12 guage wire israted for 20 amps and 10 guage is rated for thirty amps!
12 gauge is what is required, as it is rated for 20 amps. 10 gauge is rated for 30 and will be more then enough. Oversizing wire in your case isn't necessary. The thicker 10 gauge wire is harder to work with and will more then likely cost more.
In residential wiring applications the most used is 14 gauge wire for light switches as long as the circuit breaker or the fuse is 15A. If your lighting circuit is on a 20A fuse/circuit breaker then you need to use 12 gauge wire
yesAnother (corrected) answer.NO! The circuit breaker is there to protect the wiring from overheating. It wouldn't matter where on the circuit you decided to put the 14 gauge wire, you would need to change the breaker to 15 Amp if you did that. Using 14 gauge wire on a 20 amp circuit is a fire hazard and contrary to UBC. Contact your local building and zoning department to verify.
A 14 gauge wire is typically used on a 15 amp circuit breaker. It is not recommended to use a larger circuit breaker with a smaller wire size as this can create a fire hazard.
A wire gauge is a number that indicates how thick the wire is. A larger gauge number means a thinner wire. Gauge and diameter can be linked by looking up wire tables.
Wire is not sized by voltage. It is sized by current measured in amps. Some common copper wire sizes and their current capacities are: 15 amps -- 14 gauge wire 20 amps -- 12 gauge wire 30 amps -- 10 gauge wire 40 amps -- 8 gauge wire
The recommended gauge of wire for a 50 amp circuit is typically 6 AWG (American Wire Gauge) for copper wire.
The recommended gauge of wire for a 30 amp circuit is typically 10 AWG (American Wire Gauge).
The recommended wire gauge for a 30 amp circuit is typically 10 AWG (American Wire Gauge).
The recommended gauge of wire for a 60 amp circuit is typically 6 AWG (American Wire Gauge).
The recommended gauge wire for a 40 amp circuit is typically 8 AWG (American Wire Gauge).
The appropriate wire gauge size for a 40 amp circuit is typically 8 AWG (American Wire Gauge).
The appropriate wire gauge size for a 60 amp circuit is typically 6 AWG (American Wire Gauge).
The recommended gauge of wire for a 100 amp electrical circuit is typically 4 AWG (American Wire Gauge).
The recommended gauge for a 30 amp wire in a residential electrical circuit is typically 10 AWG (American Wire Gauge).
For a 15 amp circuit, a 14-gauge wire should be used.
The recommended wire size for a 30 amp circuit is typically 10 gauge wire.
The recommended gauge for a 40 amp wire in a residential electrical circuit is typically 8 AWG (American Wire Gauge).