I have a dedicated 15A circuit for a top-floor bathroom fan with heat lamps which draws much less than capacity. There is nothing else on this circuit.
I know that code for a 15A 14ga circuit at 80% load should be 12A max.
This is the quandry. I'm looking at a Panasonic Heater Fan (FV-11VH2) that draws, only when both the heater and exhaust fan is running, 12.12A (1454.5W). 95% of the time, only the vent fan will be running (<1A). When it's running the heat it'll be on a wall timer.
In a perfect world, I'd run a new 12ga 20A circuit, but I'm not too keen on ripping out 3 floors of drywall to run a new wire.
So run it anyways on the 14ga/15A breaker or abandon it? Hard to believe an extra 120mA run occasionally is a big deal …
Best Answer
In this case, it looks like you'll have to run a new 20A circuit. As per Article 110.3(B) of the National Electrical Code (NEC), and the manufacturers instructions.
On page 5 of the manufacturers installation manual (PDF), it clearly states that you must use a 20A circuit.