16 ga. or 18 ga. wire for lighting circuit?
charliedarwin
| Posted in Building Code Questions on
LED lights are 5 watts.
Do we still need 12 ga or 14 ga wire?
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There are some provisions for this in the NEC (I'm assuming your jurisdiction requires this) under section 240 for fixture wiring. I'm not sure if your circuit would be considered a fixture wire as this would generally apply to a single fixture not a string of lights throughout a room. You can however tap each fixture to a branch circuit.
Based on ease, I would just stick with 14g and a 15 amp breaker for the lighting circuit that it supply's
.
because of the economies of scale, I think you will find that the money to be saved is non existent.
percentage of cost of wire in the cost of wiring a house, probably less than 10 percent. Difference in cost between 14 ga and 18 ga +- 10 percent. [just based on a quick scan of zip wire vs romex]
oh, and then go find those breakers.
Even if you were wiring a central low voltage transformer I would still use romex for cost
The National Electric Code requires branch circuit wiring to be a minimum size of 14 AWG per Article 210-19A4. But for Exception No.2: "Fixture wires and cords shall be permitted to be smaller than 14 AWG as permitted by 240.4."