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bride2b_gw

14/2 wire

bride2b
14 years ago

I am changing some two wire non grounded wiring for some up to date wiring. I have to wire for a television, fridge, washer, over the range microwave, and a computer. I think that this 14/2 wire would work, but am not sure. Any help, would be a help.

Comments (4)

  • electomechanical
    14 years ago

    There are a lot of question that need to be answered:

    Where do you live?
    Are you getting an inspection?
    Are the walls opened up or are you fishing these wires into existing walls?
    Does the over the range microwave have an exhaust fan built in?
    Does the microwave specify a 20A circuit?
    You mentioned the fridge and microwave, are you replacing any other receptacles in the kitchen?

    These are things that need to be answered before it can be determined what size wire you need.

  • ecranny
    14 years ago

    14/2 will definately not work. The washer needs to be on a dedicated 20amp laundry circuit, and 12awg wire is required for that. I generally use 12 for everything (20A or 15A) but sometimes to save a few cents, or to save a little space, I will use 14 for lighting circuits - but more often when I need 3 or 4 way switches I will use 14/3 cable

  • kudzu9
    14 years ago

    bride2b-
    What is your level of knowledge on doing wiring? You've asked a pretty basic question (which is good), but it causes me concern that you are going to tackle a wiring job that you may not have sufficient knowledge about to complete safely. I'm not trying to be elitist -- we all started from scratch with this subject -- but this is one do-it-yourself area that you don't want to learn about from your mistakes. If you're a newbie in this area, do you have a knowledgeable friend who can help?

  • Billl
    14 years ago

    Just the basics -

    14/2 wire is only rated for 15amps, so it should not be used with a 20 amp breaker.

    Pretty much every large appliance should be on a 20amp circuit which would require 12/2 wire.

    These requirements are for safety, not just to make you jump through hoops. All metal heats up when you pass a current through it. The larger the current, the greater the heat. However, the larger the wire, the less it heats up for a given current. Putting too much current through too small a wire with cause the wire to get very hot. If that wire is enclosed in a wall, there is no place for the heat to go and you can get a dangerous buildup of heat that could cause a fire.