Home electrical

[Bruce Branch]

Does anyone have a diagram or simple description of how to use 14-3 wire (is that the correc name)? Working on my basement again. I currently have three lights in the ceiling. I want to replace those three lights with ceiling fans and install can lights around the perimeter of the room. I am would like to supply the fans with constant power and only control them by the pull chain (no wall switch) and control the can lights with switch that is currently in the wall. I would like to accomplish this without pulling another line from the breaker box.

So, I have a line comming from a switch to the first of three lights. What would you do to replace those three lights with fans and add 10 or 12 cans? Like I said a diagram or simple description would be appreciated. I am fairly litterate when it comes to understanding things like this.



In case some one has a diagram that they can't post here my email address is [email protected]



Thanks

 

[Chops]

we,

I'm not a licensed electrician, but I am an electrical engineer.



I'll wait to see if a licensed person helps out, if not I can.

First blush is that is too much draw on one circuit, especially 14g.

It's called 14-2 with ground.

Most individual light circuits are rated at 15 amps, 12 lights and 3 fans and you're coming too close to the trip point. I would definitely pull 12-2 for the fans.



I would suggest a separate line for the fans, and I'm big into light faders and motor speed controllers....just adds a nice touch.



It's no fun running new wire I know, I totally gutted my kitchen and remodelling, I just ran new 6-3 220v romex all over the place for a cooktop and ovens-- and 14-2 for 10 cabinet lights.

 

[Richard L]

There is a great book out there called "Electrical Wiring Simplified". It's a fairly cheap paperback book, but it has a lot of good stuff in it and most are code throught the USA.



I bought my book about 30 years ago and I still use it as a reference.

I have wired a 2 phase 240V dryer circuit tapped off of a 3 phase, 380V electric range circuit in Germany, and both work perfectly fine!



I have done numerous rewiring in my current home and even expanded my main circuit breaker box with 2 additional 50 amp circuits separate breaker box for my garage/shop.



I personally do not recommend using an unswitched circuit. I would recommend that you expand the wallswitch with another box and switch, tap the hot lead (black wire) from one switch to power the new switch and use one switch as a master switch for all 3 fans, and the other switch to control the lights.



That's basicly what I did in my living room/great room. It originally had 2 3-ways switches that allowed you to turn the overhead lights in the ceiling on/off when entering from the kitchen or from the foyer. I replaced both 3-way switches with single control switches and pulled another wire from the kitchen switch to the fan. I had to drill through the 12" ceiling beam to mount the fan in the center of the room.



I also had a light kit on the fan and use a remote light/3-speed fan control unit so I can turn on the light or fan without getting up out of my chair. I fut back both the light and fan control chain to only about 4" long. You can add the remotes, but I do not recommend that you use remotes for your fans since three will be in the same room. The can all have separate channels, but three remotes in one room is a bit too much.

 

[Gavin Allan]

One circuit should be OK. Depends on wattage of can lights. 12 lights x 60 watts is only 720 watts, and the fans probabably don't draw much either. 14 guage circuit (15 amps) should handle 1530 watts (15 amps x 120 volts = 1800 watts x .85 safety factor = 1530 watts. If you are near capacity on one circuit, you could use an Edison circuit to double the capacity, but I won't go into that here.



You will need 14/3 w ground wire. 14/3 won't work to code. If it were me, I'd put it on two switches (one for fans and one for lights).