I'm working on adding two switches in my bathroom but ran into a bit of a snag. The bathroom is powered by a 20a two-pole breaker and the wiring is 12/3 romex. However, I discovered that alongside the lighting, which is using 14/2 romex, there's also a 15a outlet being fed by this same line. I'm thinking about running a new 15a circuit just for the lighting to keep things separate. Is this really necessary?
4 Answers
Honestly, the simplest fix might be to just switch out the 14/2 and the 15a outlet for something that matches the 20a setup. That way, you won't have to mess with extra circuits.
It's crucial that the breaker be the weakest part of your circuit. If you downgrade to a 15a breaker, then you're meeting the safety requirements. Otherwise, you'd need to either upgrade everything on that circuit to handle 20a or split the circuits as you're considering. It's your call!
You can totally use 15 amp outlets with 12/3 on a 20a breaker if you have multiple outlets on that circuit. But here's the catch: having any 14 gauge wire protected by a 20a breaker is a big no-no. Best bet is to run 12 gauge from the switch to your lights if that's your only 14 gauge section. Much cleaner than a whole new circuit!
Got it, thanks! Seems like I have options now.