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Home > Archive > Electrical code Compliance > June 2005 > Extra large Junction Box???
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Extra large Junction Box???
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| uofs76@yahoo.com 2005-06-17, 11:31 pm |
| When my home was built, they used about 9 junction boxes in the ceiling
of the basement for about 20 circuits. These are all 15 or 20 amp
circuits.
I would like to replace the 9 small junction boxes with one large box.
Is there such a junction box? What is it called? Where do I buy it?
Thanks,
JB
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| Gary Schafer 2005-06-17, 11:31 pm |
| On 12 May 2005 07:28:32 -0700, "uofs76@yahoo.com" <uofs76@yahoo.com>
wrote:
quote:
>When my home was built, they used about 9 junction boxes in the ceiling
>of the basement for about 20 circuits. These are all 15 or 20 amp
>circuits.
>
>
>I would like to replace the 9 small junction boxes with one large box.
>Is there such a junction box? What is it called? Where do I buy it?
>
>Thanks,
>
>JB
There are large boxes available but I wouldn't do that. You should not
have more than one circuit in a junction box. The reason being that it
is much easier for someone to trace the route of a circuit, if need
be, if each circuit is separate. Once wires go into a junction box you
have no way of knowing what they are tied to inside.
In a house I have someone had wired a couple of circuits into a common
junction box. I removed them and installed a second box so each was
separate.
Regards
Gary
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| Dale Farmer 2005-06-17, 11:31 pm |
|
"uofs76@yahoo.com" wrote:
quote:
> When my home was built, they used about 9 junction boxes in the ceiling
> of the basement for about 20 circuits. These are all 15 or 20 amp
> circuits.
>
> I would like to replace the 9 small junction boxes with one large box.
> Is there such a junction box? What is it called? Where do I buy it?
Breaker panel. Any electrical supply house should have various
sizes in stock. This sounds like a job that you ought to have a locally
licensed electrician come in and do. You could save some money if
you have the electrician tell you where and how to pull in the new
cable, then after you put in the new cables, come back and perform
final connections.
Why do you want to do this?
--Dale
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| phil-news-nospam@ipal.net 2005-06-17, 11:31 pm |
| On 12 May 2005 07:28:32 -0700 uofs76@yahoo.com <uofs76@yahoo.com> wrote:
| When my home was built, they used about 9 junction boxes in the ceiling
| of the basement for about 20 circuits. These are all 15 or 20 amp
| circuits.
|
|
| I would like to replace the 9 small junction boxes with one large box.
| Is there such a junction box? What is it called? Where do I buy it?
You are wanting to make a bad situation worse?
--
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| Phil Howard KA9WGN | http://linuxhomepage.com/ http://ham.org/ |
| (first name) at ipal.net | http://phil.ipal.org/ http://ka9wgn.ham.org/ |
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| uofs76@yahoo.com 2005-06-17, 11:31 pm |
| Currently with the nine boxes(in the ceiling joists of basement) there
are wires everywhere. If I drywall over them & put in access panels it
will be a total mess.
I was picturing one box on the wall just like a breaker box. I'd have
all of the inputs on the left and the outputs on the right. I could
label the circuit on both sides & at the main breaker box.
The current setup looks like they started to wire the home for the
breaker box to be on one side of the basement & then changed their
minds. I would have prefered a sub panel box with one large gage wire
running to it, but I guess they wanted the cheaper alternative.
Thanks for your reply,
JB
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| Roy Q.T. 2005-06-17, 11:31 pm |
|
Currently with the nine boxes(in the ceiling joists of basement) there
are wires everywhere. If I drywall over them & put in access panels it
will be a total mess.
I was picturing one box on the wall just like a breaker box. I'd have
all of the inputs on the left and the outputs on the right. I could
label the circuit on both sides & at the main breaker box.
The current setup looks like they started to wire the home for the
breaker box to be on one side of the basement & then changed their
minds. I would have prefered a sub panel box with one large gage wire
running to it, but I guess they wanted the cheaper alternative.
Thanks for your reply,
JB
{> If the case is they added the gang boxes to extend the wiring to the
other side of the basement, i bet it is a mess of boxes & wires. don't
cover them =>
Just trace the circuits to & fro their application & rewire the system
with home runs to each location and eliminate as many boxes as you can
so you can remodel your basement without having to cover up any boxes
inside with Plaster Board Ceiling....
Do Not Hide those Boxes inside your Ceiling without access., "Murphy's
Law".
I went to a rental my cousin had and the refrigerator circuit had gone
dead the LL's electrician could not find the problem she called me
because the landlady was desperate so I poked a few holes near odd
looking plaster work & beams and found a buried 1900 (4x4) style box in
the ceiling near a beam, I cut out the plaster opened it and
miraculously found the culprit (a loose wirecap) don't let this a happen
to you.,
Eliminate as many or all of those ceiling boxes as you can leaving only
boxes adjacent to or for lighting fixtures, smoke detectors or other
convenience/safety equipment..... it little extra cost today will save
you some cost from possible trouble later on.
Roy ~ E.E.Technician
[Master Electrician]
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| uofs76@yahoo.com 2005-06-17, 11:31 pm |
| Thanks for all the good advice
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