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Posted by Don Klipstein on March 5, 2007, 11:38 pm
>Bigger than needed never hurts a thing when it comes to wire, except
>sometimes it's hard to connect to things. For example, one place I
>worked in years ago, the owner built a rec-room in the basement and
>ran a 10-2 cable to the unfinished side for a future outdoor outlet.
>I ended up installing the box and outlet. What a pain in the butt to
>connect #10 wire to a common outlet. I finally pigtailed some #12
>with wirenuts. As long as you can attach the #8, use it. For a
>Range, I doubt you'll have any problems attaching the wires. If by
>chance you dont have enough of the #8, use a #10 for the ground.
I would like to add, should the branch circuit have any wire of maximum
allowable overcurrent protection less than that of any other wire in that
branch circuit likely to be seen: Put a note in the breaker box by the
breaker!
In fact, I have seen something saying that it is against code to have a
branch circuit with mixed wire sizes. Although I am not sure whether this
is NEC or a local building code - I saw this in a municipal government
website of some municipality.
Furthermore, if anything connected to that branch circuit has maximum
allowable overcurrent protection less than that typical of wiring likely
to be seen, even if other than these pigtails, I would see a yellow flag
in my head. I don't know whether or not code allows such. In any case I
would have a note in the breaker box saying maximum allowable overcurrent
protection for the branch circuit that both oversize wire and also
not-so-oversized items.
Things get easier when using common items with AWG 12 wire and 20 amp
breakers - this reduces chances of having the branch circuit
having/getting a breaker oversized for whatever. And I think especially
don't mix 14 and 12 AWG wire in a branch circuit, lest someone replace the
15 amp breaker with a 20 amp one in response to seeing the 12 AWG wire!
- Don Klipstein (don@misty.com)
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