Question about that weird wire gauge chart I found on an old job site

Pulled a ceiling fan down last week in a house built in 1968 and found a tattered handwritten chart stuck to the inside of the breaker box. It listed 14 gauge wire for 20 amp circuits - blew my mind because I thought that was a code violation for sure. Has anyone else run into old school wiring standards that don't match up with today's code?

3 comments

3 Comments

charlies377d ago

Did that chart say anything about aluminum wiring too?

brooke_jones7d ago

You mean they didn't mention it? That's surprising, because I used to think aluminum wiring was a cheaper alternative that worked just fine. But after reading up on it a few years ago, I completely changed my mind. The way aluminum expands and contracts at a different rate can loosen connections over time, which is a real fire hazard. I had an electrician friend warn me about it, and now I won't touch the stuff unless it's properly pigtailed with copper.

wilson.olivia6d ago

@brooke_jones you're absolutely right, I used to think aluminum wiring was fine but now I see why it's such a risk.