Can I run 2 20 amp circuits on 1 10AWG neutral wire?
I'm using 10/3 with ground and I was wondering if I can run both hot wires at 20 amps and use only 1 neutral and ground for both of them. Is this possible? Or would I burn my house down?
I'm using 10/3 with ground and I was wondering if I can run both hot wires at 20 amps and use only 1 neutral and ground for both of them. Is this possible? Or would I burn my house down?
Jeff D
Favorite Answer
It is possible if, and only if, each hot is on a separate leg. You need a double pole breaker to ensure this. So long as each hot is on a different leg, the neutral will carry only the difference in the current drawn by each circuit--so never more than 20 amps. If each hot were on the same leg, then the neutral could end up carrying up to 40 amps, which would probably exceed the rating of your wire.
Anonymous
Yes you can do this. 10/3 wire is rated for 30amps. You can run up to a 30amp circuit on each hot wire (black) And using the one neutral (white) and ground (bare copper) wire for both circuits will work efficiently.