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Romex and breaker switches

I did a search and have read previous posts, but I still have some questions. I had an electrician install dedicated lines in my listening room when we built our house 20 years ago. I bought simple hospital grade outlets from a big box store and did not specify the gauge of the romex or anything else. I need to clear out my dedicated listening room soon for new hardwood to be installed and figured now would be a good time to revisit and improve my dedicated lines. I have already bought a pair of Oyaide R1 duplexes and intend to have them installed side by side behind my equipment rack. My question is-is there a particular variation of 10 gauge romex that would be best? I have looked and there are quite a few variations including 10-2 and 10-3 and I have no idea what to buy or for that matter, if some other wire that would do the job and not be prohibitively expensive presents a better option. I will need a 20 foot run for each duplex. Also, can someone help me as to whether the breaker switch on my panel matters much and whether I should opt for 20A, 30A, or other? I now know that all runs from my duplexes to the panel should be to the same leg. I will make sure that happens. Any other recommendations or advice about romex/wire to use and breaker switches given my decision to go with Oyaide R1's would be most appreciated. 
128x128fsonicsmith

Showing 4 responses by cleeds

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cleeds
6,052 posts
 
yogiboy
That makes no sense to dedicate one room with seven dedicated lines. How many circuit breakers will be left for the rest of the house?
You can have as many breakers for the rest of the house as you like. If there aren't enough spaces in your panel, you can get a larger panel, or install a sub-panel.
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cleeds
6,052 posts
 

yogiboy

Why would you want seven dedicated lines in one room?
Because there are advantages to dedicated lines.

Your house probably has 200 amp service. If you do that it doesn’t leave much for the rest of your home.
It doesn’t work that way. A 20A line will only deliver 20A if that’s the load placed on it. In any event, having 200A service doesn’t mean your utility can actually provide 200A and - in many cases - it won’t. You’d need to perform a "beast of burden" test to be sure.
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cleeds
6,052 posts
 
audioslain02
"There can be advantages to using 10 gauge wire on a 20A circuit, including reducing voltage drop. It is difficult to work with, and using a pigtail into the outlet does make it easier to terminate."

Not only is this a Code Violation, this is a MAJOR fire hazard.
Tha ampacity of the wire cannot exceed the ampacity of the
breaker.
You misread what I wrote. It is certainly within code to use 10 ga. wire on a 20A circuit, which requires by definition a 20A breaker. There are large potential advantages to doing just that, and it has worked very well in my system. It is actually a fairly common practice and exceeds the NEC, which only sets minimum standards.


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cleeds
6,052 posts
 
yogiboy0
You don’t want to put a 30A breaker on a 20A circuit.
Agreed! If you are using a 20A receptacle, you want a 20A breaker.

For a 20 amp circuit 12-2 romex would be the correct gauge to use. If you use 10 gauge it will be difficult to terminate on the outlet ... 10 gauge ( 30 amp ) is used for something like a clothes dryer!
There can be advantages to using 10 gauge wire on a 20A circuit, including reducing voltage drop. It is difficult to work with, and using a pigtail into the outlet does make it easier to terminate.
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