When I did construction, I always had a dedicated circuit for each bedroom, and a separate circuit for the lights. These days especially in WA state where I am, in winter it is too easy for someone to overload a circuit with electric heaters when it gets cold.
Awesome video. Only time you can have issues with combining the room outlets (and I've had this problem) is room A is running a 1500 watt room heater, Room B sister is running her hair dryer. Bingo.....breaker keeps tripping.
I love your enthusiasm. Many new panels have so many potential breakers that it is not an issue. I do not think I would do the junction box - unless the panel was small. BUT if I was re-wiring the entire house, I would make sure my panel could handle everything.
Separate lights also helps if you draw a heavy current close to the limit, say a space heater pulling near the max of the circuit, well the lights share the same circuit so you might get flickering. Throw in some fans and a TV and you might go lights out along with everything else because you opened the breaker.
OH NO! You just answered my question! I was wondering if this rule would take into consideration my kids...and I😅 We have those power strips with the 8 outlets in almost every outlet, and we have space heaters; mine I keep on year-round and now that I work from home, the breaker trips multiple times a day!..But I can't live without my space heater😭
It is not required, but I wire bedrooms on a dedicated circuit. I do bathrooms the same way. Lighting from 2 to 3 rooms, I have put on a single breaker. Many, many times I have seen where 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms were on a single 20 amp breaker. Many electricians put everything on one circuit to save themselves time and money and it becomes an issue for the homeowner.
My only thing is if you get something like space heaters in each room for whatever reason then you'll overload the circuit.i have that issue myself with the weird way the wiring is. Run a heater in both bedrooms and the living room and pop.
You R the best . I just bought a house to flip and am gutting it and currently replacing all the wiring including the Service. Been binge watching your vid's the last few days. You communicate really well.
Very good advice. I keep fixed lighting and receptacles on separate circuits. Having the living room and family room receptacles on their own 20 amp circuit is also a good idea. Wiring the bedrooms like you stated is also good advice, makes it easy to separate each onto their own circuits if desired. While most of the time bedroom plug in loads are usually light, this may not always be the case. Everyone might use their bedrooms differently. many times a bedroom gets used as a home office, or as a hobby room and it might be desirable to have those receptacles on their own circuit.
Couldn't agree more! Home office or hobby room is a very good point. If it is wired so that you can have at least one dedicated circuit to that room then I think people would be good to go for almost anything. You never know when someone might want to turn their bedroom into a metal working shop though! (kidding) Thanks for sharing!
Benjamin, you're the man! I'm an Electrician myself but I enjoy watching your videos buddy, I really like to see how other Electricians would wire things up. You my man do such amazing work. I appreciate your vids buddy. Keep up with the good work.
Ok , Island Boy you say you are a electrition then here is a couple of questions : 1) does copper coated steel wire exist ? 2) does UF cable without ground exist ?
One word - teenagers. A blowdryer can easily be 1500watt, add an iron, etc and 20A can get blown. If you have the walls open just spend the extra to dedicate a circuit to each bedroom - I also like lights on their own as suggested. Also in a living room, a dedicated circuit for a media center can be a good idea both for load (100” tv, speakers, etc add up fast) and to keep noise off of the line for sensitive electronics.
Just remodeled my back room. Power coming in was on a 15amp breaker shared with both bathrooms, a light in a hallway, and the garage (maybe 2-3 outlets in the entire thing and I think maybe the kitchen or atleast one outlet, ran 3 20s a dedicated for the room itself. A dedicated for an AC and then a 20 amp going thru my walls outside to a weatherproof box which I’m later brining to my shed about 60ft away and also a 2 pole 50 for a welder cus why not
NO. We have a window a/c in the bedroom, and when the compressor kicks in, the TV or computer shows that it does. Voltage spike after the compressor is running normally? I don't know. So the receptacle which the a/c plugs into, needs it's own line, no matter how much energy it's supposedly drawing.
Ideally, I look at it in terms of what contemporary customers expect and their usage trends -- not what's required. In many cases, a bedroom nowadays has the high probability of having a desk/workstation and all comfort amenities nearby. Aiding the case, due to the pandemic, some folks work out of their bedroom! I sure see them video conferencing, bed behind them, and here on CZcams too. Should I have any say to the plans, making it dedicated is wildly optimal during rough in, and extremely cost effective.
As AFCI breaker requirements have increased over the last couple of code cycles, and given the cost of AFCI breakers, there is incentive to "max out" your circuits to keep the cost of wiring a house within budget. Especially if you wire houses for a living and are in competition with other electricians for the work.
yeah, before this... bullshit... dedicated 20 for outlets per room and lighting on a different circuit. I hope the cost comes down on arc breakers because damm!
Do lighting circuits need to be on AFCI breakers? I totally agree to "max out" circuits. Another question is, is it cheaper to use 15A circuits so you can use 14awg wire compared to 20A?
@@scottschuette74 14awg wire is less expensive since less copper is required to make it. However the NEC requires 20 amp circuits in certain places especially kitchens where high wattage appliances are likely to be used. 20 amp receptacles are better quality and also more expensive.
3va approach used for existing and remodel. For new use per square foot. For 20 amp circuits is 1 circuit for 500 SQ ft. or for 15 amp circuits it's 375 SQ ft.
This is for general purpose lighting and receptacles. So for instance 3 bedrooms in sq footage were to equal 40O sq feet you would need 2 - 15 amp circuits or 1-2O amp circuit. Ud go with the 2-15 amp circuits. Smaller wire,ore room in boxes,easier to fold back and work with, and in a bedroom not much load.
i used the 1 room, 1 home run rule. ( each outlet no more than 9 feet apart, and no more than 7 outlets per run ) allowed me to isolate any issues. I also added in for future use, 2 bedrooms, with dedicate home runs,for any A/C or large appliances that might be needed in the future. the runs are not connected, and have blank wall plate. but, it is there, to save time and effort for any future calls. especially when using a portable generator in power outages. helps me to prioritize my comfort vs requirements. Also with the codes, requiring the new more expensive breakers, i just felt it might be more safe..it does have more cost, especially when the distance to the service panel is taken into account.
One thing I've also learned if your living in a colder climate is turning on a portable room heater really sucks up the wattage, which can trip breakers fast and become real annoying, so may wanna factor that in to the wiring.
Dude. Great video, seriously. I’m saving this video for future reference. The idea of a jbox bringing rooms together for 1 home run, in my opinion, is brilliant. The math looks simple enough. Using 80% max is smart too.
Cool rule of thumb. Good video. With LEDs now even 15A would be fine for every room. Lol. I do all outlets in 12. Lights in 14. Even Fridges dont use much now. Crazy.
Yeah it's pretty amazing how efficient a lot of the new devices are! To your point refrigerators only use 100 watts or so and only while the compressor is running!
Yeah, the incandescent bulbs in the Hollywood lights in the bathroom in the house I bought used much of the capacity of a 20A circuit. Not enough left for a space heater, I found. They will be changed out with LEDs before air conditioning season.
Benjamin, I like your idea of being voltage conservative. The builder of my home didn't follow that, so when I turn on the TV, the lights dim. I've since got rid of that tv, but clearly the electrical layout is sub-par.
Great tips. One thing I seldom see addressed is length of the circuit in total (panel to farthest end device) and taking into account voltage drop issues at the far end. What is the longest acceptable length one can go before drop becomes a factor? I hear somewhere in the 3-4% range (3.6-4.8 volts) should not be exceeded on a 120V circuit.... somewhere in the 50-75 foot range.
You are going to absolutely call me an idiot. A school mate and I were both fresh out of college ee's, as well as being musicians. When I was designing our home, it being a Timberframe was a nightmare to wire as all circuits on exterior walls were outside, so we did all of the wiring. We put 4 separate circuits in the living room, to get ready for a full band to play here. None of the home runs are over 15 percent loaded. We used so much more wire than was needed, the electrical supply company must have loved us, and now as a retiree, I laugh at my greenhorn approach. Thanx for your instruction as how it is really supposed to be done. Needless to say, this is the first and last house that I ever wired.
I have multiple bedrooms and when I built my house, this was my requirement- dedicated circuits for outlets, dedicated circuit for switches and lamps, and a dedicated 20amp wall receptacle (for heater etc) By doing for each bedroom, similar to bathrooms, kitchen , garage, I ended up have a 400amp panel. Do I use this much ? No... but this is what I wanted. I may have spent 3-4k more but worth it if I live here for 10-15 yrs
lol tht was always my plan if i ever get the chance i was thinking 400 amp but two 200 amp panels and maybe a 100 amp sub in the garage that extra dedicated plug was for a room ac under the center room window never thought of a space heater too
to be honest, if you're going to have a home run from each room you might as well pay a few dollars extra and have them all on a dedicated breaker considering your wire is the bulk of the cost.
What I did was put the junction box(s) somewhat central to the new rooms and then ran just 1 home run there. If I want to separate these in the future I plan to just run another home run to that junction (or another could be installed nearby).
Very well explained. I appreciate it 👍 oh and another video I would like to see is doing a load calculation for sub panels whether it’s a workshop or barn or moving circuit breakers to the opposite side of the house from the main panel. Also a kitchen too. These are things I’m planning on doing and would appreciate your advice. Very amazing video 😎👍🙏🙏
I'm currently building my own home and I'm putting every room on it's own 20amp breaker. Every appliance has its own dedicated breaker. I'm running 12/2. I was taught never put more 12 items on a line. I took it future and never put more than 10 items on a line.
That's a fool proof way to go! Costs a lot on AFCI breakers and panel space but you will almost never trip a breaker. Thank you for sharing your method!
@@BenjaminSahlstrom that's what I was aiming for. We lived in two new construction homes and both were built like shit. We have three daughters and you know how that goes. Damn blow dryers, curling irons & straighteners going all at once and the breakers were constantly tripping. I said enough is enough. The inspector was like you wired this I have a raceway in my attic space dead center with branches breaking off to the rooms. I had my nephew label each line every 5 feet 😂. As you can tell I have OCD 😂
Almost 100% of the time I only use 12-gauge wire and 20-amp breakers for 120-volt circuits. This generally means I only have to stock one breaker size for new installations. I do use 14-gauge wire for smoke detector interlock feeds which requires a 15-amp breaker. I also run separate circuits for every bedroom, bathroom, most other general use areas and dedicated lighting only circuits. I tend to run 2 or more circuits for living rooms (or whichever room will be used for TV/music/gaming equipment).
FAR from being a waste of materials. About $20 difference for a roll of 12-2 romex versus 14-2 romex. Almost $0 difference in price between a 15 amp and 20 amp circuit breaker. I've never had a problem with a builder/home owner paying $20-$40 more for an entire "standard size" house wiring bid over the last 30 years.
Thats alot of home runs and breakers man. I can understand having everything be 12/2 if the lights weren't on their own circuits but every room having 20amp receptacles and its own lighting circuit. If im reading you right your looking at a good 35% increase in materials. Maybe I'm just miss interpreting what your saying. By dedicated lighting circuit do you mean for each room or just that you put lighting on their own separate circuit. Atleast where i am no inspector will pass you if your lighting is on the same circuit as a receptacle.
I do what the customer wants and will to pay for above code, other then that its by code. The bottom line is I need to make money not doing it for free.
In the houses I used to design we always spec'd two 15a circuits per room so things like a gaming PC and a TV wouldn't overload that run. It was common to have 16-20 breakers for a house for lights and outlets and another 4 for HVAC, Well, washer/dryer, and water heater.
That seems excessive. I've never had an issue with one 20amp circuit per room. I know your cost are more with all the extra circuits needing arc fault protection.
I put every room on its own 20 amp circuits. Also a dedicated 20 amp circuit for a air conditioner in each bedroom. Dedicated 15 amp circuits for lighting
If you’re going to take the time to do 4 home runs to a junction box, you might as well just bring them all the way to the panel board on individual feeder circuits with their own breaker unless you’re out of panel spaces
I totally agree! In cases where panel space or money for breakers is short though it may make sense just to tie them together in a junction box. That is what I have done previously at my personal residence and now I have the option of separating circuits should the need arise. Thanks for the comment!
When I wired my house, I used two breakers per room. One 15A for lights, one 20A for outlets. Separate breaker for the fridge, separate circuit for kitchen island. Yeah, overkill I know. And yet, I've NEVER had an electrical issue.
yeah when i rewired the house i used 14 gauge 15 amp circuits for the lights and 12 awg for the outlets , (back when copper was sky high) reasoning for the lights on a separate circuit as 99% of the time lights wont trip a breaker its the outlets. so this way you're not in the dark
@@Nick-bh1fy yeah led power consumption is insanely low. I'm doing an office shed 30 amp sub panel. Do 3 lights and a ceiling fan and then black plugs on the light circuits and then white plugs on the other circuit. That way I can always have lights and power, if the other side is off. 8)
According to the NEC, The maximum spacing between receptacles in general living areas is 12 feet, with no point along a wall being more than 6-feet from a receptacle. That being said, a typical 11 x 12 bedroom with a door and closet would have usually 5 or 6 receptacles in it. My understanding is NEC limits the number of receptacles to 12, though most limit a circuit to 10. Therefore a single circuit will cover two rooms.
It may have already been brought to your attention, but it is not necessary to apply the ‘80-percent’ rule in performing your calculation. That value is only used when including ‘continuous’ loads in your calculation. A general purpose (convenience) circuit does not typically involve continuous loads as defined in the NEC. Conclusion…a 20-amp circuit may be used to its full rating…2,400 watts.
Here's another thing for you to consider. If you have central A/C, you could get away with wiring bedrooms together. If you are going to have to use window A/C units, it's best to wire each bedroom on it's own circuit if you plan to run an A/C in each bedroom. Especially if you need large capacity A/C units like 10,000 BTUs or more. You need to decide how the circuit in each room is going to be used and then wire things up accordingly. If your family likes to use things like electric blankets in the winter time, wire each bedroom on it's own circuit because things like electric blankets pull lots of electric. Better yet, wire your bedrooms separate if you have the room in your service panel to future proof yourself.
@@KevinCoop1 In industrial/commercial spaces, 180 Volt-Amperes (VA) is used when calculating receptacle loads. This value is often used as a guideline in residential applications as well. For example, given a 15 ampere 120 volt circuit, you could have 10 receptacles @ 180 VA. Article 220.14 (I) go be a plumber.
Dan Johnson I agree with 180va or 1-1/2 amps per device(depends on NEC code year) for commercial and industrial for general purpose receptacles. Our company standard was 8 receptacles per 20amp circuit. I was asking how you got the 30%. You referenced 220.14(I) to push your point. You should also point out 220.14(J) which is specific to NEC requirements for dwelling units. I actually do not need a job as a plumber! I made enough money as a Electrical Design Engineer working for Electrical Contractors that money is not a problem in retirement. But thanks for the suggestion.
Bedroom lighting, should be 'required' to be separated from ALL OUTLETS. Trip a breaker once with ANYTHING (VACUUM) and you'll understand why (can't even find the stairs if upstairs to go down to the panel). Alternative example. 2 window ac units, when your whole house HVAC needs replacing. BAD TIMING FOR ANOTHER PROJECT! Mom says.. 'why not add a ceiling fan in each room?' Try doing that with no power in the outlets for even a work lamp. Time to buy more batteries or just go grab the solar lamp from the garden gnome? NOPE. Do it smart! Good video!
My apartment has both bedrooms, including the 2 wall sleeve air conditioners, on the same circuit WITH my living room AND kitchen. Summer sucks for doing really anything because using the provided air conditioners at the same time as trying to watch TV in the living room can trip my breakers.
That's sad only one circuit for everything. I had a home with 60 amp service and they put kitchen outlets on one, bedrooms, bath, hall and lights on another, living room and lights on another, and everything in the basement, garage and such on the last one.
That's what I like to do as well. We have 2 rooms on the same circuit and use air conditioners. Sometimes when we have the TV, lights and everything going the air conditioners would cycle on and blow the breaker. Having the rooms on the same circuit isn't really a problem but it's best to keep air conditioners and even space heaters on separate breakers.
Problem is who plans on that when paying for a house to be built? Honestly though maybe it would be good practice to have one dedicated circuit per bedroom in case the owners want to plug in something weird at some point. But like.. cost
I prefer running 12/2/2 to the receptacles. I also prefer to alternate each circuit to every other receptacle. I don't like split outlets. I find them dangerous to the Craftsman. This configuration allows for having power available if 1 of the circuits trip as well as some built in load balance.
12/2/2 huh? Wow, that's pretty extreme. I suppose you could split the standard duplex receptacle and have the top one on one circuit, the bottom on the other circuit. This was common practice in Canadian kitchens before two 20A countertop receptacle circuits were required (that matched the US requirement).
Wow Steve! That's very impressive. I'm not very familiar with 12/2/2 so I would just run a second 12/2 cable to help me keep it straight. So you use single receptacles instead of duplex and then alternate between circuits for every other receptacle?
@@BenjaminSahlstrom I still would use duplex outlets. 1 box would be black circuit with the red circuit as the passthrough and the next box would be red circuit with the black circuit as the passthrough. If I used a single receptacle it would have to be rated at 20 amps. The exception in the code is multiple outlets on a single yoke may be 15 amps. By using this, my defacto derate factor is 25%. No worries about overloadsᕙ( • ‿ • )ᕗ
Thanks for explaining that. Some might consider that to be overkill but wow is it cool! Might have to add that to the list of videos to make! Just have to make sure that you keep the neutrals separated too right? Then would you space the two breakers feeding the 12/2/2 apart so that they are both being fed from the same leg of power from the panel in order to avoid having 240 volts in your boxes?
@@BenjaminSahlstrom What I like about 12/2/2 are the nuetrals have a corresponding stripe to match it's hot. No toning out to identify. This cable was well thought-out.
Hey Ben, I understand your idea, but personally I would just balance my loads as best I can. Installing jboxes can make future troubleshooting messy and difficult.
Good point. Junction boxes often seem like they can indicate some kind of an issue existed there. It's worth marking on the jbox cover to help alert people in the future the purpose of the box. The other option is to just bring all of your wires into the panel and then combine them there. Only downside with that is that it takes up precious panel space and makes it harder to avoid the rat's nest look. :)
@@BenjaminSahlstrom ... one point to mention here is the building inspector's opinion. A good percentage of these guys want *0* (zero) splices inside a panel so the alternative is a few boxes or a tray for external splices. Use of a sharpie marker at this stage will save MANY problems down the road. Tag everything while it's fresh in your mind and you would not have to figure it out later on a trouble call.
@@rupe53 Great idea on the marking. I label each cover plate with the number of the breaker. This can be done on either side of the plate. This helps me from turning circuits on and off to find the right one. That paper used to record where the power goes can age over time, making it hard to read. I also use a plastic labeling machine instead of writing with a pen or pencil.
@@rupe53 "A good percentage of these guys want 0 (zero) splices inside a panel." When I did my panel swap I ended up with one splice on a neutral wire. The local EI tried to fail me on it, until I pulled out the NEC and pointed out that article 312.8 allows for it. That was good enough for him and he passed it.
I would like to see a video wiring a room using home computer workstations for each occupant. Something like six computer monitors and two computers, five external hard drives, four powered USB expansions hubs on one wall. I don't think there is a connection between square footage of a room and the load of all the electronics commonly used now.
I do not know if it would meet codes today. My father wired the house so that from the front of the house to the rear. Living room, dining room, den. The outside walls of the living room were on one circuit, the interior wall between the living room and dining room was on another, the interior wall between the dining room and den were on another circuit, the exterior walls in the den were on another circuit. [as well as dedicated outlets in the LR & Den to run window A/C units] The idea was that if a breaker popped there would still be working outlets in the room. The bedrooms were run with the same idea.
The only point that I’m going to bring is , that every receptacle outlet is 180 va code math is 20x120=2400/180 =13 .so in residential outlets are non continuous.
120 X 20 = 2400 2400 divided 3VA = 600 You can put as many plugs as you want on a 20 amp circuit with in 600 square feet of living space Why is this aloud ? Because 75 percent of the receptacles never get used. The only thing you says that is good practice is receptacles on 20 amp circuits and lighting on 15 amp circuits Typically you could put all 4 rooms on one lighting circuit, the only time I would split is if each room has ceiling fans, I try to not have more than 2 ceiling fans on a light circuit, usually 14 to 18 openings with the LED bulb coming into play. Nowadays 3 to 5 lighting circuits will be enough for any house. 3500 square foot and smaller
Thank you for the great informational videos Ben. you’re doing a great job -you are a tremendous help to me I wish you all of God’s love and luck be well
God damn, I appreciate you, dude. I just bought a house and need to do some electrical work. Your videos are by far the most detailed and informative. Thank you.
So going by sq footage in. 3 bedroom house, 1 master and two kids, I would run 1-15 amp circuit for the 2 kids and 1-15 amp circuit for the master. That's enough to cover 750 sq feet. That's almost 20x40 on the flat. That's a lot of area.
Hey Ben, really enjoy your videos, I've watched them all, all done well, clear and concise, filmed well and audio is good, thanks for that. Would you do a video on junction boxes, for instance, where to place them, how many splits you can do in the jbox, do you have to be able to access them and is there line loss if I bought a main run into the j box and split it 4x to go to different areas of the house assuming that my draw was still below 80% of the breaker etc. That kind of thing. I'm building a cabin in Wisconsin, its small, single story 24x30 so garage size and I wont be using tons of power but am building to code so I am doing everything right. Ideally I would over circuit everything but with the need for a AFCI on all 15-20 amp breakers Im trying to be smart about it, if they were $8 a piece like old breakers no problem but at $50 a pop it adds up, a guy will have $500 in breakers in his box so Im trying to be smart about how many circuits I have, enough but not more than needed and I think the best way to do that is with splits in a junction box to get to other areas of the house for lights etc. Thanks man! Keep up the good work, liked, subscribed, notified..Also if you get a chance I'd like to know more about bringing the main power from a pedestal with meter outside....into the house. I know there are three terminals out there and conduit is already in the ground, but do you have to continue the conduit in the house to the panel? or can you run it across floor trusses in the basement to the panel and only need conduit for the first 6" above the main electrical panel in the basement. I have 100 amp service and will bring the electrical into the basement from the panel/pedestal outside. I dont want to wire into the main pedestal outside myself, I'll hire someone for that but I'd like to see what it involves so I have a clue and know what to expect, how long it will take and if I need conduit the entire length of the basement or just 6" or so above the basement main breaker panel. Sorry for all the questions but sometimes guys are looking for ideas for content and this would be really helpful. Thanks again!
Sounds like an awesome project! What part of Wisconsin are you in? I have friends and family in a few different areas and maybe, just maybe, you would be close enough that I could stop by and take a look! Either way though if you have any plans for this project you could email them to me at bensahlstrom@gmail.com and I'd be happy to take a look! I'll also take note on the topics that you mentioned and will get them on the list! If I understood correctly you would have your meter mounted on the outside of the cabin and then from the meter you would have conduit that would lead to your main panel. I would highly recommend that you run continuous conduit from the meter to the panel since that line is not really protected by a circuit breaker unless you have another main disconnect panel outside. This cable should also be as short as possible because of the lack of overcurrent protection that I just mentioned. I usually see the meter mounted just on the outside of the house and then the panel is either directly on the other side of the wall in a garage/utility room and or there is a short jog down in conduit into the basement where panels are often located. I hope that helps just a bit! Shoot me an email with some more information if you want! Ben
Camaro 68 … You may want to pose that question to your local inspector as some get fussy after 3-4 wires under the same wire nut. Personally I have seen enough problems over the years with too many wires in a single splice. 4 wires and up seems to be where the issues are. 2-3 wires never has that problem.
@@rupe53 thanks for the tip, so initial home run and maybe two splits max off that home run, so that would be 3 hots, 3 neutrals, 3 grounds with 14-2 wire...good to know, I dont think I would ever need more than two splits anyway. If these new breakers werent $50 a pop I'd make everything its own circuit but its only 1000sqft and trying to do it as economical as possible and still right. Surprising how many circuits you have even in a small one bedroom by the time you have your kitchen runs, appliances, WH, furnace, outlets, lights, stove etc etc....another question..my kitchen is very small, it'll only be probably 6ft of counter space...is there a time when you dont need the two circuits on the counter? I mean if you had a 4ft counter top would you still need two circuits worth of small appliance outlets per code? Seems sill to have two separate outlets on separate circuits on a 6ft counter, but if its code I've gotta do it.
@@rupe53 also do you know anything about if I have to put the 2-2-2-4 main feeder line from the basement wall across the basement to the main panel in conduit? I had an electrician tell me it isnt needed to be in conduit but that seems weird to me to not have to protect that large power source running through floor joist from a nail or anything...its shielded in tough cover but still, if the box was right below where it enters the basement thats one thing but it comes in on the basement wall on the south wall and has to go 20ft to the NE corner of the basement.
@@camaro6810 … I know it's a small home with small counter space, but when you add up a toaster plus a coffee pot the circuit is maxed out. IOW, no room to use a microwave while the others are in use. Probably best to do it once rather than kick yourself later. I ran into that exact situation 35 years ago and wound up splitting the fridge circuit to pick up the extra when we first bought a microwave. Of course back then we didn't have any portable devices either so in hind sight I would have made all the counter outlets a double duplex. (4 outlets) These days if I have a counter full with coffee pot, toaster, mixer, blender, can opener, I have to unplug something to charge my phone or use a vacuum cleaner. You don't need more than 2 circuits but more outlets for convenience is a handy thing to have for only an extra few $$.
Where I live you have to put lighting on a 15A breaker, and wouldn't you only be using 15A receptacles in a bedroom/living room, and therefore a 15A breaker?
i did some rewiring in my house. they had half the kitchen, old and new living rooms, out door lights on deck and porch, plus porch and hall lights on 1 circuit. and 1 unused outlet in garage on 1 breaker. and 1 garage light on 1 breaker. i shuffled stuff around. master bed and bath lights and outlets they had on 1 circuit and 2 other bedrooms lights and outlets together. i left those alone. but like dude said.... if you can, each bedroom or room outlets on separate 20 amp per room. and all the lights on 1 15 or split between 2 15s depending how many rooms. thats way to go.
I like this rule but sometimes we have to make it over than. The actual houses have a lot of new eletronics wich demand a lot of power. I usually follow the NEC to do it and always leave it about over than recommend with every single room circuit dedicated I have not been having any problems with inspections. Better safe than sorry.
I think that is a smart way to go. The 3va rule is more of an "absolute minimum" rather than a "best practice". It isn't fun pulling circuits after the fact and the minimal extra cost of having a few extra home runs is negligible in my opinion.
Fábio Penteado … While the number of things people have to plug in is growing, if you add it up it's actually not much draw in the big picture. A few hundred watts for a TV and desk top computer is likely to be the highest draw, other than say a hair drier. If there's no convenient plug for that hair drier in a bedroom then it's likely to stay in the bathroom. That's just how people are. Go ahead and figure higher (round up) for the sake of safety but don't go crazy unless we're talking kitchen / basement / garage appliances. That's always where the wild cards are.
@@rupe53 yes sir i do agree that's why i always leave a dedicated circuit with 12/2 for bedroom. As i say we have to planning for posterity in 20's 30''s or even 60's they did not figured out how much power we will need ahead. I have done eletrical in South America USA and Canada and i try to do my best for posterity.
@@fabiopenteado3712 … Here's a scenario to consider... my home was built in 1910, with electric but no indoor plumbing. (go figure) The original power was a 30 amp 120 volt service for the whole place. One circuit for the first floor and one for the second floor. Each room had a ceiling light and a single outlet. (kitchen included) Somewhere down the line (after WWII?) someone was thinking ahead and upgraded to a 60 amp 240 volt system, with space for a second meter. Not sure if the idea was to make it into a two family house or possibly take advantage of a lower rate for electric appliances at off peak rates. Fast forward to the mid 70s and several additional sub panels I decided to clean things up and improve the system again to 100 amps. Heck, how much will I ever need, right? Along comes a few kids and renovations that include a sauna, central AC, shop compressor, and a hot tub. At this point I go to a 200 amp service and break out a sub panel for a stand buy generator. Every room in the house now has multiple outlets, lots of lighting, inside and out, and spare room in each panel for additional changes. Total draw with EVERYTHING ON, including the AC, boiler, 3 fridges, all lights, well pump, clothes drier, and the shop compressor, is a measured 95 amps per leg. (very well balanced) I didn't get around to checking the start load, but figure it's well below the service rating. Here's the catch 22.... typical draw on a winter evening with lights, tv, a few computers, and whatever is running in the background, comes in less than 10 amps per leg. With the AC on (3 tons) it's less than 25 amps per leg. Basically this story is about TYPICAL use versus POSSIBLE use, which is where good planning pays off.
@@rupe53 i do agree sir. You have done a big job over there. I usually do rewire old houses and new ones removing the old wires and putting a new ones. I usually leave more than due i don't know what kind of eletronic or power it will demand. I really pay a strong respect to the old electrician they worked hard with. If you balanced your demand it's great. I have seen people just replacing electrical panel and do not moving nothing it insane even the draw they pay attention. (Some of them are licenced) and charge a lot to just replace it
i have a closet next to my game room and in the back of the closet there's an access panel for storage 8 outlets on 12/2 and a 20 amp breaker, could I come off that out let and run 12/2 for 2 led lights to light closet and storage room using a 20 amp light switch?
I live in Tucson Arizona , and in this county, you are required to have an arc fault breaker for bedrooms. I guess that fact doesn't change anything you just said in this video, just that any outlet that winds up in a bedroom be protected by an arc-fault breaker.
Yes, it's the National Electric Code, and it applies to most jurisdictions. But states, counties, and even cities don't necessarily adopt the NEC, or, if they do, it may not even be the current revision. Some jurisdictions may even have a superset of rules that exceed the NEC, such as Chicago and its surrounding counties.
@@barryhornby3303 They've had a couple bad ones, I think. ha ha They also have very strong labor unions there, and their local electric code requires EMT conduit in electrical construction - in residential construction even! I personally am all for it. EMT and steel boxes are awesome, and allow you to fish new lines if necessary. But EMT is *not* DIY friendly.
@@aaron74 I am considering using EMT for an upcoming garage wiring project but I'm not 100% sold on the idea yet. Just not sure if the extra cost & effort is worth it but it would be pretty fun!
Well I'm not sure if the codes are different in your area, but it is considered that each outlet is equivalent to 1.5 amps so in theory you shouldn't put more then 13 outlets on a 20 amp circuit, to be safe 12, this would be a safer way to explain it to the dyi person
We used to do 3 rooms on a 15 amp feeding plugs and lights and never had problems ever.. But I like your idea.. Just a question, why don't you run all these hr into the panel and then splice them all onto one breaker. Because what it looks like you have a junction box for the splices and one 12 awg wire. The problem I have with that is ur limited to that one wire from the junction box that's carrying all that load and would need to fish another wire in if your breakers are overloaded and if you already had those hr in the panels you'd just split up wires and add another breaker. Seems like extra work to me you know? Panels technically are rated as a splice box. Plus you'll not have some extra junction box somewhere.
What about Voltage drop off. I'm confused, with 12/2 wire on a 20amp breaker we are only allowed to run around 50ft before we hit the 3%. I'm assuming most residential runs are longer than 50ft. How are we allowed to do this?
I wholeheartedly support the running of 12 gauge to all receptacles. It should also be noted that you need not (and probably shouldn't) use actual 20-amp receptacles, you can use low-cost 15 amp ones. Because the utility of the 20 amp circuit is more for the number of things plugged in, not necessarily the load of any particular one thing.
@@aaron74 ... yes, you could run a BUNCH of LED lights on a small circuit but the code talks about the possible load, meaning if those fixtures have a standard screw base then someone COULD replace the bulbs with 100 watt units. If the fixtures can't take an old fashion bulb then you can likely get that by an inspection with several dozen on the same circuit. That's something I would run by the local building department just to be safe, rather than have to make changes later.
Can you explain the 3va/sqft rule? I’ve tried to determine how many receptacles or lights can be on a branch circuit before. For the receptacle question, I’ve seen that you can assume 1.5amps per receptacle and the circuit should only be loaded to 80% so that would allow you around 10-12 receptacles per circuit. Lights pretty much the same idea, but they generally draw less so you can have a lot more per circuit. Is the 3va/sqft basically just the consolidated version of this principle? Also are you a licensed electrician, and in what part of the country?
Ok, so... I am in a mobile home. I do own it, so can do anything I want once power gets to the breaker panel. Currently, without getting into a mess of descriptions, all of the wiring here is 14/2 on 15A breakers for the most part. It would be a majour overhaul to run the required 12/2 in order to run a 20A breaker and remain within code, not to mention that there is no acceptable way to take down the walls to do that right now while we are living here. Of course, 98% of the walls are just wood panels, but still, to get to the areas that do have drywall, new wiring is still a pain. The most we run are a couple of computers and things like a UPS, RAID, maybe dual monitors, etc as the main draws in each room, and are running LED bulbs. Problems are that no matter what, on the circuit for the front bedroom and craft room (latter is not being used, so no load in there) there is a light flicker when turning on the vacuum cleaner. Right now, the load is seriously reduced on that circuit so that there is only one computer in the bedroom and one in the living room. I have been replacing the outlets as quickly as I can, as these really are rather old ones. What would your thoughts be? I have already solved some of the issues I have experienced in the back part of the house, but the front, configured as such, is still doing that light flickering, and I have not had a chance to get to the circuits up here in any good way. -- Oh, by the way... I am not really sure how to search comments for something that may have already been asked... otherwise I would have. :P Thanks!
RE:Kimberle. Are you running the vacuum on the same circuit as the front bedroom lights? If you use a different circuit is it okay? If you run a hair dryer or a motorized appliance on bedroom circuit, do lights flicker? If you already replaced receptacles and can't get into walls, I would check (replace or swap breaker) and inspect panel for poor connections on that circuit, especially neutral wire. Check for holes on both sides of bedroom walls to see if a nail or screw may have punctured a wire in that circuit.
@@munsters2: Yeah, it appears to be just an old wiring thing with this place; it is an older mobile home which has some grandfathered electrical for the sake of code. The initial draw when a high amp appliance like a vacuum will cause the flicker, and sometimes things that have a very very quick repeating draw like stepper motors or the like can cause it too. It is just older stuff that I am working on changing over. Sadly, it has to go extremely slow thanks to my budget. :P Good info from you and thanks. :)
If you have girls, especially teenage girls -- you better put each room's wall receptacles on a separate 20 amp circuit. Why? They will run hair dryers and curling irons and who knows what else (i.e. space heater) all at the same time. Trust me on this. As a parent of three girls, if you ignore this advice you will be resetting breakers all the time! I do agree that light circuits can cover multiple (or all) rooms in you basement. But put each bedroom on a separate circuit for future proofing their electrical needs.
When I did construction, I always had a dedicated circuit for each bedroom, and a separate circuit for the lights. These days especially in WA state where I am, in winter it is too easy for someone to overload a circuit with electric heaters when it gets cold.
Awesome video. Only time you can have issues with combining the room outlets (and I've had this problem) is room A is running a 1500 watt room heater, Room B sister is running her hair dryer. Bingo.....breaker keeps tripping.
I love your enthusiasm. Many new panels have so many potential breakers that it is not an issue. I do not think I would do the junction box - unless the panel was small. BUT if I was re-wiring the entire house, I would make sure my panel could handle everything.
Separate lights also helps if you draw a heavy current close to the limit, say a space heater pulling near the max of the circuit, well the lights share the same circuit so you might get flickering. Throw in some fans and a TV and you might go lights out along with everything else because you opened the breaker.
OH NO! You just answered my question! I was wondering if this rule would take into consideration my kids...and I😅 We have those power strips with the 8 outlets in almost every outlet, and we have space heaters; mine I keep on year-round and now that I work from home, the breaker trips multiple times a day!..But I can't live without my space heater😭
It is not required, but I wire bedrooms on a dedicated circuit. I do bathrooms the same way. Lighting from 2 to 3 rooms, I have put on a single breaker. Many, many times I have seen where 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms were on a single 20 amp breaker. Many electricians put everything on one circuit to save themselves time and money and it becomes an issue for the homeowner.
Bath had to have its own 20 amp circuit per NEC
Another well explained and easily understood vid, keep up the great work
My only thing is if you get something like space heaters in each room for whatever reason then you'll overload the circuit.i have that issue myself with the weird way the wiring is. Run a heater in both bedrooms and the living room and pop.
You R the best . I just bought a house to flip and am gutting it and currently replacing all the wiring including the Service. Been binge watching your vid's the last few days. You communicate really well.
Glad I'm able to be a small part of your project! What part of the country are you in?
@@BenjaminSahlstrom Texas pandandle
Thank you bro. I’ve been studying load calcs by using power point presentations so the info can be vague. You filled in all the blanks for me.
Very good advice. I keep fixed lighting and receptacles on separate circuits. Having the living room and family room receptacles on their own 20 amp circuit is also a good idea. Wiring the bedrooms like you stated is also good advice, makes it easy to separate each onto their own circuits if desired. While most of the time bedroom plug in loads are usually light, this may not always be the case. Everyone might use their bedrooms differently. many times a bedroom gets used as a home office, or as a hobby room and it might be desirable to have those receptacles on their own circuit.
Couldn't agree more! Home office or hobby room is a very good point. If it is wired so that you can have at least one dedicated circuit to that room then I think people would be good to go for almost anything. You never know when someone might want to turn their bedroom into a metal working shop though! (kidding)
Thanks for sharing!
I'm a.ecjanic but I'm also a computer hobbyist. I would hate for someone in another room to pop the breaker and crash my computer.
Benjamin, you're the man! I'm an Electrician myself but I enjoy watching your videos buddy, I really like to see how other Electricians would wire things up. You my man do such amazing work. I appreciate your vids buddy. Keep up with the good work.
Ok , Island Boy you say you are a electrition then here is a couple of questions : 1) does copper coated steel wire exist ? 2) does UF cable without ground exist ?
One word - teenagers. A blowdryer can easily be 1500watt, add an iron, etc and 20A can get blown. If you have the walls open just spend the extra to dedicate a circuit to each bedroom - I also like lights on their own as suggested. Also in a living room, a dedicated circuit for a media center can be a good idea both for load (100” tv, speakers, etc add up fast) and to keep noise off of the line for sensitive electronics.
That's why bathrooms get 2 circuits minimum.
Just remodeled my back room. Power coming in was on a 15amp breaker shared with both bathrooms, a light in a hallway, and the garage (maybe 2-3 outlets in the entire thing and I think maybe the kitchen or atleast one outlet, ran 3 20s a dedicated for the room itself. A dedicated for an AC and then a 20 amp going thru my walls outside to a weatherproof box which I’m later brining to my shed about 60ft away and also a 2 pole 50 for a welder cus why not
NO. We have a window a/c in the bedroom, and when the compressor kicks in, the TV or computer shows that it does. Voltage spike after the compressor is running normally? I don't know. So the receptacle which the a/c plugs into, needs it's own line, no matter how much energy it's supposedly drawing.
Ideally, I look at it in terms of what contemporary customers expect and their usage trends -- not what's required. In many cases, a bedroom nowadays has the high probability of having a desk/workstation and all comfort amenities nearby. Aiding the case, due to the pandemic, some folks work out of their bedroom! I sure see them video conferencing, bed behind them, and here on CZcams too. Should I have any say to the plans, making it dedicated is wildly optimal during rough in, and extremely cost effective.
As AFCI breaker requirements have increased over the last couple of code cycles, and given the cost of AFCI breakers, there is incentive to "max out" your circuits to keep the cost of wiring a house within budget. Especially if you wire houses for a living and are in competition with other electricians for the work.
Valid point for sure.
yeah, before this... bullshit... dedicated 20 for outlets per room and lighting on a different circuit. I hope the cost comes down on arc breakers because damm!
Do lighting circuits need to be on AFCI breakers? I totally agree to "max out" circuits. Another question is, is it cheaper to use 15A circuits so you can use 14awg wire compared to 20A?
@@scottschuette74 14awg wire is less expensive since less copper is required to make it. However the NEC requires 20 amp circuits in certain places especially kitchens where high wattage appliances are likely to be used. 20 amp receptacles are better quality and also more expensive.
@Peter Evans ⚡watch his next video..
I don’t like to have junctions boxes, but sometimes it’s an option.
Thank you for shearing, very well explained.
3va approach used for existing and remodel. For new use per square foot. For 20 amp circuits is 1 circuit for 500 SQ ft. or for 15 amp circuits it's 375 SQ ft.
This is for general purpose lighting and receptacles. So for instance 3 bedrooms in sq footage were to equal 40O sq feet you would need 2 - 15 amp circuits or 1-2O amp circuit. Ud go with the 2-15 amp circuits. Smaller wire,ore room in boxes,easier to fold back and work with, and in a bedroom not much load.
Yup!
love your explanations, they are clear and to the point. You also cover what wire s and where they come from as you explain steps.
i used the 1 room, 1 home run rule. ( each outlet no more than 9 feet apart, and no more than 7 outlets per run ) allowed me to isolate any issues. I also added in for future use, 2 bedrooms, with dedicate home runs,for any A/C or large appliances that might be needed in the future. the runs are not connected, and have blank wall plate. but, it is there, to save time and effort for any future calls. especially when using a portable generator in power outages. helps me to prioritize my comfort vs requirements. Also with the codes, requiring the new more expensive breakers, i just felt it might be more safe..it does have more cost, especially when the distance to the service panel is taken into account.
One thing I've also learned if your living in a colder climate is turning on a portable room heater really sucks up the wattage, which can trip breakers fast and become real annoying, so may wanna factor that in to the wiring.
Portable heater’s are a bad idea. I use mini splits for heating and they have their own breaker’s. Plus I like each room’s outlet’s wired separately.
Dude! I love your channel. Keep on Keepin' on my friend! I have learned a ton.
Dude. Great video, seriously. I’m saving this video for future reference. The idea of a jbox bringing rooms together for 1 home run, in my opinion, is brilliant. The math looks simple enough. Using 80% max is smart too.
And I think the drawing was very good. Thank you.
Cool rule of thumb. Good video. With LEDs now even 15A would be fine for every room. Lol. I do all outlets in 12. Lights in 14. Even Fridges dont use much now. Crazy.
Yeah it's pretty amazing how efficient a lot of the new devices are! To your point refrigerators only use 100 watts or so and only while the compressor is running!
Yeah, the incandescent bulbs in the Hollywood lights in the bathroom in the house I bought used much of the capacity of a 20A circuit. Not enough left for a space heater, I found. They will be changed out with LEDs before air conditioning season.
Very good suggestion on spreading out circuit loads and outlets vs overhead lighting circuits and type of wire to each also
I did the same thing where I use to live when we added a few more rooms to the house. Outlets on 20 amp breakers and lights on 15 amp breakers
Benjamin, I like your idea of being voltage conservative. The builder of my home didn't follow that, so when I turn on the TV, the lights dim. I've since got rid of that tv, but clearly the electrical layout is sub-par.
Great tips. One thing I seldom see addressed is length of the circuit in total (panel to farthest end device) and taking into account voltage drop issues at the far end. What is the longest acceptable length one can go before drop becomes a factor? I hear somewhere in the 3-4% range (3.6-4.8 volts) should not be exceeded on a 120V circuit.... somewhere in the 50-75 foot range.
You are going to absolutely call me an idiot. A school mate and I were both fresh out of college ee's, as well as being musicians. When I was designing our home, it being a Timberframe was a nightmare to wire as all circuits on exterior walls were outside, so we did all of the wiring. We put 4 separate circuits in the living room, to get ready for a full band to play here. None of the home runs are over 15 percent loaded. We used so much more wire than was needed, the electrical supply company must have loved us, and now as a retiree, I laugh at my greenhorn approach. Thanx for your instruction as how it is really supposed to be done. Needless to say, this is the first and last house that I ever wired.
I have multiple bedrooms and when I built my house, this was my requirement- dedicated circuits for outlets, dedicated circuit for switches and lamps, and a dedicated 20amp wall receptacle (for heater etc)
By doing for each bedroom, similar to bathrooms, kitchen , garage, I ended up have a 400amp panel.
Do I use this much ? No... but this is what I wanted. I may have spent 3-4k more but worth it if I live here for 10-15 yrs
lol tht was always my plan if i ever get the chance i was thinking 400 amp but two 200 amp panels and maybe a 100 amp sub in the garage that extra dedicated plug was for a room ac under the center room window never thought of a space heater too
I needed this ... the Klein Link is really nice too !! Thank you
Well explained with understandable diagrams, thanks making more knowledge on the subject
Always helpfull bro, keep it going!!!
to be honest, if you're going to have a home run from each room you might as well pay a few dollars extra and have them all on a dedicated breaker considering your wire is the bulk of the cost.
The junction boxes might still make sense if you are short on spaces though, and are planning a panel upgrade with more spaces in the future
What I did was put the junction box(s) somewhat central to the new rooms and then ran just 1 home run there. If I want to separate these in the future I plan to just run another home run to that junction (or another could be installed nearby).
Very well explained. I appreciate it 👍 oh and another video I would like to see is doing a load calculation for sub panels whether it’s a workshop or barn or moving circuit breakers to the opposite side of the house from the main panel. Also a kitchen too. These are things I’m planning on doing and would appreciate your advice. Very amazing video 😎👍🙏🙏
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
I'm currently building my own home and I'm putting every room on it's own 20amp breaker. Every appliance has its own dedicated breaker. I'm running 12/2. I was taught never put more 12 items on a line. I took it future and never put more than 10 items on a line.
I did the same thing over built ya maybe but few pennies more ,for a system that should last many many years
That's a fool proof way to go! Costs a lot on AFCI breakers and panel space but you will almost never trip a breaker. Thank you for sharing your method!
@@BenjaminSahlstrom that's what I was aiming for. We lived in two new construction homes and both were built like shit. We have three daughters and you know how that goes. Damn blow dryers, curling irons & straighteners going all at once and the breakers were constantly tripping. I said enough is enough. The inspector was like you wired this I have a raceway in my attic space dead center with branches breaking off to the rooms. I had my nephew label each line every 5 feet 😂. As you can tell I have OCD 😂
@@RHEC1776 That's awesome!
@@BenjaminSahlstrom keep up the awesome work. Love your channel
Thank you for all your videos,its so helpful,i really love the way you explain.
Great video and thorough explanation! perfect answer to my 700' addition. Thanks
Almost 100% of the time I only use 12-gauge wire and 20-amp breakers for 120-volt circuits. This generally means I only have to stock one breaker size for new installations. I do use 14-gauge wire for smoke detector interlock feeds which requires a 15-amp breaker.
I also run separate circuits for every bedroom, bathroom, most other general use areas and dedicated lighting only circuits. I tend to run 2 or more circuits for living rooms (or whichever room will be used for TV/music/gaming equipment).
What an absolute waste of materials. I can completely understand doing this in your own house but i cannot see any builder paying for this.
FAR from being a waste of materials. About $20 difference for a roll of 12-2 romex versus 14-2 romex. Almost $0 difference in price between a 15 amp and 20 amp circuit breaker. I've never had a problem with a builder/home owner paying $20-$40 more for an entire "standard size" house wiring bid over the last 30 years.
Thats alot of home runs and breakers man. I can understand having everything be 12/2 if the lights weren't on their own circuits but every room having 20amp receptacles and its own lighting circuit. If im reading you right your looking at a good 35% increase in materials. Maybe I'm just miss interpreting what your saying. By dedicated lighting circuit do you mean for each room or just that you put lighting on their own separate circuit. Atleast where i am no inspector will pass you if your lighting is on the same circuit as a receptacle.
I do what the customer wants and will to pay for above code, other then that its by code. The bottom line is I need to make money not doing it for free.
In the houses I used to design we always spec'd two 15a circuits per room so things like a gaming PC and a TV wouldn't overload that run. It was common to have 16-20 breakers for a house for lights and outlets and another 4 for HVAC, Well, washer/dryer, and water heater.
That seems excessive. I've never had an issue with one 20amp circuit per room. I know your cost are more with all the extra circuits needing arc fault protection.
I put every room on its own 20 amp circuits. Also a dedicated 20 amp circuit for a air conditioner in each bedroom. Dedicated 15 amp circuits for lighting
Damn! Excellent. You are one of the best channels on electricity.
Thank you for the explaination!
If you’re going to take the time to do 4 home runs to a junction box, you might as well just bring them all the way to the panel board on individual feeder circuits with their own breaker unless you’re out of panel spaces
I totally agree! In cases where panel space or money for breakers is short though it may make sense just to tie them together in a junction box. That is what I have done previously at my personal residence and now I have the option of separating circuits should the need arise. Thanks for the comment!
Love all your videos Ben!
You are a great instructor. Congratulación.
Thank you sir for sharing your knowledge
When I wired my house, I used two breakers per room. One 15A for lights, one 20A for outlets. Separate breaker for the fridge, separate circuit for kitchen island. Yeah, overkill I know. And yet, I've NEVER had an electrical issue.
Helfull your share
That’s a bit of overkill. But it is definitely going to work.
Can you use a 15 amp breaker for room outlets?
I never have thought of applying the 3VA/ft rule per room. It is typically used to calculate whole house loads for panel sizing.
I would keep in mind the power usage of individual rooms. Just one space heater pretty much maxes out a 20A circuit
yeah when i rewired the house i used 14 gauge 15 amp circuits for the lights and 12 awg for the outlets , (back when copper was sky high) reasoning for the lights on a separate circuit as 99% of the time lights wont trip a breaker its the outlets. so this way you're not in the dark
doing the work yourself and supplying matts nothing wrong with spending the extra money above code is always better. code is just bare minimum D- 😉
@@wizard3z868 yeah within reason the extra $300 for wire alone plus i already had the breakers , cant justify the cost
luvdady better that way isolated lighting and power circuits. And with led lighting u can easily run multiple room lights under one breaker no problem
@@Nick-bh1fy yeah led power consumption is insanely low.
I'm doing an office shed 30 amp sub panel. Do 3 lights and a ceiling fan and then black plugs on the light circuits and then white plugs on the other circuit.
That way I can always have lights and power, if the other side is off.
8)
luvdady very smart idea
According to the NEC, The maximum spacing between receptacles in general living areas is 12 feet, with no point along a wall being more than 6-feet from a receptacle. That being said, a typical 11 x 12 bedroom with a door and closet would have usually 5 or 6 receptacles in it. My understanding is NEC limits the number of receptacles to 12, though most limit a circuit to 10. Therefore a single circuit will cover two rooms.
It may have already been brought to your attention, but it is not necessary to apply the ‘80-percent’ rule in performing your calculation. That value is only used when including ‘continuous’ loads in your calculation. A general purpose (convenience) circuit does not typically involve continuous loads as defined in the NEC. Conclusion…a 20-amp circuit may be used to its full rating…2,400 watts.
Here's another thing for you to consider. If you have central A/C, you could get away with wiring bedrooms together. If you are going to have to use window A/C units, it's best to wire each bedroom on it's own circuit if you plan to run an A/C in each bedroom. Especially if you need large capacity A/C units like 10,000 BTUs or more. You need to decide how the circuit in each room is going to be used and then wire things up accordingly. If your family likes to use things like electric blankets in the winter time, wire each bedroom on it's own circuit because things like electric blankets pull lots of electric. Better yet, wire your bedrooms separate if you have the room in your service panel to future proof yourself.
Nobody uses window units on new homes
@@thomasmarable6818 That's because the newer homes are garbage and the walls would never hold them.
180 per outlet VA as a guide. But in residential you can over shoot up to 30% . I do lighting and receptacles on separate circuits.
Dan Johnson Is your comment based on some rule of thumb or what? It is not in the NEC.
@@KevinCoop1 In industrial/commercial spaces, 180 Volt-Amperes (VA) is used when calculating receptacle loads. This value is often used as a guideline in residential applications as well. For example, given a 15 ampere 120 volt circuit, you could have 10 receptacles @ 180 VA. Article 220.14 (I) go be a plumber.
Dan Johnson I agree with 180va or 1-1/2 amps per device(depends on NEC code year) for commercial and industrial for general purpose receptacles. Our company standard was 8 receptacles per 20amp circuit. I was asking how you got the 30%. You referenced 220.14(I) to push your point. You should also point out 220.14(J) which is specific to NEC requirements for dwelling units. I actually do not need a job as a plumber! I made enough money as a Electrical Design Engineer working for Electrical Contractors that money is not a problem in retirement. But thanks for the suggestion.
Outstanding explanation!! Thank you.
Ben ...Please Do a video on Junction Boxes and "How to Wire Junction Boxes"
Bedroom lighting, should be 'required' to be separated from ALL OUTLETS. Trip a breaker once with ANYTHING (VACUUM) and you'll understand why (can't even find the stairs if upstairs to go down to the panel). Alternative example. 2 window ac units, when your whole house HVAC needs replacing. BAD TIMING FOR ANOTHER PROJECT! Mom says.. 'why not add a ceiling fan in each room?' Try doing that with no power in the outlets for even a work lamp. Time to buy more batteries or just go grab the solar lamp from the garden gnome? NOPE. Do it smart! Good video!
Love the video and shirt. Keep them coming.
My apartment has both bedrooms, including the 2 wall sleeve air conditioners, on the same circuit WITH my living room AND kitchen. Summer sucks for doing really anything because using the provided air conditioners at the same time as trying to watch TV in the living room can trip my breakers.
That's sad only one circuit for everything. I had a home with 60 amp service and they put kitchen outlets on one, bedrooms, bath, hall and lights on another, living room and lights on another, and everything in the basement, garage and such on the last one.
We wire lighting circuits, and each room gets its own receptacle circuit. We only use #12 wire.
Breakers are relatively cheap, so just use a 15A (14awg) for each room's lighting & a 20A (12awg) for the receptacles.
If doing your own house maybe, not if you are bidding a job, minimum to code is cheaper
Not with all the afci breakers
You should have a dedicated circuit right near the window if you plan to run a window air conditioner.
That's what I like to do as well. We have 2 rooms on the same circuit and use air conditioners. Sometimes when we have the TV, lights and everything going the air conditioners would cycle on and blow the breaker. Having the rooms on the same circuit isn't really a problem but it's best to keep air conditioners and even space heaters on separate breakers.
Problem is who plans on that when paying for a house to be built?
Honestly though maybe it would be good practice to have one dedicated circuit per bedroom in case the owners want to plug in something weird at some point. But like.. cost
That kind of falls under his "dedicated appliances" exception.
Keep up the good work!🔥🔥🔥
Thanks.
I prefer running 12/2/2 to the receptacles. I also prefer to alternate each circuit to every other receptacle. I don't like split outlets. I find them dangerous to the Craftsman. This configuration allows for having power available if 1 of the circuits trip as well as some built in load balance.
12/2/2 huh? Wow, that's pretty extreme. I suppose you could split the standard duplex receptacle and have the top one on one circuit, the bottom on the other circuit. This was common practice in Canadian kitchens before two 20A countertop receptacle circuits were required (that matched the US requirement).
Wow Steve! That's very impressive. I'm not very familiar with 12/2/2 so I would just run a second 12/2 cable to help me keep it straight. So you use single receptacles instead of duplex and then alternate between circuits for every other receptacle?
@@BenjaminSahlstrom I still would use duplex outlets. 1 box would be black circuit with the red circuit as the passthrough and the next box would be red circuit with the black circuit as the passthrough. If I used a single receptacle it would have to be rated at 20 amps. The exception in the code is multiple outlets on a single yoke may be 15 amps. By using this, my defacto derate factor is 25%. No worries about overloadsᕙ( • ‿ • )ᕗ
Thanks for explaining that. Some might consider that to be overkill but wow is it cool! Might have to add that to the list of videos to make! Just have to make sure that you keep the neutrals separated too right? Then would you space the two breakers feeding the 12/2/2 apart so that they are both being fed from the same leg of power from the panel in order to avoid having 240 volts in your boxes?
@@BenjaminSahlstrom What I like about 12/2/2 are the nuetrals have a corresponding stripe to match it's hot. No toning out to identify. This cable was well thought-out.
Hey Ben, I understand your idea, but personally I would just balance my loads as best I can. Installing jboxes can make future troubleshooting messy and difficult.
Good point. Junction boxes often seem like they can indicate some kind of an issue existed there. It's worth marking on the jbox cover to help alert people in the future the purpose of the box.
The other option is to just bring all of your wires into the panel and then combine them there. Only downside with that is that it takes up precious panel space and makes it harder to avoid the rat's nest look. :)
@@BenjaminSahlstrom also make decent plans for any possibility of future trouble shooting and new owners
@@BenjaminSahlstrom ... one point to mention here is the building inspector's opinion. A good percentage of these guys want *0* (zero) splices inside a panel so the alternative is a few boxes or a tray for external splices. Use of a sharpie marker at this stage will save MANY problems down the road. Tag everything while it's fresh in your mind and you would not have to figure it out later on a trouble call.
@@rupe53 Great idea on the marking. I label each cover plate with the number of the breaker. This can be done on either side of the plate. This helps me from turning circuits on and off to find the right one. That paper used to record where the power goes can age over time, making it hard to read. I also use a plastic labeling machine instead of writing with a pen or pencil.
@@rupe53 "A good percentage of these guys want 0 (zero) splices inside a panel." When I did my panel swap I ended up with one splice on a neutral wire. The local EI tried to fail me on it, until I pulled out the NEC and pointed out that article 312.8 allows for it. That was good enough for him and he passed it.
I would like to see a video wiring a room using home computer workstations for each occupant. Something like six computer monitors and two computers, five external hard drives, four powered USB expansions hubs on one wall. I don't think there is a connection between square footage of a room and the load of all the electronics commonly used now.
I do not know if it would meet codes today. My father wired the house so that from the front of the house to the rear. Living room, dining room, den. The outside walls of the living room were on one circuit, the interior wall between the living room and dining room was on another, the interior wall between the dining room and den were on another circuit, the exterior walls in the den were on another circuit. [as well as dedicated outlets in the LR & Den to run window A/C units] The idea was that if a breaker popped there would still be working outlets in the room. The bedrooms were run with the same idea.
Thank you Sir!
The only point that I’m going to bring is , that every receptacle outlet is 180 va code math is 20x120=2400/180 =13 .so in residential outlets are non continuous.
Mario inocente You are correct if you are talking about other than dwellings. The 180va or 1-1/2 amps does not apply to dwelling units.
Thank you
120 X 20 = 2400
2400 divided 3VA = 600
You can put as many plugs as you want on a 20 amp circuit with in 600 square feet of living space
Why is this aloud ?
Because 75 percent of the receptacles never get used.
The only thing you says that is good practice is receptacles on 20 amp circuits and lighting on 15 amp circuits
Typically you could put all 4 rooms on one lighting circuit, the only time I would split is if each room has ceiling fans, I try to not have more than 2 ceiling fans on a light circuit, usually 14 to 18 openings with the LED bulb coming into play.
Nowadays 3 to 5 lighting circuits will be enough for any house.
3500 square foot and smaller
Always consider convenience and isolation doing breakers for general purposes. Now with LED lights15 amp for lighting is more then could be used.
Thank you for the great informational videos Ben. you’re doing a great job -you are a tremendous help to me I wish you all of God’s love and luck be well
God damn, I appreciate you, dude. I just bought a house and need to do some electrical work. Your videos are by far the most detailed and informative. Thank you.
Two things electricians rarely know , 1 why do they use Volt amps instead of watts and, 2 why is a true rms meter better . They are related.
Thanks so much for sharing that information!!!!!!
I never do "good enough " I overkill everything. Especially in rental homes! Keeps landlords from getting " my breaker tripped " calls at 2 am.🙄
So going by sq footage in. 3 bedroom house, 1 master and two kids, I would run 1-15 amp circuit for the 2 kids and 1-15 amp circuit for the master. That's enough to cover
750 sq feet. That's almost 20x40 on the flat. That's a lot of area.
Obviously you can always be more conservative and run more circuits. It's just a starting point to go from.
Hey Ben, really enjoy your videos, I've watched them all, all done well, clear and concise, filmed well and audio is good, thanks for that. Would you do a video on junction boxes, for instance, where to place them, how many splits you can do in the jbox, do you have to be able to access them and is there line loss if I bought a main run into the j box and split it 4x to go to different areas of the house assuming that my draw was still below 80% of the breaker etc. That kind of thing. I'm building a cabin in Wisconsin, its small, single story 24x30 so garage size and I wont be using tons of power but am building to code so I am doing everything right. Ideally I would over circuit everything but with the need for a AFCI on all 15-20 amp breakers Im trying to be smart about it, if they were $8 a piece like old breakers no problem but at $50 a pop it adds up, a guy will have $500 in breakers in his box so Im trying to be smart about how many circuits I have, enough but not more than needed and I think the best way to do that is with splits in a junction box to get to other areas of the house for lights etc. Thanks man! Keep up the good work, liked, subscribed, notified..Also if you get a chance I'd like to know more about bringing the main power from a pedestal with meter outside....into the house. I know there are three terminals out there and conduit is already in the ground, but do you have to continue the conduit in the house to the panel? or can you run it across floor trusses in the basement to the panel and only need conduit for the first 6" above the main electrical panel in the basement. I have 100 amp service and will bring the electrical into the basement from the panel/pedestal outside. I dont want to wire into the main pedestal outside myself, I'll hire someone for that but I'd like to see what it involves so I have a clue and know what to expect, how long it will take and if I need conduit the entire length of the basement or just 6" or so above the basement main breaker panel. Sorry for all the questions but sometimes guys are looking for ideas for content and this would be really helpful. Thanks again!
Sounds like an awesome project! What part of Wisconsin are you in? I have friends and family in a few different areas and maybe, just maybe, you would be close enough that I could stop by and take a look! Either way though if you have any plans for this project you could email them to me at bensahlstrom@gmail.com and I'd be happy to take a look!
I'll also take note on the topics that you mentioned and will get them on the list! If I understood correctly you would have your meter mounted on the outside of the cabin and then from the meter you would have conduit that would lead to your main panel. I would highly recommend that you run continuous conduit from the meter to the panel since that line is not really protected by a circuit breaker unless you have another main disconnect panel outside. This cable should also be as short as possible because of the lack of overcurrent protection that I just mentioned. I usually see the meter mounted just on the outside of the house and then the panel is either directly on the other side of the wall in a garage/utility room and or there is a short jog down in conduit into the basement where panels are often located.
I hope that helps just a bit! Shoot me an email with some more information if you want!
Ben
Camaro 68 … You may want to pose that question to your local inspector as some get fussy after 3-4 wires under the same wire nut. Personally I have seen enough problems over the years with too many wires in a single splice. 4 wires and up seems to be where the issues are. 2-3 wires never has that problem.
@@rupe53 thanks for the tip, so initial home run and maybe two splits max off that home run, so that would be 3 hots, 3 neutrals, 3 grounds with 14-2 wire...good to know, I dont think I would ever need more than two splits anyway. If these new breakers werent $50 a pop I'd make everything its own circuit but its only 1000sqft and trying to do it as economical as possible and still right. Surprising how many circuits you have even in a small one bedroom by the time you have your kitchen runs, appliances, WH, furnace, outlets, lights, stove etc etc....another question..my kitchen is very small, it'll only be probably 6ft of counter space...is there a time when you dont need the two circuits on the counter? I mean if you had a 4ft counter top would you still need two circuits worth of small appliance outlets per code? Seems sill to have two separate outlets on separate circuits on a 6ft counter, but if its code I've gotta do it.
@@rupe53 also do you know anything about if I have to put the 2-2-2-4 main feeder line from the basement wall across the basement to the main panel in conduit? I had an electrician tell me it isnt needed to be in conduit but that seems weird to me to not have to protect that large power source running through floor joist from a nail or anything...its shielded in tough cover but still, if the box was right below where it enters the basement thats one thing but it comes in on the basement wall on the south wall and has to go 20ft to the NE corner of the basement.
@@camaro6810 … I know it's a small home with small counter space, but when you add up a toaster plus a coffee pot the circuit is maxed out. IOW, no room to use a microwave while the others are in use. Probably best to do it once rather than kick yourself later. I ran into that exact situation 35 years ago and wound up splitting the fridge circuit to pick up the extra when we first bought a microwave. Of course back then we didn't have any portable devices either so in hind sight I would have made all the counter outlets a double duplex. (4 outlets) These days if I have a counter full with coffee pot, toaster, mixer, blender, can opener, I have to unplug something to charge my phone or use a vacuum cleaner. You don't need more than 2 circuits but more outlets for convenience is a handy thing to have for only an extra few $$.
Where I live you have to put lighting on a 15A breaker, and wouldn't you only be using 15A receptacles in a bedroom/living room, and therefore a 15A breaker?
Well explained
what size cable would you run from the panel to the lights or receptacles?
Ben can you do a single room with walk in closet with ceiling fan and four can pls. Thx
i did some rewiring in my house. they had half the kitchen, old and new living rooms, out door lights on deck and porch, plus porch and hall lights on 1 circuit. and 1 unused outlet in garage on 1 breaker. and 1 garage light on 1 breaker. i shuffled stuff around. master bed and bath lights and outlets they had on 1 circuit and 2 other bedrooms lights and outlets together. i left those alone. but like dude said.... if you can, each bedroom or room outlets on separate 20 amp per room. and all the lights on 1 15 or split between 2 15s depending how many rooms. thats way to go.
Wow this answers so many of my questions! Thanks for sharing. Also nice shirt #MERICA
HAHAHA! Oh yeah!
Good explanation
very very helpful thank you.
Is it better to have radiator furnace and water heater separate from lighting?
On new construction. Am I better off using 20 amp instead of 15amps. ?
I like this rule but sometimes we have to make it over than.
The actual houses have a lot of new eletronics wich demand a lot of power.
I usually follow the NEC to do it and always leave it about over than recommend with every single room circuit dedicated
I have not been having any problems with inspections.
Better safe than sorry.
I think that is a smart way to go. The 3va rule is more of an "absolute minimum" rather than a "best practice". It isn't fun pulling circuits after the fact and the minimal extra cost of having a few extra home runs is negligible in my opinion.
Fábio Penteado … While the number of things people have to plug in is growing, if you add it up it's actually not much draw in the big picture. A few hundred watts for a TV and desk top computer is likely to be the highest draw, other than say a hair drier. If there's no convenient plug for that hair drier in a bedroom then it's likely to stay in the bathroom. That's just how people are. Go ahead and figure higher (round up) for the sake of safety but don't go crazy unless we're talking kitchen / basement / garage appliances. That's always where the wild cards are.
@@rupe53 yes sir i do agree that's why i always leave a dedicated circuit with 12/2 for bedroom.
As i say we have to planning for posterity in 20's 30''s or even 60's they did not figured out how much power we will need ahead.
I have done eletrical in South America USA and Canada and i try to do my best for posterity.
@@fabiopenteado3712 … Here's a scenario to consider... my home was built in 1910, with electric but no indoor plumbing. (go figure) The original power was a 30 amp 120 volt service for the whole place. One circuit for the first floor and one for the second floor. Each room had a ceiling light and a single outlet. (kitchen included) Somewhere down the line (after WWII?) someone was thinking ahead and upgraded to a 60 amp 240 volt system, with space for a second meter. Not sure if the idea was to make it into a two family house or possibly take advantage of a lower rate for electric appliances at off peak rates. Fast forward to the mid 70s and several additional sub panels I decided to clean things up and improve the system again to 100 amps. Heck, how much will I ever need, right? Along comes a few kids and renovations that include a sauna, central AC, shop compressor, and a hot tub. At this point I go to a 200 amp service and break out a sub panel for a stand buy generator. Every room in the house now has multiple outlets, lots of lighting, inside and out, and spare room in each panel for additional changes. Total draw with EVERYTHING ON, including the AC, boiler, 3 fridges, all lights, well pump, clothes drier, and the shop compressor, is a measured 95 amps per leg. (very well balanced) I didn't get around to checking the start load, but figure it's well below the service rating. Here's the catch 22.... typical draw on a winter evening with lights, tv, a few computers, and whatever is running in the background, comes in less than 10 amps per leg. With the AC on (3 tons) it's less than 25 amps per leg. Basically this story is about TYPICAL use versus POSSIBLE use, which is where good planning pays off.
@@rupe53 i do agree sir.
You have done a big job over there.
I usually do rewire old houses and new ones removing the old wires and putting a new ones.
I usually leave more than due i don't know what kind of eletronic or power it will demand.
I really pay a strong respect to the old electrician they worked hard with.
If you balanced your demand it's great.
I have seen people just replacing electrical panel and do not moving nothing it insane even the draw they pay attention.
(Some of them are licenced) and charge a lot to just replace it
i have a closet next to my game room and in the back of the closet there's an access panel for storage 8 outlets on 12/2 and a 20 amp breaker, could I come off that out let and run 12/2 for 2 led lights to light closet and storage room using a 20 amp light switch?
I live in Tucson Arizona , and in this county, you are required to have an arc fault breaker for bedrooms. I guess that fact doesn't change anything you just said in this video, just that any outlet that winds up in a bedroom be protected by an arc-fault breaker.
Same here! Almost everything is on arc fault these days.
Yes, it's the National Electric Code, and it applies to most jurisdictions. But states, counties, and even cities don't necessarily adopt the NEC, or, if they do, it may not even be the current revision. Some jurisdictions may even have a superset of rules that exceed the NEC, such as Chicago and its surrounding counties.
@@aaron74 wow, I wonder why Chicago is so persnickety. I mean, it's not like they ever had a fire.. there... Oops...nevermind.😂
@@barryhornby3303 They've had a couple bad ones, I think. ha ha They also have very strong labor unions there, and their local electric code requires EMT conduit in electrical construction - in residential construction even! I personally am all for it. EMT and steel boxes are awesome, and allow you to fish new lines if necessary. But EMT is *not* DIY friendly.
@@aaron74 I am considering using EMT for an upcoming garage wiring project but I'm not 100% sold on the idea yet. Just not sure if the extra cost & effort is worth it but it would be pretty fun!
Well I'm not sure if the codes are different in your area, but it is considered that each outlet is equivalent to 1.5 amps so in theory you shouldn't put more then 13 outlets on a 20 amp circuit, to be safe 12, this would be a safer way to explain it to the dyi person
There is no code in the NEC that limts the # of general outlets on a circuit in dwellings. Thats commercial wiring.
Ben, does the code require 12-2 for outlets and 14-2 for lights or it doesn’t matter? And respectively 20 Amp for receptacles and 15 Amp for lights?
We used to do 3 rooms on a 15 amp feeding plugs and lights and never had problems ever.. But I like your idea.. Just a question, why don't you run all these hr into the panel and then splice them all onto one breaker. Because what it looks like you have a junction box for the splices and one 12 awg wire. The problem I have with that is ur limited to that one wire from the junction box that's carrying all that load and would need to fish another wire in if your breakers are overloaded and if you already had those hr in the panels you'd just split up wires and add another breaker. Seems like extra work to me you know? Panels technically are rated as a splice box. Plus you'll not have some extra junction box somewhere.
awesome Information
Glad it was helpful!
What about Voltage drop off. I'm confused, with 12/2 wire on a 20amp breaker we are only allowed to run around 50ft before we hit the 3%. I'm assuming most residential runs are longer than 50ft. How are we allowed to do this?
I wholeheartedly support the running of 12 gauge to all receptacles. It should also be noted that you need not (and probably shouldn't) use actual 20-amp receptacles, you can use low-cost 15 amp ones. Because the utility of the 20 amp circuit is more for the number of things plugged in, not necessarily the load of any particular one thing.
Exactly. I need to make a video explaining the 15a device on a 20a circuit concept.
@@BenjaminSahlstrom different between 20 amp to 15 amp price?? What about if you led lights
agree
@@jaandel1 You could run over a hundred LED lights on a single 15A circuit! At least those with common loads between 9 and 12 watts.
@@aaron74 ... yes, you could run a BUNCH of LED lights on a small circuit but the code talks about the possible load, meaning if those fixtures have a standard screw base then someone COULD replace the bulbs with 100 watt units. If the fixtures can't take an old fashion bulb then you can likely get that by an inspection with several dozen on the same circuit. That's something I would run by the local building department just to be safe, rather than have to make changes later.
Can you explain the 3va/sqft rule? I’ve tried to determine how many receptacles or lights can be on a branch circuit before. For the receptacle question, I’ve seen that you can assume 1.5amps per receptacle and the circuit should only be loaded to 80% so that would allow you around 10-12 receptacles per circuit. Lights pretty much the same idea, but they generally draw less so you can have a lot more per circuit. Is the 3va/sqft basically just the consolidated version of this principle? Also are you a licensed electrician, and in what part of the country?
Ok, so... I am in a mobile home. I do own it, so can do anything I want once power gets to the breaker panel. Currently, without getting into a mess of descriptions, all of the wiring here is 14/2 on 15A breakers for the most part. It would be a majour overhaul to run the required 12/2 in order to run a 20A breaker and remain within code, not to mention that there is no acceptable way to take down the walls to do that right now while we are living here. Of course, 98% of the walls are just wood panels, but still, to get to the areas that do have drywall, new wiring is still a pain. The most we run are a couple of computers and things like a UPS, RAID, maybe dual monitors, etc as the main draws in each room, and are running LED bulbs. Problems are that no matter what, on the circuit for the front bedroom and craft room (latter is not being used, so no load in there) there is a light flicker when turning on the vacuum cleaner. Right now, the load is seriously reduced on that circuit so that there is only one computer in the bedroom and one in the living room. I have been replacing the outlets as quickly as I can, as these really are rather old ones. What would your thoughts be? I have already solved some of the issues I have experienced in the back part of the house, but the front, configured as such, is still doing that light flickering, and I have not had a chance to get to the circuits up here in any good way. -- Oh, by the way... I am not really sure how to search comments for something that may have already been asked... otherwise I would have. :P Thanks!
RE:Kimberle. Are you running the vacuum on the same circuit as the front bedroom lights? If you use a different circuit is it okay? If you run a hair dryer or a motorized appliance on bedroom circuit, do lights flicker? If you already replaced receptacles and can't get into walls, I would check (replace or swap breaker) and inspect panel for poor connections on that circuit, especially neutral wire. Check for holes on both sides of bedroom walls to see if a nail or screw may have punctured a wire in that circuit.
@@munsters2: Yeah, it appears to be just an old wiring thing with this place; it is an older mobile home which has some grandfathered electrical for the sake of code. The initial draw when a high amp appliance like a vacuum will cause the flicker, and sometimes things that have a very very quick repeating draw like stepper motors or the like can cause it too. It is just older stuff that I am working on changing over. Sadly, it has to go extremely slow thanks to my budget. :P Good info from you and thanks. :)
If you have girls, especially teenage girls -- you better put each room's wall receptacles on a separate 20 amp circuit. Why? They will run hair dryers and curling irons and who knows what else (i.e. space heater) all at the same time. Trust me on this. As a parent of three girls, if you ignore this advice you will be resetting breakers all the time! I do agree that light circuits can cover multiple (or all) rooms in you basement. But put each bedroom on a separate circuit for future proofing their electrical needs.