Can i connect 14-2 wire to the current 12-2 wire in this case

wire

i have already had 12-2 wire running through my garage. Now i have a small shed which is 50 feet away from the garage. My plan is to dismantle one of the outlet in the garage which is where the 12-2 wire ends. From there, i will:

  • Install a switch at the old outlet place (That switch will play a role as a circuit breaker for the whole shed)
  • Start connecting my 14-2 wire to my shed.
  • In the shed there would be only 1 more outlet which i use mostly for charging tools.

The reason i use 14-2 wire is because I have a 100ft of 14-2 wire UF from my friend and i do not want to waste it.

Just wonder, is that OK to do as above? Please advise, thanks a lot.

Best Answer

That is fine. Whichever circuit breaker feeds that entire circuit, must be replaced with a 15A breaker. The presence of any 14AWG wire anywhere in the circuit requires the breaker be 15A.

I don't know what you had in mind with the switch, but switches are not circuit breakers.

If you plan to use a full 15A in the shed, a common $1 switch will not handle that, you'd need to upgrade to a $7ish heavy duty switch.