Electrical question

Not on a 20 amp breaker.

I'd use 12ga with a 20A breaker for outlets and 14ga with a 15A breaker for lighting.

Can I change the breaker to a 15 amp

Sure you can.
Bathrooms, laundry rooms and kitchen receptacles have to be wired with 20 amp breakers.

So I can pull the breaker and replace it with a 15 amp? Now some of the wire that comes in from the panes would still be 12 guage. Can I use that still as my main source? Run that to a junction box and run the receptacles and lights from there?

jbrod26 said:

So I can pull the breaker and replace it with a 15 amp? Now some of the wire that comes in from the panes would still be 12 guage. Can I use that still as my main source? Run that to a junction box and run the receptacles and lights from there?

Click to expand...

WHY bother???
Just use #12 for the rest of what you want to do on that circuit and use #14 for anything else.

Then I would have to run a new wire to the electical box in the garage and put a new breaker in to run the 14

Yes, you can use a 15 amp breaker with #12 wire, you MUST use a 15 amp breaker with 14 gauge. If there is any 14 gauge wire in the circuit you have to use a 15 amp breaker.

You can always add a thicker gauge wire. e.g. you can use 12g or 10g on a 15 amp breaker. Just keep in mind the main issue is heat buildup. The bigger the wire, the less heat buildup. The key is to make sure the breaker trips before the wire gets hot.

Obviously if 14g is allowed on a 15a breaker, and 12g is allowed on a 20a breaker, then 12g or 10g is allowed on a 15a breaker because those are even less likely to get hot before the breaker trips than 14g.

You can mix and match all you want, as long as all the wire is rated for the circuit. You can put 14, 12, 10, and 8 (or bigger) on a 15a breaker. You can put 12, 10 and 8 on a 20a breaker. You can put 10 and 8 on a 30a breaker.

jbrod26 said:

Then I would have to run a new wire to the electical box in the garage and put a new breaker in to run the 14

Click to expand...

Then just use #12.
I don't get all this. WHY bother changing wire sizes???

I agree, use 12, the price difference is minimal if you have to redo it in the future, coupla daughters with blow dryers will prove it to you...

Because I have 300 ft of it. To run a new wire to the breaker in the garage would take alot of fishing to get to the breaker and possibly opening walls to run it. So If half of my basement is a laundry room on 1 20 amp breaker and the other is a room that I am finishing and it had 12 guage wire running thru on a seperate 20 amp breaker. I took all the wiring out and now I have the main lead that comes from the breaker which is 20amp and a lead of 12 g wire. I want to use what I have or it will get even more expensive. So my question is can I change the breaker so I can use what I have or should I just spend more money and buy 12g. I want to run 2 lights and 4 outlets.

Yes, just pop in a 15 amp breaker, that will work just fine.

jbrod26 said:

Because I have 300 ft of it. To run a new wire to the breaker in the garage would take alot of fishing to get to the breaker and possibly opening walls to run it. So If half of my basement is a laundry room on 1 20 amp breaker and the other is a room that I am finishing and it had 12 guage wire running thru on a seperate 20 amp breaker. I took all the wiring out and now I have the main lead that comes from the breaker which is 20amp and a lead of 12 g wire. I want to use what I have or it will get even more expensive. So my question is can I change the breaker so I can use what I have or should I just spend more money and buy 12g. I want to run 2 lights and 4 outlets.

Click to expand...

Well, this would have been good to know right from the start. All this confusion as to your motives would have been eliminated.

In this case FINE, use the #14 for everything but the laundry and change the breaker to a 15A.

Thank you all you have brightened my day!

jbrod26 said:

Thank you all you have brightened my day!

Click to expand...

I have seen it recommended by others that you put a short 14ga pigtail in the panel to go between the 12ga wire and the 15A breaker. The idea is this will signal to future users that the breaker should not be replaced with a 20A.