Originally Posted By: kbernard This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I just inspected a new home today and it appears that the size of wire going to 20 amp breakers are 14 gauge wire. I have not picked up one of those plastic measuring tools to measure wires yet.
Would I be correct to say that a 14 gauge wire is to small for a 20 amp breaker?
Any little tricks on how to determine wire size without the plastic gauge…just don’t have one at this very moment :oops:
Originally Posted By: jmyers This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Kelly,
Assuming you are inspecting electrical work that was done all at the same time, I try gauging the different wires sizes in the panel, against other wires of known sizes in the panel. Say you have all 14 wire (15 amp) in the panel, with one 12 for a 20 amp circuit. If you look at the wire size for all the 15 amp circuits, you will know if that one is bigger than the others. The same holds true for #10 since they would be slightly larger than the one #12.
After you get above #10 this method is not very good although typically the cable is so big the numbers on it are more obvious than with the smaller gauges. 
Originally Posted By: kbernard This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I have inspected a couple of hundred panels now…but this one for some reason has me challanged…it just didn’t look correct. The black wires give off a little different look…they have more of a shine to them. I will take a better close up pic tomorrow and post it.
I like what you said about comparing the wires and I did that and found one wire hooked to a 15 amp breaker…but man it looked like the size of a tooth pick, so I thought that might be wrong also.
Thanks for all of the help and suggestions. I will take my little peace of 12 gauge wire with me when i go back.
I will let you know
Kelly 