Scribd
Upload
64 views2 pages

The NEC and Branch-Circuit Ratings - Part 1: Mark Lamendola

The article discusses requirements for sizing branch circuits in the 2020 National Electrical Code. It explains that branch circuits must be rated for the maximum permitted amperage of the overcurrent device protecting it according to Section 210.18. Section 210.19 then specifies that conductors must have an ampacity sufficient for the loads on the circuit, at a minimum of either the continuous load plus 125% of noncontinuous loads, or the load after correction factors from Section 310.15. The article notes there are additional requirements for circuits with multiple receptacles, cooking appliances, and other loads.

Uploaded by

Alejandro Salas Vásquez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
64 views2 pages

The NEC and Branch-Circuit Ratings - Part 1: Mark Lamendola

The article discusses requirements for sizing branch circuits in the 2020 National Electrical Code. It explains that branch circuits must be rated for the maximum permitted amperage of the overcurrent device protecting it according to Section 210.18. Section 210.19 then specifies that conductors must have an ampacity sufficient for the loads on the circuit, at a minimum of either the continuous load plus 125% of noncontinuous loads, or the load after correction factors from Section 310.15. The article notes there are additional requirements for circuits with multiple receptacles, cooking appliances, and other loads.

Uploaded by

Alejandro Salas Vásquez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

27/12/21 11:48 https://www.ecmweb.

com/print/content/21182900

NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE

The NEC and Branch-Circuit Ratings — Part 1


How do you know if you have the correct ampere rating (or setting) of an overcurrent device?
Mark Lamendola

Part II of Art. 210 of the 2020 National Electrical Code provides the requirements for rating
branch circuits. It’s pretty simple, really. You rate them per the maximum permitted ampere
rating (or setting) of the overcurrent device [Sec. 210.18].

But how do you know if you have the correct ampere rating (or setting) of the overcurrent device?
You can’t know that until you know the ampacity of the conductors the overcurrent device is
protecting. So, we segue into Sec. 210.19, which covers conductor minimum ampacity and size.
And that is followed by Sec. 210.20, which covers overcurrent protection.

Branch circuits of more than 600V have different requirements and they are covered by Sec.
210.19(B). Branch circuits of 600V or less are covered by Sec. 210.19(A). These requirements take
about five times the space in the NEC that the Sec. 210.19(B) requirements do.

Starting off Sec. 210.19 are three Informational Notes, including the one that is often referenced
when people ask, “What is the maximum voltage drop allowed by the NEC?” Except for “sensitive
electronic equipment” [Sec. 647.4(D)], the NEC doesn’t mandate voltage drop limits. It does
provide a suggestion in this Informational Note and also in Sec. 310.14(A)(1). The NEC was doing
that before Art. 647 appeared in its pages. The “correct” amount of voltage drop is a judgment
call. You want it as low as you can practically and cost-effectively make it, and deciding what that
number is requires balancing many factors.

Or, you can just go with a rule of thumb or best practice to save yourself all that cognitive work
The rule of thumb in the NEC is roughly simplified into “3% for branch circuits and 5% for
feeders,” and that is the difference in voltage at the source compared to the voltage at the farthest
load.

There is one general requirement for conductors 600V or less. It’s stated in Sec. 210.19(A)(1):
The ampacity must be at least the larger of two numbers. What are those two numbers?

1. Where the branch circuit supplies continuous loads (whether mixed with noncontinuous
loads or not), the ampacity must be at least the total of all noncontinuous loads plus 125% of

https://www.ecmweb.com/print/content/21182900 1/2
27/12/21 11:48 https://www.ecmweb.com/print/content/21182900

the total of the continuous loads on that circuit [Sec. 210.19(A)(1)(a)].


2. The ampacity can’t be less than the maximum load after applying any adjustment or
correction factors per Sec. 310.15 [Sec. 210.19(A)(1)(b].

Two exceptions are listed below this.

After the general requirement is one for branch circuits with more than one receptacle [Sec.
210.19(A)(2)], another for household ranges and cooking appliances [Sec. 210.19(A)(3)], and a set
for other loads [Sec. 210.19(A)(B)].

In Part II, we’ll look at what Art. 210 says about overcurrent protection requirements.

Source URL: https://www.ecmweb.com/national-electrical-code/article/21182900/the-nec-and-branchcircuit-ratings-part-


1

https://www.ecmweb.com/print/content/21182900 2/2

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy