Guy's I've wired several new and remodeled homes and have had them all pass. But it never fails that I'm always second guessing myself when it comes down to laying out my circuits. (Will I have enough spaces in the panel, am I over loading a circuit, This circuit only has a few drops and is not loaded when the one next to it is maxed out, etc.). These are some of the questions that I wonder about often. Do any of you have some tricks that you use that may help me get through these types of stumbling blocks.

Just take a few Hours, prior to beginning the rough Installations, and figure out what to do.

Get a set of "Clean" Plans - at least "D" size media (24" x 36"), and layout your Circuitry on paper first.

Count up the circuits for Panel Requirements (AKA spaces and frame types), and identify them on both the plans and the NM cable end (at the panel). This helps out logistically and makes it easier to enter circuit data in a Panel Directory.

If you can get 2 or even 3 "Clean" Plan Pages, that would be best.
Use colored PENCILS for drawing circuitry / Homeruns, where multiple "Types Of Circuitry" will be used (i.e. Lighting = Blue, Gen. Receptacles = Black, Kit. ckt = Red, etc.)

What I mean by "Clean" sheets is to find plan pages with the least amount of stuff printed on them, so the Floor Plan (Base Template) is easilly seen - plus there will not be so much confusion between what you write/draw for As-Built data, and notations text printed on the sheet.

"A" Sheets might have something rather clean (like a Foundation plan, or similar), and if there are any "P" sheets, these would be the cleanest.

One last thing, make use of Multiwire Circuits as Homeruns where ever possible.
(ohhhh, this is going to draw some flack!)

Scott35

Planing is the key.
For loading the circuits just add up an estimated wattage. For 15 amp circuits I keep it under 1440w. No one may agree on genaric numbers but here are mine:

Keyless / pullchain 100w
Vanity light 250-300w
Bath fan 50-100w, light add 100w
Sconce 75w
Cieling fan w/light 300w
general rec 180w
5 OR 6" can light 75w
3 OR 4" CAN 50W
coach light 120w
Chandelier 300-600w
Flood lights 200w
closet light 40w
smaller cieling light 120w
4' lay ins 200w

Most numbers are on the higher side.

Kitchen appliances are all dedicated and at least 2 counter top circuits.

For us a middle of the road bedroom is 1 circuit. A larger master bedroom with extra lighting gets 2 circuits.

Tom
Tom

I'll go along ith Active's numbers.

When in new const. we kept it simple for recpts no more then 10 per circuit. Lighting was pretty much the same execpt when low voltage cans are used they draw little to no amps so load them up and buy the good dimmers and your golden. Kitchens always home runs for each peice all in 12 NO 14 ever!!! ovens get whats needed. The only 14 in my kitchens is lighting and u/c lighting.
JUst keep it simpole 10 items and no more and its never failed me yet. I also beleive in keeping lighting and power on there own circuits.

I have done homes as large as 14000 square feet, and i find that keeping each room to its own circuit is best. Especially since most costume homes floor plans always seem to change. This does not include rooms that have multiple recess cans, obviously some rooms may need more than 1 ckt. I try to keep 10-13 openings per circuit. Also, In reply to scot35, I will take a set of plans to a printing place and have them remove all but the exterior wall and then I fill in acording to my layout....cost is 5$per page but it is worth it

When left to myself to do the layout, I usually do something I haven't seen done much in residence wiring: keep the lighting and receptacles separate, even in other-than-kitchen areas.

We just finished roughing-in a small 3-br/2ba house; we placed the bedroom receptacles (12) on a single 20-amp circuit, and the bedroom and bathroom lights and fans on a single 15-amp circuit.

Likewise, we placed the livingroom receptacles (6) and the hallway receptacle on a second 20-amp circuit, and the living-room, kitchen, hall, and exterior lights on a second 15-amp circuit.

A small advantage of the single bedroom receptacle circuit is the need for only a single AFCI breaker (1999 NEC). By the way, has (or will) anyone come out with an AFCI feed-through receptacle?

By saying "I also beleive in keeping lighting and power on there own circuits.", NJ may have meant the same thing, in which case I'll give him credit for mentioning it first.

+! for separate lighting and receptacles. At least your HO can find their way to the panel to reset the breaker!

Another +1 for the "clean" plans. Worth every penny.

hey larry, was just wondering how small the house was? and what you charged for wiring?? I am bidding a 2500 sq foot home and just want to get an idea of my price with others around the country,,, I am in upstate ny.. thanks.............. wayne

Hope I'm not jumping the gun here, but it would be kind of hard to keep the bedroom lights and receptacles on a separate circuit, unless you're prepared to add extra AFCI breakers for them. May not be too bad for a small house where you can get by with two breakers, but a larger house, it could get pretty expensive. Just a thought. Steve....

I'm currently designing my own house. Hopefully it will begin at some point in a few years. But for now, I'm just designing all the details as I learn enough about them to do so. The elctrical followed the floor plan because that's something I'm more familiar with. The actual construction work will not be a DIY project, though I may end up being my own co-GC on it. That means I will be hiring local (wherever local ends up being) electrician(s) to do the actual work.

So I have this question. What would you guys think about a custom new home construction job that involved already designed wiring, and already specified (or maybe even already purchased) components and materials? If it specifies not only which outlets are on which circuits, but also which position in which panel it goes to, does this kind of design detail make your job easier or harder?

sparkync: In a larger house (more bedrooms), I'd think it would be easier to separate lights and outlets because you would be able to put more bedrooms on a common lights-only circuit, then divide up the outlets according to load needs, keeping them apart from the lights.

How do you get a competitive bid for a house when u seperate the lights and receps in beds.......?now you have created more arc-fault circuits ie. more money! When was the last time you put any kind of a load in a bedroom that even remotly made you think about keeping them seperate?

here in ny we are not required yet to have to use the arc faults.. which is nice, they are just getting around to using the 2002 code... go figure..

As I noted in my previous post, we're using the '99 NEC here in Va.,, not the '02, so only bedroom receptacle circuits require AFCI protection, not all bedroom outlets.

Therefore, I saved money because I stretched the single bedroom receptacle circuit to all three bedrooms. Had I fed ceiling lights alos, I would have needed two circuits.

The house is a Habitat for Humanity house, so it's probably around 1000 sq.ft.; we didn't measure it. There are three bedrooms, and four receptacles in each bedroom.

what ever

pdh, yea, never thought of that, bigger house give more advantage to separate them. My self, I never really seen the need to separate them. Cost more money in wire and labor to bypass a receptacle that is maybe just under the switch box, to go to another room. Plus I don't really see the advantage of it. But that's just my opinion. Here in NC we have to put everything on the AFCI circuit, so like I said before, it gets more expensive, and around here, you don't usually get to name your price on house wiring. You either cut it down or don't get the job. Sometimes you still don't get the job
Steve...

In the Northern Illinois area the lights and duplexes have been separate for decades. As for bedroom loads, hair dryers and vacuum cleaners are common enough to justify 20-amp circuits. You rarely see that though since it's all low-bid work.

Dave

Tiger Dave,

Did you change your name from Dave 55?

Tom

New business, new name, same Dave.

Dave

pdh, I'd say you're one in a million.

If you were to plan all that out, with no changes, you'd be doing your electrical contractor, and as a result yourself, a big favor.