I was working with another mechanic on a job today and he insisted on running a new multi-wire branch circuit for 1 copy machine, and 3 computers. There was a bit of confusion as to who would pay for the work because the space we were working in was rented out to a tenant who needed the outlets. I suggested that we run (4) dedicated 20 amp, 120 volt receptacles, 1 for each piece of electronic equipment in the space.
To make a long story short, we got the ok to do only (2) dedicated branch circuits. The other mechanic insisted on running 12/3 NM and branching out from a j-box in the attic. I told him of the danger that exists in wiring it this way because of the non-linear load, and excessive heating of the neutral wire that could happen, but he seemed to careless and said he "never heard of that."
Do you think I was overreacting being that the load was only 3 computers and 1 copy machine? Or is this other guy lagging behind in the industry? What would you have done in this situation?
