DIY Home Improvement Forum banner

Electrical question

1K views 16 replies 7 participants last post by  tylernt 
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.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top