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Posted by Wayne Whitney on February 3, 2008, 9:28 pm
> 12 guage wire on a 30A breaker a code violation and can be fire
> hazard.
This is 98% true. The one exception I know of is for motor loads.
Motors can have a very high startup current, so in a dedicated motor
circuit an alternate arrangement is acceptable, as follows. The motor
itself or a dedicated motor controller or relay provides the
overcurrent (overload) protection. The breaker is just for short
circuit/ground fault protection. The breaker is sized so that it
doesn't trip due to the startup current. So you could end up with a
30 amp breaker on a #12 wire. For further details, see Article 430 of
the NEC.
Cheers, Wayne
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