Leejosepho
DIY scratch-pad engineer
- Messages
- 2,483
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- Location
- 200 miles south of Little Rock
- Website
- www.nonameyet.org
Question: Is #12 wire ever good for 30 amps in a commercial building?
Here is the story behind that question:
My boss recently added a second microwave oven in the break room, and now the two ovens are tripping a 20-amp breaker whenever they are on at the same time for more than a few seconds. So, yesterday my boss came out and spark-opened (see below) a panel to put a 30-amp breaker on that particular circuit, but I talked him out of doing that since I have always heard 30 amps need #10 wire. A few minutes later, however, my boss came back out of his office and showed me a book of some kind with a chart saying #12 wire is good for 30 amps in residential structures ... but he ended up saying he would wait and ask the electricians coming out to do some other work in a few days.
So again: Is #12 wire ever good for 30 amps in a commercial building?
Note: I say he "spark-opened" a panel because one of the screws for the cover had been pinching a wire against the inside of the panel and that combination made quite a pop when it shorted while he was removing one of the screws! I believe that panel was made by GE.
Here is the story behind that question:
My boss recently added a second microwave oven in the break room, and now the two ovens are tripping a 20-amp breaker whenever they are on at the same time for more than a few seconds. So, yesterday my boss came out and spark-opened (see below) a panel to put a 30-amp breaker on that particular circuit, but I talked him out of doing that since I have always heard 30 amps need #10 wire. A few minutes later, however, my boss came back out of his office and showed me a book of some kind with a chart saying #12 wire is good for 30 amps in residential structures ... but he ended up saying he would wait and ask the electricians coming out to do some other work in a few days.
So again: Is #12 wire ever good for 30 amps in a commercial building?
Note: I say he "spark-opened" a panel because one of the screws for the cover had been pinching a wire against the inside of the panel and that combination made quite a pop when it shorted while he was removing one of the screws! I believe that panel was made by GE.