TL;DR
A feeder circuit is the wiring that carries power from the service equipment to a downstream distribution point — a subpanel in the garage, a detached shop, or a mobile-home pedestal — as distinct from branch circuits, which run from the final breaker to outlets and equipment. Feeders are sized by an Article 220 load calculation, protected by a breaker at their origin, and for detached buildings include four conductors with grounds and neutrals separated at the far end.
What it means
A feeder circuit is the wiring that carries power from the service equipment to a downstream distribution point — a subpanel in the garage, a detached shop, or a mobile-home pedestal — as distinct from branch circuits, which run from the final breaker to outlets and equipment. Feeders are sized by an Article 220 load calculation, protected by a breaker at their origin, and for detached buildings include four conductors with grounds and neutrals separated at the far end. Voltage drop on long runs often pushes feeder wire a size up from the minimum.
Where it sits in the glossary
Feeder circuit is part of the Trade jargon group inside the ProFix Directory glossary. Browse every term in this category from the glossary index.
Why Ohio homeowners should know it
This is a term Ohio homeowners encounter when reading contractor quotes, hiring paperwork, or inspection reports. Understanding it well enough to ask one good follow-up question is usually all the protection a homeowner needs.
ProFix Directory keeps definitions short on the index page and saves the longer context — Ohio-specific rules, where the term comes from, and which ProFix tools touch it — for these per-term pages so the term is easy to cite and easy to share.
ProFix tools that touch this term
See also
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