I had a new 100 amp panel installed in my house 10 years ago. There is one plug in the kitchen wired (14/2) to a 120V, tandem 2 x 15 amp breaker (using only one pole). What type of wiring do I use to wire more plugs and use this breaker properly? Most topics are concerning tandem 240V breakers using 12/3 wire.
Thank you!
Electrical – How to wire a tandem 120 volt, 2 X 15 amp single pole breaker
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It sounds like you may be mistaken as to how this is wired, or that perhaps I'm just not understanding your explanation. As others have mentioned, it's not possible to get 240 volts from a single pole in a 120/240V split phase system. Each tandem breaker provides 2 120 V circuits, this is true. However, if you measure between the terminals on a single tandem breaker, you'll get 0 volts. This is because the terminals are both powered from the same leg, and so are at the same voltage potential. If you measure from a terminal on the top tandem breaker to a terminal on the bottom one, then you'll measure 240 volts. This is because each breaker is connected to a different leg, which are each one half of a 240 volt circuit.
With all that said. For this setup to work, one appliance would have to be connected to both breaker. Something like this...
Notice that each appliance circuit has one wire connected to each of the tandem breakers. In this situation, you'd need a device like Speedy Petey shows.
Which ties the breaker handles together, to provide common trip characteristics.
Notice how the inner handles are tied together, and that the outer handles are also tied to each other. This way if either trip (or are turned off by the user), the entire circuit is shut off.
If this is wired the way you've explained, where the dryer is connected to the top tandem and the heater is connected to the bottom. Then there's some magic going on in those breakers.
Yes, it seems quite probable that there was an electric water heater at some point, and if the last two were gas, that circuit is probably unused. Leave it off, and check for anything not working; and/or follow the wires if visible, or look for a junction box near the water heater location that has a cable going in and no wire coming out.
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Best Answer
With 14 2 with ground you are limited to a 15 amp breakers as 3phase has stated in earlier post this has been code for many years in the U.S. that's why most outlets in kitchens deal with 12 AWG. If you have 14 awg 15 amp breakers are correct and by putting in a double stuff or tandem you can run a new line to add more outlets or split the existing run to have multiple breakers with the existing runs so 2 appliances or devices won't trip a 15 amp when the next outlet over if fed by the second breaker. Never combine the 2 tandem breakers on the same circuit as this would be a code violation and risk a fire hazard.