Unbelievable 14 Gauge Wire On 20 Amp Breaker

The breaker needs to be the weak link in the chain not the wire.

14 gauge wire on 20 amp breaker. Any information on this would be appreciated. And thats not the point buddy 14 awg wire is rated for 20 amps but the nec has determined that that is unsafe and it may only be protected at 15 amps think about it like this you cant put a 20 amp light bulb in a lamp or light fixture. The code also prohibits.

Can this 20 amp breaker be downsized to 15 amp to prevent any overheating or is no smaller gauge wire allowed on a 20 amp circuit. Amp rating on the wire. If you want 20 amps of service you need to convert to 12 2.

Building codes based on the national electrical code prohibit the use of 14 gauge wire anywhere on a 20 amp circuit. Andy in atl registered. What are your thoughts.

So you really cant overload that wire. It s mainly been on newer homes i think these electrical contractors are cheaping out and just throwing them on there instead of grabbing a 15 amp breaker. Since i started inspecting at the end of last month i ve done 7 inspections and every one i have inspected has had 14 gauge branch circuit wiring on 20 amp breakers.

14 2 needs a 15 amp breaker. Whenever i ve found a 14 gauge wire on a 20 amp breaker i ve always said it was a safety hazard for reasons we all know. All wiring in such circuits must be 12 gauge or larger.

Is this up to code or is only 12 2 allowed on the 20 amp breaker. Here s the tricky part. You want the breaker to trip before the max.