Mixing 12v and 115v wiring

[Arne]

I am running the 115v wiring from back to front through the roof. I can put the 12v supply wires in the same holes, but am not sure if having them so close is a good idea, from an electrical interference point of view, not a safety issue.

If not a good idea to have them side by side, any idea of what type of separation I would need to eliminate electrical interference?

I don't want my tv picture messed up because I have the 12v line too close, if that might cause a problem.

[bobhenry]

I'm just a big dumb country boy but I didn't think 12 volt dc emmitted any type of radio frequency interference.

All my ac and dc circuits share the same path, the same boxes, and even the same fixtures.

There are those that see this as dangerous but I came from the chemical industry and we often used low voltage switching for 440 and 660 circuits in explosive atmospheres.



120 and 12 volt porch lights

[Dale M.]

My opinion is to keep them some what separated and use different color schemes for each voltage....It's my fear (I guess it is best word to describe it) is that inadvertently cross connecting some 12 volt wiretng appliances with 120 volt wiring appliances....

Something like using White/Black/Green(bare) For 120 Volt circuits ( Romex colors) and Red and Blue (ground), instead of Black (so no confusion to Black 120v "hot" lead)...

Having them in same box is kind of against most wiring codes....

Only place I think they should "converge" is IF a fixture has both 120v and 12v bulbs in it.

Dale

[brian_bp]

Generally, I agree with Dale.

Specifically for the issue of possible interference: I would not expect the DC power line to make any difference to the AC line, but the AC line may cause some 60 hertz noise on the DC circuit... whether that's a problem depends on how much noise, and what is using the DC power.

[Donutboy]

On a similar note, are there any issues with running stranded wire for 110V? Home wiring is usually solid core, but the home generally stays in one place.

[Miriam C.]

On a similar note, are there any issues with running stranded wire for 110V? Home wiring is usually solid core, but the home generally stays in one place.

Boy have we been here before. My view, if you are using stab in fixtures Romex is easier. Stranded has the benefit of being more flexible and for some easier to work with. I used Romex in my shallow boxes and it was a pain easily cured with a pair of needle nose pliers.

As for vibration---make good connections.