Following Electric Circuits

[Philip Cyr]

With electric options turned on (using Pro 7) I often have times following the circuit lines from the switch to the light fixture. This is especially true if you have a bank of switches next to an entrance door (hard to tell which switch is controlling what). Is there a way to accentuate what is connected to what (like F2 does on an Excel spreadsheet)? If not, wouldn't this be a neat addition to the software?
Thanks.
Phil

[Deirdre]

I always wondered if it would be possible to color code each electrical circuit to a corresponding color coded wall switch.

Blue for north wall
Red for south wall
Yellow for east wall
Orange for west wall

Sure would be easier to follow the circuit. Flashing Neon colors would be interesting, but distracting at same time.

[BB boy]

Just a thought, but when I do one with a pretty hefty circuiting, I use text and place a circuit number at the switch, and / or receptacle or light(s). Of course you can only put so many receptacles (10) and (12) lights on a circuit or any combination, so if you're not already familiar with the code it can get troublesome. So maybe you can just put a number by it for your on information purposes.
BB

[Deirdre]

Uh, what do you mean 10-12; NOT EVEN.
If I want all the lights to remain on when connected to the circuit - then I have to stay in the 8 maximum per room. And the circuit can't cross over to another room if I want lights on in that room as well.

[BB boy]

Without getting to techy-in the real world of electricity and code enforcement, you are allowed (if my memory serves) in residential-a max of 10 (15amp) receptacles on one circuit and a max of 12 lights (on a 15 amp circuit). The circuit is what goes back to the circuit breaker in the main panel. For example, Say you have (3) switched lights in one room, and (3) in another and so on until you have a total of (12). You traveler (hot wire) can feed all of them, but is broken by the switch for that particular room. You may have say, (8) receptacles in two different rooms, and (4) switched lights, you can borrow your hot wire from you receptacle circuit to feed the lights, and still be under the max allowed by code. Hope this helps.
BB

[Larry]

Canadian Electrical Code uses a 15 ampere circuit and you are allowed to load to 80% or 12 amperes. recepticals, not specific in application, are rated at 1.2 amperes each so this allows a max of 10 recepticles on a circuit..

If you have lighting or other loads they are to be subtracted from this total. Lights wil be known loads due to max ratings on the fixtures.

Kitchen recepticals are not typically shared due to the high loads of the counter appliances (toasters etc..). 20 amp recepticals are to be used in the kitchen in the last few years but they can be configured to every second receptical (not adjacent). Bedroom receptical circuits need to have arc detection (high impedance) breakers and are typically marked using blue jacketed wiring.