How to terminate unused wire

[Anonymous]

I have a 12/3 conductor w/g NM-B cable going from the panel 20A GFI breaker to the whirlpool tub in the bathroom. Only the white and black wires are being used. What is the best way to terminate the unused red wire at both ends? Cut is off as short as possible, leave it long and add awire nut at the end, or some other way? Thanks.

[Wgoodrich]

You should be using the black white and bare wires most likely wanting to know what to do with the red wire.

If it were me I would leave the red wire long in both the panel and the receptacle box. Then in the panel I would installl a wire nut on that red wire and fold it into the box of the panel not connected to anything but wire nutted off as an ended conductor. Then in the receptacle box at the whirlpool tub I would install a wire nut again on that red wire and fold it back into the box unused.

This way the red wire is not energized not hurting anything and if you delete the whirlpool tub you could use this cable as a multiwire cable 240 volt split for other uses either for a 240 volt circuit or for two 120 volt circuits tapped from that box where the whirlpool was removed.

I would not use this cable as a multiwire cable spitting into two 120 volt circuits while the whirlpool tub is being used. The whilrpool tub is mixiing a motor and water that must be GFI protected with the receptacle and the whirlpool motor accessible for servicing. The split multiwire branch circuit while supplying power to the whirlpool tub GFI receptacle while not forbidden by the NEC in my opinion would not be advisable. My thoughts are that a multiwire circuit split to two 120 volt and one being that whirlpool tub may experience a loss of a white conductor in that mutiwire circuit that may back feed through the whirlpool motor causing added shock risk in the tub. While this multiwire branch circuit would not be an NEC violation if done on the line side of the GFI I just personally feel it would be an added shock risk to a whirlpool tub that is not needed.

You are doing as I would do just wire nut both ends of that red wire tailed off for possible future use but not used at this time.

Good Luck

Wg