# Home Runs



## EmmettR (Jun 27, 2013)

1st year Apprentice.

We are working some residential work. This house got flooded, and long story short, the government has given them up to 80,000 dollars to fix the house up.

On the electrical side of the free money they get, we have to bring everything up to code here in Chicago. That means - > No Bx - > Arc Fault breakers must be installed where they must be installed - > Panel must be up'd - > Smoke detectors installed - > NEW wires must be pulled everywhere where it is possible.

Well, our first day there, all we did was try to trace out where wires go. I notice, the phrase that was used almost a million times today was "HOME RUNS".

To my knowledge - a home run is the FIRST box hit from the FIRST pipe coming out of the panel. Is that correct? Or is the first DEVICE hit from the pipe from the panel? ( Second question is me trying to cover - > What if the first box hit from the first pipe is just an empty junction box? Is the first box after that which actually has a device considered the home run...or is the empty junction box still considered the home run?)

My last q is - > Why is the home run so important to identify?

Thank you in advance for any help


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## FrunkSlammer (Aug 31, 2013)

Home run is what I call the circuit going back to the panel. It's not the box, it's the wires.

Say for instance, the dryer receptacle is fed directly from a home run.. nothing else taps off it. For lighting and regular receptacles, they are all wired in parallel to maintain the voltage, but somewhere in there the first device box has the home run in it, which goes directly back to the panel. 

Could be differences in terminology among areas.. but that's how I use it. Home run is the cable (wires) going directly back to the panel.


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## ponyboy (Nov 18, 2012)

"Home run box" is a term used frequently in resi and commercial but more likely in commercial. Just refers to the first box in the run


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## ceb58 (Feb 14, 2009)

FrunkSlammer said:


> Home run is what I call the circuit going back to the panel. It's not the box, it's the wires.
> 
> Say for instance, the dryer receptacle is fed directly from a home run.. nothing else taps off it. For lighting and regular receptacles, they are all wired in parallel to maintain the voltage, but somewhere in there the first device box has the home run in it, which goes directly back to the panel.
> 
> Could be differences in terminology among areas.. but that's how I use it. Home run is the cable (wires) going directly back to the panel.


I agree. Its the wiring from the panel to the first device. The importance of finding and identifying the home run is for trouble shooting.


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## owl (Oct 31, 2012)

ponyboy said:


> "Home run box" is a term used frequently in resi and commercial but more likely in commercial. Just refers to the first box in the run


Where are you? I'm in the northeastern US. Here, a home run is the wire going back to the panel, not the first box (or any box).


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## papaotis (Jun 8, 2013)

owl said:


> Where are you? I'm in the northeastern US. Here, a home run is the wire going back to the panel, not the first box (or any box).


going back to the panel from where?:whistling2:


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## A Little Short (Nov 11, 2010)

owl said:


> Where are you?  I'm in the northeastern US. Here, a home run is the wire going back to the panel, not the first box (or any box).


Since when is "Dollywood" in the northeast?


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## SparkyDino (Sep 23, 2013)

EmmettR said:


> To my knowledge - a home run is the FIRST box hit from the FIRST pipe coming out of the panel. Is that correct? Or is the first DEVICE hit from the pipe from the panel? ( Second question is me trying to cover - > What if the first box hit from the first pipe is just an empty junction box? Is the first box after that which actually has a device considered the home run...or is the empty junction box still considered the home run?)
> 
> My last q is - > Why is the home run so important to identify?
> 
> Thank you in advance for any help


What if the 2nd floor circuits run thru boxes on the first floor? Is it just non-HR wiring until it hit the HR box on the 1st floor then it's a HR to the panel? No it's the 2nd floor HR and joins the 1st floor HR to the panel.

Very simple way to remember..........if it goes home, it's a home run.

If it goes the opposite direction it isn't :laughing:


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## five.five-six (Apr 9, 2013)

EmmettR said:


> On the electrical side of the free money they get,


Since you are a first year apprentice I will go easy on you but there is no such thing as "free money"


Homer can mean to a sub panel or to the main, 
Depend on who is saying it. If unsure, ask your journeyman. Nothing worse than an apprentice screwing things up because he is too proud to ask a question.


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

ponyboy said:


> "Home run box" is a term used frequently in resi and commercial but more likely in commercial. Just refers to the first box in the run


Shouldn't it be called 1st base and the end of the circuit be called the Homerun?:jester:


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