Mell Can a dedicated branch circuit share a neutral?
It is NOT permitted to share a neutral in any other situation. If you were to share a neutral with two breakers on the same leg of a panel, both circuits could draw the breaker limit (lets say 15A) making the shared neutral as much as 30A return current!
What are the requirements for multiwire branch circuits?
According to NEC Article 100, a multiwire branch circuit consists of two or more ungrounded conductors that have a voltage between them, and a grounded conductor that has equal voltage between it and each ungrounded conductor of the circuit and that is connected to the neutral or grounded conductor of the system.
Is a dedicated circuit a branch circuit?
The term “dedicated circuit” is a layman’s term for what the National Electric Code or NFPA 70 calls an “individual branch circuit”. Each item on an individual branch circuit has its own circuit breaker in the electrical box.
What does a dedicated neutral wire mean?
First and most importantly, the dedicated line ensures that no other loads share the same two power wires. Other loads, if connected, might draw currents that could cause voltage drops in the building wiring that supplies the critical load.
Can three circuits share a neutral?
So you could share a neutral with three circuits, because on a 3Phase load, the maximum current on the neutral could be no more than the current on any one of the phase conductors.
What circuits can share a neutral?
A multiwire branch circuit is a branch circuit with a shared neutral. This means there are two or more ungrounded (hot) phase or system conductors with a voltage between them and a shared neutral.
Can two 20 amp circuits share a neutral?
In residential, standard receptacles and lighting circuits are all 20A so that’s why you can share a neutral between two circuits and now more. If you had a 20A load on two circuits (each connected to a different phase), the load on the neutral would be 0A. They cancel each other out.
Do you have to have a dedicated electrical circuit?
It’s required by the National Electrical Code for certain critical-use appliances and many fixed appliances. No other appliances, fixtures, lights, or outlets can be served by these dedicated circuits.
Can you use a handle tied breaker in a multi wire branch circuit?
It is perfectly fine and within code. The only stipulations are that you must splice the neutral, you cannot use the screws on one device to carry the neutral to the other, and that you must use a two-pole or handle-tied breaker. For reference, this is known as a multi-wire branch circuit. – Tester101 May 21 ’14 at 20:08
Can you share neutrals in a NEC circuit?
By NEC you can share neutrals as long as you use handle ties to “interlock” the two breakers. So the circuits need to be next to each other in the panel. If this is not possible, then you need separate neutrals.
Why do you need a dedicated circuit breaker?
More importantly, dedicated circuits prevent the inconvenience of circuit overloads . When more than one appliance is served by a single circuit, there is the potential for these appliances to draw more power than the circuit is designed to handle. The result is a tripped circuit breaker or fuse.