

ruwtz

Well-Known Member
You don't know AND you are talking about breaking code as a workaround.

Get a sparky,100%!!!
 
fridayfishfry

fridayfishfry

Well-Known Member
If you've worked on electric before like I dunno, renovating a house... i think your good. I would call an electrician for things like sub panels and grouding rods and definitely anything beyond the panel. Many half- unintoxicated handy adults know how to install a breaker circuit. If you don't know how.. pay the guy.

I'm sure there's plenty of mishaps where people don't know what they're doing. I always ask a handy- capable acquaintance to double check my plan. Never work on electric alone.

That being said I forgot about tandem breakers. Don't install a tandem breaker on a panel without a main breaker.
 
A

AKgrower29

Well-Known Member
Some is good information here while other info is people speaking about things they do not know. If look in the main panel of the load center it will tell you how many circuits your capable of handling and if your able to add tandem breakers and if so which slots are capable of accepting them. Using tandem breakers correctly is a great way to make space but they have there limitations unless you use special two pole tandem breakers you cannot use them to wire a 240 circuit as they are still only a single pole breaker and you need a double pole breaker.
 
qballizhere

qballizhere

Well-Known Member
AKgrower29 said:
Some is good information here while other info is people speaking about things they do not know. If look in the main panel of the load center it will tell you how many circuits your capable of handling and if your able to add tandem breakers and if so which slots are capable of accepting them. Using tandem breakers correctly is a great way to make space but they have there limitations unless you use special two pole tandem breakers you cannot use them to wire a 240 circuit as they are still only a single pole breaker and you need a double pole breaker.
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you mean a breaker like http://www.homedepot.com/p/Square-D-Homeline-2-20-Amp-Single-Pole-1-20-Amp-Two-Pole-Quad-Tandem-Circuit-Breaker-HOMT2020220CP/100186179. that breaker will give you 2 120 lines and 1 240 line all at 20A
you can do 240 with tandem breakers just have to have an idea of what you are doing if you are unsure it is better to call an electrician.
Adding a sub panel is ok if you can and it also depends on if you have 100A or 200A panel it is to easy to overload a 100A panel. Remember that is 100A at one time with everything on if you are going over that you have no choice but to upgrade to 200A and if you do that get a 40 breaker box panel it may be a little more money but you will have plenty of room for everything
 
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NinjaShamen

NinjaShamen

Well-Known Member
jronnn said:
thanks i never even knew those existed... and thank you again because im an idiot.... you just made me remember that theres such thing as a sub panel lol idk how the hell i forgot i can just install a subpanel
Click to expand...
I was gonna say subpanel too. You first idea may have work, but imo being safe and doing electrical the best way possible definitely beats roasting marshmallows on your house waiting for first responders, while hoping they somehow don't discover your grow. Might cost a few more bucks to go with the subpanel, but peace of mind is worth more than a fortune in gold
 
ThaMagnificent

ThaMagnificent

Well-Known Member
In regards to specific wires, I have a controller that I want to hook up to my panel. It needs a 240v 50A circuit and I was going with 6# wiring. What is the 2nd number in the wiring gauge mean? Like I'm seeing 6-2 and 6-3??
 
qballizhere

qballizhere

Well-Known Member
ThaMagnificent said:
In regards to specific wires, I have a controller that I want to hook up to my panel. It needs a 240v 50A circuit and I was going with 6# wiring. What is the 2nd number in the wiring gauge mean? Like I'm seeing 6-2 and 6-3??
Click to expand...
6-2 wire means there is a hot a neutral and a ground 6-3 is a black and red for hot a neutral and a ground. You want 6-3 for 240 6-2 for 120
 
A

AKgrower29

Well-Known Member
The second number refers to the number of conductors. It does not include the ground wire. So 6-2 is 2 6awg insulated wires and a bare ground. Where as 6-3 is 3 insulated wires and a bare ground. The type of wire you need will depend on what your using it for. Most new homes use a 4 wire 240v circuit for the dryers and ranges. But your timer is probably setup to use only three wires. 6-2 would give you 2 hots and a ground for the timer.
 
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