Your valued opinion

[Tkennedy]

I had a discussion the other day with a freind that is an elec. contractor and engineer. It was over running outlets in my new basement remodel job in ser. vs. par.

In this undertaking I am converting 1000 sf of cinder block into a four room sactuary (this gives me another place to hide from my wife and 4 kids) ha ha. Any way, I have created a 10 x 12 play room for the little ones with 3 outlets and an 11 x 16 family area with 5 outlets with 14/2 wire on a 15 amp breaker wired in ser.

He suggested using a 12/2 main line with branches using 14/2 pig tails to the outlets.

His thought process is that if an outlet goes bad it doesn't affect the others on the same line.

My side is that with the kids utilizing this space, if something would happen the entire line would shut down and alert me to the situation.

Who is right.

home handyman

[JC]

The only thing I would ask is are the lights on the same circuit? I would think not as you have 8 receptacles on a 15A breaker with 14/2 wire. However, if that is the case, is there ambient light in the basement other than the lights you put in? The reason I ask is if you run in series and an outlet goes and blows the circuit, all the lights are going to go as well leaving the kids in the dark - literally. Regardless, I hope you are using filler plugs in unused outlets therefore limiting the risk.

[Tkennedy]

Thanks for the reply. No I will have the lights on a seperate circuit. And, yes I am using filler plugs in the unused outlets. I have 8 open slots in the breaker box so I can run seperate circuits for each part of the basement and the lights.

home handyman