This has probably been answered a hundred times already, but I can’t find it.
I spoke to an electrician today about adding a couple of dedicated circuits for my 1F Forman. I told him I needed two 20amp circuits and because I’m at my limit on panel space he suggested splitting one breaker into a double breaker, both 20 amp. But he also suggested running a single, 5-conductor cable to a 4-gang outlet, one circuit for each side.
I’m wondering if I’m defeating the purpose of the exercise by having the conductors all wrapped together in one cable. His point is that, functionally, it’s all the same because it’s going back to a panel that shares a ground (and maybe a neutral as well, not sure I remember correctly). My panel is a 3-wire with two buses, not the more updated 4-wire.
Am I asking for trouble here? Is EMI going to be an issue? I don’t think these wires are shielded. I suggested running two 3-conductor cables from the breaker, but what do I know.
Another question- my PWNcnc VFD has a 14 awg power cord. I plug this into the power supply, which itself is powered by a reedy 22 awg power cord. Is the VFD cord overkill? Seems weird.
Any guidance would be appreciated, he’s coming back on Tuesday, July 18.
Up front, I’m not an electrician. 5 wire, 10 or 12 gauge cable would work, depending on the distance. With a 20 amp double breaker you’re tapping into both legs in your panel. 2 of the wires would carry load side 120 to the 2 outlets, each one from a different leg in your breaker box.
2 other wires would be connected to neutral side and 1 wire connected to ground. Since current is not carried on the ground, one wire is sufficient. I’m using the same setup in my shop without any issues. Hope this helps.
He probably meant tandem rather than double. FYI, he wasn’t the “licensed” electrician in the operation so there’s that too. Sad but you can’t take expertise for granted. Tough to judge when you know even less than the person you’re hiring, which btw is why I’m not doing it myself.
We’ll use two runs of Romex, no downside there. I’ll mention the shared neutral issue, but worth mentioning that I may have misunderstood what he was saying. As for getting someone else, getting a call-back is an achievement all by itself. We’re new to the area so we’re still sorting through people in the trades.