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    havik1980's Avatar
    havik1980 Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #1

    Feb 25, 2010, 09:10 AM
    What does a # 14 electrical wire look like
    How can I find out if my home is using a #14 wire in my circuit breaker I need to switch it out with something better. My home is using 15 amp 120 volt that keeps popping due to the fact one amp hold all the power to 2 bedrooms, bath, living,dining and mud room seriouly need help to solve this issue
    donf's Avatar
    donf Posts: 5,679, Reputation: 582
    Printers & Electronics Expert
    		  
    #2

    Feb 25, 2010, 09:45 AM

    #14 AWG, conductors are the correct size to use on a 15 Amp circuit.

    You could use #12 AWG conductors which are approved for 20 amp circuits.

    What you absolutley cannot do is put a 20 amp breaker on a 14 AWG conductor. This is a very real fire hazard.

    A better solution would be to split the load into two 15 amp circuits or if you would like to, you can still split the circuits to reduce the load on the two circuits and upgrade the wiring to 12 AWG and install two separate 20 amp AFC breakers.
    tkrussell's Avatar
    tkrussell Posts: 9,659, Reputation: 725
    Uber Member
    		  
    #3

    Feb 25, 2010, 12:23 PM
    To answer your actual question, you can get a pair of wire strippers similar to the photo I provided, it has notches for the different wire sizes that can be used as a wire gauge.
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