My Favorite 15 AMP Commercial Grade Outlet Legrand (CRB5262): geni.us/q0k4D DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.
At 1:54 a few lines in the book above your finger it says "A duplex receptacle (with a space for two plugs) counts as two receptacles". This is an important detail for clarity that some viewers may not realize.
@@leeoldershaw956 If you are running 15 amps continuously on a 20 amp wire the 20 amp wire will not get as warm because you are not tasking it to its limit. Safer that way. The engine on regular cars and trucks can produce more horsepower than they do. They are made that way because they will last much longer if you do not task them to their limit. Race cars do and their engines are usually rebuilt after every long race or every time they run more than a certain amount of miles because of the stress that running to their limit causes on the engine.
See NEC 100 definitions. A single receptacle is a single plug only and it must be rated in accordance with its branch circuit. See NEC 210.21 for this. A two plug receptacle is a duplex receptacle or multiple receptacles sharing a single backstrap. The pass trough current on a 15 receptacle should be rated at 20 amps. Its possible to terminate multiple 15 amp receptacles on a 20 amp branch circuit. What is not so clear is using 20 amp receptacles on a 15 amp circuit. The 20 amp receptacle can handle the 15 amp load presented to it with ease and safety. If a 20 amp device attempts to draw 20 amps through said receptacle, the branch breaker will trip. The presence of a 20 amp receptacle on a 15 amp branch circuit is misleading as you can never get the full 20 amps. On the other hand, any device that has a nameplate rating exceeding 15 amps should be equipped with a 20 amp neutral spade which cannot plug into a 15 amp receptacle. But some branch circuits such as a mandated 20 amp kitchen counter branch circuit can have either receptacles. If you plug an electric jack hammer into your kitchen outlet with a 20 amp receptacle, it should be able to run fine as the branch circuit can provide the correct amount of amps. So if the branch circuit has a 15 amp breaker, use only 15 amp devices. If the branch circuit has a 20 amp breaker, use either 15 or 20 amp devices knowing that you cannot plug in the heavy duty appliances without a spade adapter. Do not use a spade adapter on a 20 amp receptacle used on a 15 amp branch. Woun't burn you down but your whoopie will not run.
I agree with what you said. I only use commercial grade receptacles, mostly for the backwiring capability, but they also tend to have a larger plug cycle life.
When looking at the 15 vs 20 amp internals at 5:27 you can see that the hot side on the 20 amp is the same as both the hot and neutral on the 15 amp. The part that was removed from the previous model 15 amp would really only come into play when the connection is a horizonal prong. Since this isn't possible with a 15 amp receptacle, the part was probably only there so that both could be manufactured on the same line.
You really hit the nail on the head with this video. As a general rule, it is a waste of money to purchase 20-amp receptacles versus heavy duty 15-amp versions, especially given the innards are identical. The highest amperage device i have found is hair dryers, which are rated at 1875 watts. Divide that by the 125 volt nominal rating of receptacles and you get 15 amps. It's almost like the manufacturers designed the hair dryer to be at the maximum rating of a 15-amp receptacle. As you showed, the reason NEMA specifies the perpendicular grounded terminal for 20-amp attachment plugs is so they can only be used on receptacles on 20-amp circuits and not potentially overload a 15-amp circuit. An important point to make is that circuit breakers only protect the wiring, not the devices in use on the circuit. Ideally, all residential circuits would be wired with 12 awg wiring with 20-amp breakers, therefore making capacity moot. However, 12 awg wiring costs 50٪ more, uses more material, and is harder to work with than 14 awg. So, we're left with the compromise of 15 and 20-amp receptacles. Related to this, I've learned it's better to wire dedicated circuits with 14 awg wiring when the device is rated 1440 watts or less, especially disposals, dishwashers, and air handlers. I also do this for refrigerators and microwaves/hoods when the inspector permits it (some think all kitchen circuits must be 20-amps, not just the two small appliance circuits mentioned in Code.) Why spend 50% more on wiring for literally no benefit?
"It's almost like the manufacturers designed the hair dryer to be at the maximum rating of a 15-amp receptacle" Of course, that is exactly what they did. Appliances are designed to be usable on common circuits. As for others, Canadian code stipulates that microwave should be on 20 amp AFCI protected circuit
@@dmitripogosian5084 Too bad my sarcasm didn't translate well in writing. But yes, that is absolutely why they did it. When I was a kid, I remember hair dryers were rated 1920 watts, which by sheer coincidence is the same as 80% of a 20 amp circuit...
I love your outlet videos. They helped me pick out the best (at least at the time) USB-C outlets that I still use in my living room and bedroom for my devices.
the simple answer is that a 15 amp device with the proper plug type installed can't draw enough amps to overload the circuit. Remember the breaker is there to protect the wiring within the building not the device plugged into the outlet.
Technically you should not feed a 15 amp recptacle with a 20a breaker. Although his point is well taken, a 15a receptacle, cord and device could, in the event of a short circuit, pull more current thru those devices than they are designed to handle. This could result in a greater chance of deadly shock or fire. Best to keep apples with apples so as not confuse or endangef someone else who may come in behind you.
@@slipstreamvids7422 that's really not correct; most if not all 15 amp outlets are designed and tested to handle 20 amps of pass thru current. It's the contacts that are only designed for the 15 amps. it's a common practice ( in fact code) to wire two 20 amp circuits for kitchen outlets and install 15 amp outlets on those runs. Code allows this so that the circuit can allow many 15 amp devices plugged into each of those outlets to be drawing power from that 20 amp breaker. The 20 amp breaker combined with the proper wire size will take care of any overcurrent condition that might take place at the outlets.
🇨🇦 Electrician weighing in: I’ve always used the commercial spec grade outlets in kitchen areas, same with back when we used to do split receptacles. Lower resistance connection points which results in less heat especially for the heavy counter top loads running at or near 1500W. Well worth the extra $ in terms of user experience, safety and device longevity.
We just switched up to 20 amp outlets every single time. We don’t build track or spec-trac homes, so it’s easier to explain a several hundred dollar upgrade to a buyer.
@@thehimself4056 Multiple 20A outlets (NEMA 5-20s) on a circuit is NOT a good call. The few exceptions I can think of are very specific use cases like a workshop where you need devices to be mobile and then only when folks are informed to never have more than 1 20A device in operation on any outlet on that circuit. I can't tell if you mean you use NEMA 5-20s (the 20A receptacle) instead of NEMA 5-15s (the 15A receptacle) (BAD CALL) or if you mean you swap to commercial grade NEMA 5-15 outlets instead of residential every time (GOOD CALL).
@@stevefifield1207 Yes. The latter of the two. No way I would put the real 20A outlets throughout. Lol. For reasons you know. But I have found it to eliminate the pesky house calls for broken plastic cheapo .99 cent ones.
I'd go one step better and install unbreakable face 15A commercial grade receptacles for a kitchen counter, (except for the GFI, which I'd try to install away from the counter.) You never know how frequently portable loads like coffemakers and tabletop cookers will be removed and be reconnected. The physical stress to the bodies from cord-yankers is at least as much as to the contacts.
One thing you failed to mention is that all of the commercial grade outlets you featured have a bonding jumper that holds the bottom screw in place. This is very handy if you use or encounter metal boxes because you can eliminate the need for a separate ground wire to bond the outlet with the box. Both screws on the cheap outlets are held in place with a piece of cardboard and should only be used on plastic boxes where it doesn't matter.
I would politely disagree. I am not an certified electrician but have worked with electricity for many years. On an outlet that I didn’t install in my house someone didn’t use a ground wire on the outlet and relied on the mounting screw for ground and was not fully tightened. For some reason the outlet shorted and tried to use the screw for ground. With that screw being so small and not a good connection it caused resistance which caused heat. As we all know with electricity once a connection gets hot the resistance goes up which causes the connection to get hotter still, it’s a self feeding cycle. The result was the vinyl face plate catching fire. Thankfully it was on drywall and not wood paneling. If the socket would have been grounded with a wire it probably would have tripped the circuit breaker. After that I always bond any sockets or switches to the ground wire and the box if it’s metal. Just my experience with it. 😮😮
Commercial Sparky, here, and we never rely on that bonding jumper. It's Pigtails all the way, Baby. We also don't use those "Stab-Lok" connections on the back, to turn the 15A Receptacle into a fuse on a 20A circuit by _making the receptacle the splice!_.
Additional information: As stated, you can put 15A outlets on a 20A circuit provided there's more than one outlet on that circuit. The code also specifically states that the double outlets, such as the ones he was taking apart, count as 2, so they count as more than one outlet. The outlets that count as only 1 outlet are the round ones with only a single set of holes in them and no other outlets on the circuit. This is usually only done on a dedicated outlet for a high amperage device, such as a window air conditioner or a large air compressor.
Agreed. Also note that most kitchens and baths require 20A circuits, yet use 15A receptacles. The idea is to limit what any one device may draw (15A, ~1800W), yet permit the circuit to handle 20A (~2400W)... mainly in case two devices are running at the same time on that same circuit and realizing those single devices would rarely, if ever, draw a full load of 15A each. 20A is typically plenty to handle a couple lower draw devices.
Manufactured homes that I've seen use 14 gauge wire for most of the wireing. To make things more interesting they daisy chain plug to plug with back stab 15 amp plugs. After your video I looked at one of my plugs and it had gotten hit enough that it melted the plastic in the back and the wires got hot enough that I had to cut off more than an inch just so I could strip the wire! I'm replacing ALL my plugs in the house. Have found 2 more not plugs
at one time not too long ago, kitchens counter outlets were wired with a split 15a outlet on a 15 amp circuit. I guess the rationale being that kitchen counters are prone to being overloaded with appliances. That was changed in the past 15 years or so to install 20a (non split) outlet on a 20 amp circuit. That's the most common place I've seen 20a outlets.
@@joseph7105 some air fryers require a 20 amp circuit. But that's not why kitchen outlets were changed to 20 amp. It's because people would plug in multiple items to the outlet at the same time. For example if you had a toaster, kettle and blender going at the same time on the same circuit. That's why the outlets used to be split. Now they are 20 amp.
Another good vid. I have not been able to find commercial grade Decora-style receptacles. I buy the ones from Eaton. They are priced like commercial grade, but don't have back-wire capability, for example. Perhaps a video teardown comparing Decora-style receptacles would interest your viewers, since that style is so popular these days.
Good video, I liked the outlet comparison. I have rewired quite a bit of our house, and have dropped more than a few 12/2 20 amp circuits, and have used the better quality Leviton 15 amp outlets, around $3 ea. I really do not operate anything in the house that would require commercial grade 20 amp outlets. Out in the garage, now that is a different story, commercial grade outlets there, on their own sub panel that I also installed.
@@firebird77clonefirebird89 I have lost one to many freezer loads of food to those things, you can have them. I have lived 58 years without them and am still here. My grandparents went even longer.
One thing I've noticed here in Canada is that the 120 volt, 20 amp receptacles of 40 years ago could only take 20 amp appliances plugged into them (the neutral slot was horizontal). Nowadays, the 20 amp receptacles have a "T" - shaped neutral, allowing for the connection of both 15 amp and 20 amp plugs.
Correct they changed things to be similar to the NEC way of doing things back in the 90's and a good thing they did as it allows more flexibility now with what you can plug in and where. The 20A 240v version in Canada are the same now as well, they will accept a 15 OR 20A 240v plug.
This may also be a side effect of older allowances or NEMA 1 (120v) and 2 (240v) outlets. When we did some renovations on an older house we had, there we 2 prong receptacles where both terminals had unpolarized "T" shaped slots, which could allow someone to plug in 15A and 20A devices at 120v, but ALSO allow someone to attempt a 220v device as well. It was a little unsettling because it also told us that the opposite situation could also exist, where a 220v circuit allowed 120v devices to be plugged into it.
@@REWYRED very interesting. You have to wonder if Canada changed the code regarding 15 and 20 amp receptacles to be more competitive with the US regarding importing goods. Because here in the US, 120V/20A plugs are rare, most equipment drawing currents higher than 15A are designed for 240V-15A or more.
@@ghammer9773 Yes, I've seen those T slot two prong outlets, the one's I came across were polarized although I would not assume the wider slot was the neutral, like is required in modern practice. Had the rating of 125V-15A/250V-10A. Particularly during the roaring 20s, when most cities and suburbs had electricity for the first time and a wide variety of electrical gadgets hit the market, there were two versions of 120V plugs, the horizontal prongs and vertical prongs, before the NEMA standards were widely adopted across the board both versions were used interchangeably with 120 and 240 volts and the end user had to know what voltage was being supplied before plugging in lamps and appliances.
@@Sparky-ww5re 20A plugs are rare on appliances here as well but they do exist... Not so much for resi applications but where I work, in a hospital 20A straight blade plugs both of the 120V and 240V configuration exist and are pretty common... Dialysis machines and some I.T. equipment are some I can think of that have 20A plugs. I think they adopted 20A circuits for kitchens and the respective receptacle because it's cheaper to GFI protect a 20A circuit vs a traditional 15A "split". And being Canada we are not allowed to put a 15A device on a 20A circuit........ Even though we all know nothing bad will likely happen.
Thanks for the great videos! Very informative! I'm no professional by any means. However I have always done all home and appliance repairs myself. Videos like yours have been very helpful. I appreciate the time you take to produce these videos! Thanks again!
@@markevans4645 the reason you hire a professional is because in some states if someone dies due to your electrical negligence you would be charged with involuntary manslaughter.
@@davealexander7930 you have a point...but..are you saying professionals don't make mistakes? Because I know for a fact they do...that's why I repair my own no matter what it is I can fix it and I'm sure as hell not gonna sue myself! Lol
Another common appliance with a 120 volt 20 amp plug, is a professional grade treadmill. In the kitchen, sometimes you see then on a professional grade toaster oven or heavy duty microwave oven. It's with noting that whenever an appliance or piece of equipment comes from the factory with a 20 amp plug on It's power cord, that means it draws more than 15A and close to 20A. It will probably mention in the instruction manual that the product is for use on individual branch circuit only, and technically you are required to follow the manufacturer's instructions on any product with a UL listing or a listing from another Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) . That said, most times 20 amp receptacles are installed so the occupants can tell at a glance it's a 20 amp circuit.
Alot of what you said is correct, but a product with a 20 amp plug does not mean that it draws close to 20 amps. 16 amps would be the maximum recommended. Anything more would require a 30 amp 240v circuit, which would give a 24 amp safe maximum. It could also have a 20 amp 240v plug which would require only half the current for the same power (watts). I have a stovetop range that came a 20 amp plug and is rated as 1630 watts or 13.6 amps. I verified this with a clamp meter. It requires a dedicated circuit as you mentioned. Some other products could use more power, but not more than 16 amps or 1920 watts. The safe maximum is based on 80% of the circuit rating and only applies for a continuous load (3 hours or more).
Appliance ratings are misleading. My vitamix (vm0197) blender is rated for 11.5 amps. It never actually draws that though. In fact, the current draw only gets close to that when the blender starts generating lots heat from an excessive amount of work which requires more energy for it operate. So in other words, I'd have to turn the speed dial up to 10 and put to full trays of ice in the carafe and let it go for 5 minutes before it even got close to drawing that much current.
to make things perfectly clear, receptalces have two ratings: they have a device rating and they have a feed-through rating. nearly all receptacles with a 15 amp device rating have a 20 amp feed through rating. the ones that don't are the ones that don't have screw terminals. those shouldn't be used on a 20 amp circuit, and more conscientious electricians believe they shouldn't be used at all.
I agree that they shouldn't exist at all.. My mobile home had those and they were awful. Several were breaking apart physically at 22 years of age. God knows how long they were broken for. I replaced them all with spec grade parts and used pigtails instead of using the receptacle as a junction point. As a result, the lights don't go dim when using a vacuum cleaner now, when it did before. Big improvement. Those cheap parts were awful. My question is for what? To save 30 or 40 dollars on the cost of building an entire home? Even if it were a couple hundred, I feel it's not worth sacrificing the quality in my opinion.
@@mikeholmstrom1899 yeah! It was really bad. That's the way mobile homes are built. As cheaply and quickly as possible, with little concern for quality.
@@Krankie_V If it was made by Fleetwood, my brother would call it "Fleetshit". Close the door and the whole wall moves. I would guess the high line ones didn't have that issue.
The 15amp. Rating is because of the nema configuration , the gauge of the conductors inside is.the same as a 20amp outlet,it's the configuration that determines the amperage.
One seemingly minor problem with the several commercial or heavy duty grade outlets you recommend that people use instead of residential grade ones is the center nut that you install the faceplate bolt into. On all the commercial or heavy duty grade outlets I've seen, they're not very strong and if you overtighten the bolt even a little, the "tube" that the nut is attached to that secures it to the backplate of of the outlet breaks off and now there's nothing to secure that bolt. Yet for some reason they're more secure on the residential outlets I've seen. Now if you're only looking to attach a standard faceplate to the outlet then that's not a big problem, just go easy and it should be fine, just a few inch-pounds should do it. But if you're attaching an outlet extender, the sort that have 4, 5, 6 or more outlets on them and maybe some USB ports, that are often the best way to connect more than a couple of devices to mains power, then you're going to need to tighten that down some more to secure it, since they're much heavier and bulkier than faceplates, and these higher-end outlets can't seem to handle that. Any suggestions? Are there commercial or heavy duty grade outlets that can handle being tightened more than to faceplate spec? Sure, you can use a power strip instead of a plug-in outlet extender, but they're not always practical or feasible.
5:06 The receptacle in the middle is NOT just like the 5-20 on the right, the one in the middle is using the 'T' configuration grip on BOTH sides. So even the 5-20 had some cost-cutting measures done, once they designed a grip that was only for the vertical blade.
I think the outlet in the middle is the cost cut model. It is cheaper to make 1000 pieces of one part than it is to make 500 of one part and then 500 of another. Using the T grip on both sides of both 15 and 20 amp outlets allows the manufacturer to shut down the machine that makes the vertical grip. And the casting for both types is the same, The amount of brass saved is negligible. Standardizing as much as possible saves production.
@@scottbc31h22 possibly, however, I used to work at an injection molding plant, and they would haggle for material discounts as small as a penny a ton. And this was making milk caps, barely two to three ounces of plastic per cap.
What I see in new residential are mixed circuits, with ceiling lights sharing circuits with wall receptacles on 14 gauge wire ln long runs. Not an electrician myself, but as a renovator my clients are asking me to look at electrical problems as a side issue. Lots of arc fault breakers not playing nice with bathrooms
I love every time you open up outlets and show us the guts. I’ve been wondering since your last string of outlet videos if commercial grade 15-amp would be safe for 20-amp use. Thanks for anticipating my question and making such a great video! My practices for outlet replacement have been completely changed for the better by your videos.
No. Only a 20 amp receptacle on a 20 amp breaker, 15 amp receptacle on a 15 amp breaker. You could put a 15 amp receptacle on a 20 amp breaker, but why? Never the other way. Why? The gage of the wiring.
@@robertmacdonald8447 The answer to John's question is yes, it would be safe as the pass through amps are 20, but in reality it would never happen because the face plate on a 15 amp receptacle will only allow a 15 amp plug to be used. Tens of millions of 15 amp receptacles are safely and legally in service on 20 amp circuits in America. The only difference in the receptacles are the faceplate slot configurations.
You are obviously an encyclopedia of knowledge. Thanks for the great content. I'm installing an outdoor 15 amp GFCI on a 20 amp breaker, using a grounded metal box. This box will be attached to a "bridged" 2x4, attached beetween two joists wthin a soffit. My goal is to have the GFCI recepticle protruding flush (or slightly below) the soffit, followed by a waterproof housing. Can you advise how high to place my 2x4 inside the soffit to meet my need?
Love your videos... I do applications for an x-ray company and our products are 20amp plugs... Even the lower energy systems (2.4kW). But we almost always have to use that little converter for small clinics and stuff. I have 3 in my bag.
Are you saying that you use adapters to run your devices that can draw 20 amps (they have 20 amp plugs) on circuits designed to only provide 15 amps (14g wire and a 15a breaker)? That seems like a bad idea.
@@learnMax no, the system can and does run in 15 amps, but the factory saves money by using the same 20 amp plug on every model. But even for the bigger unit, it comes in 2 pieces, running a monitor cart only requires 15amps but if the other part is connected, then the 20amp is necessary.
@@TheOldBlackCrow I wonder if they factored in that you'd have to put in an adapter when they "saved money" by using the wrong plug on the 15 amp models.
@@learnMax that's a reasonable point but they are actually trying to keep with code compliance in the States.... So I guess it's not just about saving money. The vast majority of small clinics that buy the system in the US are too cheap to hire an electrician to put in a proper outlet, let alone the correct amperage at the breaker box. Since electrical code for medical facilities (for *most* local governments) do specify that there should be at least one 20amp outlet /breaker in each room, it's on the facility to upgrade their rooms and not for the company to comply with the facilities preference.
My wife and I just bought a house built in 1980, and it's getting really close to us needing to upgrade our electrical package to bring everything up to code. It's old enough where none of the outlets close to water sources are GFCI when they should be. I've added one to the hall bathroom, but have yet to do the same to the kitchen, and master bathroom. We have big plans to renovate part of the house, and that would most likely cover a full plumbing gut/replacement. Once we get to that point, in about 200 yrs, we'll do most of it in one shot, lol.
My house was built in 1971 and I don’t have GFCI’s in kitchen or bath but I do have them in damp locations. Just use common sense. No one ever shocked.
I just subscribed to your channel even though I learned electrical wiring when I was in the 9th grade and I'm 70. What I learned back then is so antiquated, I desperately need upgrading myself! 🤣 Seriously though, I have really enjoyed your video's and the new information you give me. Just from this video alone, I will never buy anything but commercial grade outlets from now on. Especially since the contractor was very cheap, and used 14ga. wire instead of 12ga., and wired the house himself instead of getting an electrician to do the work back in 1988. Just back in June of this year that cost me and my wife over $2300 to have the electrical panel replaced by a professional electrical company. That fixed more problems we were having than I can count. The old panel had several breakers that were not connecting because the connection strip was burned out!
As a retired electronic and electrical eng.. Yes you can (not a biggy) circuit should break if you overload just be careful in the kitchen and bathroom. Wiring is the key also look how easy you can reset your circuit braker.
I implore electricians to also pay attention to how and where the NM cable (aka ROMEX) is being used. Example, I have seen ROMEX run through an open attic where the summer temperatures are 140 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, not including the temperature of the wire. In short, pay attention to NEC article 334 (NM cable) and table 310-15 for ampacity. I typically downsize my breaker to a 15A with 12Awg NM-B (ROMEX) in hot attic situations. I have not had customers complain about tripping breakers by doing it this way. If a circuit requires a 20A breaker or outlet, and running through a hot attic, consider running dedicated circuits with NEMA 5-20 receptacles. Note, it is an easy up-sell for an attic or gable fan in these situations. $$ Follow the NEC, but sprinkle some common sense in there too. 😊
If I run 12/2, I use 20A outlets. That way, I have the extra capability if needed, and it's easy to identify the circuit capacity. I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't just go with the full boat if it's available.
Honestly it's probably almost allways due to cost especially when it's basically unnecessary in the living space of a residential house where almost nothing we use is going to even draw close to 20 amps and so installing a bunch of 15-amp outlets is fine. Not only that, unless everything else is off on the circuit, you won't be capable of drawing 20 amps anyways, so there's that.
@@scottbitz5222 True. My problem isn't from a single outlet, rather from multiple appliances on the same 20 A circuit in the kitchen, like an Air Fryer (12 A) and Microwave (12 A). Using both trips the breaker (a good test), so have to plug them into different circuits. Fortunately, code requires at least 2 circuits to kitchen outlets.
I love your videos. I am now a new subscriber. I just purchased an older home that needs several upgrades. I ran across you videos that are easy to follow and very understandable. Thanks. I will hit the notified bell to see more of your videos. Again, Thanks.
Two quick things from an electrician: 1. Take the time to find the amperage on everything you plug in and be aware not to use multiple high-amperage items at the same time on the same circuit. 2. I appreciate the research and presentation of this channel. Good job.
Yeah no one is doing that. You think a 25 year old women is going to calculate the amperage and total load on everything in the house that they will plug into each outlet? It's not even realistic to say something like that. Anyone that would even think along those lines, would intuitively know how much you can plug into each receptacle. The way people learn this is by resetting the breaker three times before figuring it out. All this new practice does is make it more dangerous while you are learning by trial and error.
@@msromike123 you mean YOU'RE not doing that and you have a very low opinion of women. It's very simple but I see it's too hard for you to add single digit numbers. Everyone I told this to instantly understood and don't trip any breakers anymore.
I prefer using commercial grade receptacles as well but don't necessarily see the need for 20A receptacles throughout the house. However, it' s really tough to find Decora style commercial grade 15A receptacles that are tamper resistant as code dictates for living spaces.
Back when I was a kid, My Grandma had Time Life Books for the basics of different trades. I read the electrical cover to cover, multiple times. Then I would ride my bike to the library and get all I could find about electrical.
I’ve found that 15 amp GFCI outlets are sensitive at the upper limit. The electrical contractor installed all 15 amp outlets with GFCI protection at an industrial facility that used pumps and power tools. I finally had to draw a picture of a 20 amp outlet, so they could install the correct outlets for my people could use power tools to do their job.
3:25 "For an extra dollar or $1.50 per outlet it's worth it." I agree. What most people don't get is that $1.50 per outlet more is a 500%+ increase from 30 cents to over $2.00 per outlet for commercial grade. That adds up fast when you wire a neighborhood.
For the safety involved, I'd go with the stronger receptacle. How many outlets are there in a 2br/2ba house? Even if you were wiring up 100 outlets, that is only a $150 increase in cost. In the United states Electricians start at $50 per hour. So for roughly 3 hours of an electrician's work you get a much safer outlet setup.
"That adds up fast when you wire a neighborhood" You are wiring up a house per customer and should factor in the costs per house not by the neighborhood since very few neighborhoods would need all brand new outlets in every house at the same time! Squabbling over $2 per outlet when the cost for a house that burned down will be way more than the outlets! There was a house down the street from me a few years ago that around 2am burned to the ground, they figured out the cause was a ceiling lamp whose power wire plugged into the wall outlet behind a hideabed, and that one of the children folded the thing up at bed time and accidentally caught that lamp cord in the mechanism of the folding bed, they all went upstairs to bed and around 2 am the cord which was caught in the mechanism started the fire in the foam/upholstery. They had NO smoke alarms, and walls were open for renovation, so insulation was all exposed. Mom and 3 children never made it out "Family members sat in their cars close by as fire trucks continued to put out hot spots. Firefighters say a ceiling lamp cord caught fire, after being jammed inside a pull out couch. "They dug long enough to where they finally found it. And unfortunately it had put an overload on two plug-ins and that got the wall on fire."
@@HobbyOrganist For a lot of neighborhoods, all of the houses were built by a single developer. Building every thing just to code (no more and no less) allows them to price competitively while maximiIng profit. The consumer assumes that the local building codes are satisfactory and the homes were all built to code. Taking the cheapest route for receptacles might only save the developer a few thousand for the whole development but going the cheapest route on everything adds up. To my thinking, if those low price outlets pose a danger, that should be regulated at the point of code/inspection rather than leaving it up to the discretion of the builder.
That would imply that they also put 20amp 220v covers on that hardware. The production line builds three varietions of receptacles simply by changing out the covers.
Yep, each brand handles it a bit differently but you can get an outlet with "guts" made for a much more demanding application if you play it right. I was a bit surprised to see the design change to the 15 Amp since the last time I opened one up.
Greetings Folks - Remember, multiple receptacles include "Duplex" receptacles which are (2) receptacles on a single yoke or strap. Also, the use of the term "outlet" for the device is incorrect based on the definition of devices and outlets. The "outlet" is the point where you would install the device, such as in an "outlet" box.
That's pretty petty. If you want to get technical, Ford motor company general motors are misnamed because the vehicles run on engines not motors. A motorcycle should be called an engine cycle according to your logic. The electric receptacles in American homes are called outlets, and that's what they are.
@@davedammitt7691 it's not Petty...its in the NEC. Now, your reference to General Motors is NOT the same and is quite petty in itself to compare the two. If you don't desire to learn, turn off the computer.
@@davedammitt7691 If you were in a position in your job that you do electrical design or installation for a company, you would know what he is talking about. For us that do, it is extremely important to know and use words and terms correctly because not doing that can cause non compliant installs, sometimes very very expensive re-work. For someone like you that has nothing to do with electrical work, it may seem petty.
5:10 that older 15 uncovered is definitely different than the new 20. That older one looks like it might be 5-20R or 5-20P ready. The horizontal is on both side.
The funny thing is I've taken apart 15 amp plugs in 20 amp plugs. There is no difference internally it really depends on the grade and quality of the plug. Commercial plugs or more expensive and are made to be used over and over.
Of course, it shouldn't be a hazard to put a 15A receptacle on a 20A circuit. A 15A outlet means that you can't plug a 20A device into it, In other words unless you are deliberately trying to overload the receptacle (e.g. with power strips that have the circuit breakers defeated), the outlet will be limiting you to a 15A load. There's never a problem using a smaller load than the circuit is rated for. The only theoretical way that this could be a problem would be if the receptacle would be wired in series with a higher current load. For example, the hot line into the receptacle, and its neutral line going to the hot side of another device. This could cause more than 15A to flow through the receptacle. But that kind of wiring would massively violate code and be practically useless (because a device would have to be plugged into the receptacle for the downstream device to have any power). The way circuits are actually wired (in parallel), means that the load carried by a receptacle is not affected loads elsewhere on that circuit. So no problem.
What if I plug two 9.5A devices into each socket of a 15A twin outlet? If the outlet is on a 15A breaker, the breaker will trip. If it's on a 20A breaker, the outlet will be overloaded without tripping the breaker.
Very good explanation and helpful. Though I have a modern breaker panel (2005) for my condo, the main breaker is only 125 amps, so it would be extremely expensive for me to upgrade for an electric car for a Level 2 charger. But for me, my charging needs are minimal and I have considered instead upgrading a 15 amp style outlet that is on a 20 amp circuit in my garage to a 20 amp outlet that can handle a special adapter that Tesla has optionally available to allow their cars to charge at a 15 amp (3/4 capacity draw) instead at the usual 12 amp draw used for a 120 volt circuit. This would allow the car to charge at a 6 miles per hour recharge instead of 4 miles per hour. So, this is another scenario outside of a window AC or jackhammer that would be able to take advantage of a 20 amp outlet. In any case, even if I decide to charge at the lower default power draw, I think that upgrading to a commercial grade outlet for an EV might be wise for anyone using a 120 volt circuit.
Since code allows 15A receptacles on a 20A circuit, at least the part of the outlet that transfers power through the daisy chaining must support 20A. As you found in looking at the internals, the only thing that is really 15A is the plug configuration blocks the 20A plug. Having seen an outlet that failed with sparks flying and nearly lost the building to another similar failure, the weak point seems to be the connection of the internal wiring ot the receptacle. In the cases where we had problems, they used the cheap backstabbing method in an ocean-front property prone to rust, which was a recipe for disaster. Likewise, when using the screw terminals, be sure they're really tight. (Disclaimer: I'm not an electrician; if you are and I said something wrong, please correct me.)
Using side screws is the best termination method on outlets. I go on a lot of service calls fixing backstabbed outlets and switches. Source: service electrician.
A Harvest Right Freeze Dryer is required a dedicated 20 amp circuit. When I shop for an electrician, what should I ask them, and what should I watch out for? I subbed and rang that bell.
thank you for the info i had a feeling that the house i bought had the wrong outlets for the washer and dryer they both had a 15 amp outlet and it was on a 20 amp breaker and it was the only thing on the breaker the washer and dryer have their own breakers so i was thinking that can't be safe so i upgraded them to the 20 amp outlet found your video very helpful im looking at the books now thank you for all the help
Another major negative for using a 20 Amp Adapter is that it only adds to the risk of overheating in two ways. The contacts will have some resistive properties with some heat being produced. The Adapter will also extend out, adding weight; increasing the chances of it coming loose during operation.
It can also be bad if you also consider an extension cord. Some extension cords, even some that are tough-looking, actually only have 16AWG wires or even 18AWG, especially ones with NEMA 5-15 receptacles. There's now a possibility of even more current being passed through this extension cord before the 20A circuit breaker trips instead of the earlier tripping point for a 15A breaker. Imagine what'll happen if the 20A adapter is then plugged into such an underrated extension cord
You will be my preferred reference to this information. I like everything about the way you present this information to knuckleheads like myself. Thank you for clear, concise delivery of the things I need to know.
actually, the most common wiring technique uses mostly 15 amp circuits for receptacles, and then when the homeowner has trouble with the breaker tripping when they try to use their Hoover Wind Tunnel Vacuum, they ask a handyman to fix it and he bootlegs in a 20 amp breaker.
Wow, I've never known that you could tell a 15 amp receptacle from a 20 by visual inspection and I never knew why some outlets have that T-shaped hole for one prong. Thanks!
While its allowed by code to use 15amp receptacles the code also says that the maximum cord connected load cannot exceed 12 amps so knowing what people sometimes do its best practice to use a 20 amp receptacle on 20 amp circuits.
Exactly why I think code is incorrect in this scenario. Yeah it is safe for the vast majority of cases but there are edge cases where it might not be. You can't expect a homeowner to even think about calculating the load much less actually doing it. It is such a tiny amount of savings on a new home, I think it is just not worth the degradation in safety. If the builder even saves $50 per house by putting 15A receptacles on 20a circuits I would be surprised.
It's odd that people who question using a 15A receptacle on a 20A line or multiple 20A receptacles on a 20A line never seem to question using multiple 15A receptacles on a 15A line, despite it happening all over their house ... the underlying concepts and restrictions remain the same: Pay attention to both single and total load.
The reason is perhaps 15 amp is a catch all case, which mostly powers low power devices in your house. While if you think of 20 amp circuit, you think about a particular device that requires it, for which 15 is not enough. And after that device is plugged in, there is not much spare capacity left. So with 20 amp you are more often in a situation when only one device can be powered.
I asked the same thing but some one just explained it to me. The reason actually makes sense. 15A plugs are on all sorts of devices. Those devices may use 12A, they may use 3A, they may use 0.5A, they may use 0.01A. 20A plugs, on the other hand, are almost exclusively used on devices that are going to be pulling more power than a 15A plug is rated for or else they would have just been made with a 15A plug to begin with. That's why it's different using multiple 20A outlets VS multiple 15A outlets. I've watched like 5 videos on this topic so far and none of them really explained this which left me puzzled but it all makes sense now.
@@KevinCoop1 No as I don't own any 20-amp cord devices. A 20 A cord should definitely be of larger gauge if that's what you're asking since it obviously needs to be able to handle a higher current (20A instead of 15A).
I SAW ANOTHER OF YOUR VIDEOS EXPLAINING SOMETHING ABOUT OUTLETS AND RIGHT OF WAY I SUBSCRIBED. I LIKE THE INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM YOUR VIDEOS. I DO HAVE A PLAN FOR A FUTURE ADD ON OUTLESTS IN MY SON'S SHOP AND YOUR VIDEO INFO AS BEEN ON POINT.
I know a guy who put 15 amp receptacles on a 20 amp breaker and 19 people were killed. They were swept away by an avalanche, but I believe it was caused by the wiring.
Thankyou for the book recommendation, sir! I shamefully admit I have scrolled past your channel quite a few times. Been picking away at some of your videos and I dont subscribe very often, however, earned my sub 🙏
When I see a 15-amp outlet, I assume 15-amp circuit and breaker. When I see a 20-amp outlet, I assume 20-amp circuit and breaker. If I ever wanted to upgrade a 15-amp outlet on a 20-amp circuit, I would have to trace the wire back to the panel to make sure it's 12 gauge the entire run, or assume that the entire run is 12 gauge if it terminates at a 20-amp breaker. The cost difference is not that great in the long run to not just simply use 20-amp outlets on a 20-amp circuit. Personally, I prefer knowing what I see is what I get. ;)
I like it the same way, guess we have something in common;) In a home or apartment equipment with 120 volt, 20 amp plug are rarely encountered. The few times they are, they are typical on commercial or professional grade kitchen countertop appliances, such as microwave ovens, toaster ovens, and expresso machines, like the style you'd find in a restaurant or café. Because such devices pull large currents, they usually will require it's own circuit, so when you walk into a kitchen and see 20 amp outlets along the countertop, for example, that's often done so the occupants can see they have a 20 amp circuit at a glance. That's how I'd build my own home.
@@dracula3811 - you're most likely right. Without opening up each outlet and tracing the circuit back to the panel, better to go to your panel, find the kitchen breaker, and verify that it's 20 amps. Better still to remove the panel cover and verify that the wire it's attached to is 20 amps. In fact, our electrician DID put all 15-amp outlets in our kitchen on 20-amp circuits.
I've seen too many non-inspected DYI electrical modifications to assume anything. Here's a good one. House was wired with 30-amp 220v (correctly on 10-gauge wire) going to the garage on a 30-amp breaker. At the garage, the sub-panel had been removed (why?) and the two hot feeding legs had been split into two 110v circuits on a shared neutral (no breakers). One leg was populated with 20-amp outlets and the other 15-amp outlets and misc garage lighting. But the 220v breaker in the main panel had never been changed. Ouch! One garage leg had shorted out internally and was flipping the breaker intermittently when the ground was intact, but otherwise buzzing!
Add a 20 amp Uninterruptable Power Supply to the list of possible 20 amp devices. Or in a modern home wherever your AV/networking rack or nice computers are. The electrician upgraded some receptacles on the already 20 amp circuits to handle the 20 amp plugs.
We have none of this nonsense in the UK where all our wall sockets (or plugs as called colloquially) are concerned. Ring mains in domestic premisses with a 30 amp fuse (or 32a MCB) in the fusebox with each appliance plug containing it's own dedicated cartridge fuse max 13 amp. There is no limit on the amount of sockets we can wire onto an individual ring main (max100 sq m floor area) though the maximum load at any one time shouldn't exceed 7,500 watts i.e. 30 amps. Current regulations require separate ring mains for up/down stairs with a separate ring for the kitchen.
@@JimYeats More than likely he’s like me, and has long, thick eyelashes. Girls in school used to accuse me of wearing whatever makeup it is they use on them, then hated me when they realized they’re 100% natural (“It’s not fair!”). They really started standing out when I started shaving my head 20+ years ago. It was a pain when I wore hard gas permeable contact lenses; the lenses would stick to or get tangled in my lashes when I removed them. But now I find they’re a real plus in dusty environments, kind of like a filter.
You can always breaker down relative to wire size and outlet rating. Personally I would use a 15 amp breaker with awg12 wire and 15amp outlet, regardless of the number of outlets on the circuit. Only time I use awg 14 is for a ceiling light or dedicated outlet for a refrigerator.
@@KevinCoop1 NEC compliance - you can ALWAYS breaker down for a given wire size and outlet. NEC states maximum breaker size, not minimum for safety reasons. Heck, you can put a single outlet on a single circuit on a single breaker if you wanted. But panel might have 100 breakers in it... You just cannot 'put a penny in it when you keep blowing fuses' scenario.
Then your breaker may commence tripping for no good reason. There’s a lot of margin built into the code. Common 15A rated 14-2 will actually endure 30A no problem even in a fiberglass insulated wall and passing through wooden studs. 12-2 likely good for 33% more, so 40A easy. Point being the margin that is built-in. Never actually load over rated circuit capacity though. Copper ain’t cheap.
@@Blake4Truth I saw a chart one time that showed how many amps a wire was rated for. You can overload wire depending on the amps over time. I think 14/2 was rated 20 amps for 2 hours. Or 15 amps continuously. IMHO it is not worth the risk to over-breaker outlets. People are insane and will plug in far too much on the same circuit.
@@crazysquirrel9425 Rated means huge factor of safety. That’s what you’re missing. Wire is also rated for temperature at rated ampacity. It’s all already covered. You never need a 15A breaker on a 14-2 circuit.
The plugs on the power cords of tools and appliances are rated for 125% of their ampacity for safety. If you do the math it means that the appliance or tool will not load the circuit by more than 80% when running. On a 15 amp circuit that's 12 amps or 1440 watts and on a 20 amp circuit that's 16 amps. A 15 amp plug is used on everything from a few milliamps to a maximum of 12 amps. A 20 amp plug indicates a current draw of something like 14 to 16 amps. 20 amp plugs are rare and you'd be hard pressed to find equipment with that. What's more is that because of the high current draw this equipment will likely require or at least recommend a dedicated circuit which means only a simplex (single) receptacle would be permitted, not a duplex. You could make the inference that a 20 amp duplex receptacle is never required, but just an option for a 20 amp circuit. So, as long as you avoid residential grade 15 amp receptacles, there's no difference between 15 amp and 20 amp receptacles internally, as Scott pointed out. Keep in mind, it's the wire gauge that determines the circuit rating, not the receptacle. This is in the US for 120v circuits, Canada has different rules. BTW, you can find appliances such as hair dryers for example that have a standard 15 amp plug, but advertise 1800 or 1875 watt output. That could be a momentary upon start up load and/or simple marketing pitch. As you know the circuit breaker takes into account the accumulated load from all appliances on that circuit and can exceed the safety margins and if the load is high enough, it should trip if it exceeds its actual rating and becomes overloaded, it's usually not immediate unless it's a dead short. Anyway, whether the receptacle is 15 or 20 amp would make no difference. Edit: There is an exception. In a 20 amp multi wire branch circuit or a split receptacle with 2 completely separate circuits that have no receptacles upstream (dedicated circuits) then I believe that a 20 amp duplex receptacle must be used.
Appreciate the video. Very helpful. Question: A 15 amp outlet Does the top handle 15 amps. And the bottom 15amps? Or is it a toral combined 15 amps. Thanks.
this is all good in the US... but here in Canada due to $ difference.. a standard outlet is about $380 at Home Depot... The pro versions run around $8 each. Can get a bit costly when you need a lot of them.
I use 20 amp commercial rated outlets in my house. Once in, I never have changed same one again. Those cheap ones that are 15 amp rated I don't use, plus they don't hold up either over time.
I used to deliver copiers. One day I was swapping out a machine with a 20 amp plug for another with the same. I unplugged the old copier and found they had twisted the horizontal prong to make it fit into the 15 amp outlet.
Fine, indeed 20A receptacles are quite rare. I made the mistake of spending $$$ for 20 A GFCI outlets on my 20 A circuits years ago, thinking required since they feed-thru to other outlets. In a remodel, I found that at least newer 15 A GFCI outlets have a stamped note "20 A for feed-thru". It is only the receptacle on the GFCI which is limited to 15 A.
The big problem with the converter plug is that people may use these with small gage extension cords. That can damage the tool or cause a fire when the cord heats up.
The reason why I still do not agree to put 15 amp outlets on 20 amp circuit breakers because if a appliance is drawing 17A on a 15 amp outlet on a 20 amp circuit, the breaker would not trip and the outlet will melt and possibly cause a fire, this has happened to me on a 15 amp outlet that was on a 20 amp circuit when I used to live in a apartment. Great video though!
That's incorrect. If the receptacle is in good condition it would not be the problem. A spec grade 15 amp receptacle is identical to a 20 amp receptacle internally. The connections and wire gauge and condition are problematic. If you're consistently drawing 17 amps on a 20 amp circuit with 12 gauge wire you need to have a 30 amp circuit with 10 gauge wire. There's an 80% safety margin for all wire, meaning 16 amps is the maximum here.
@@surferdude642 First of all, it was a old apartment and we cant just go in and modify the wiring. Second of all, i've seen 4 15A receptacles melt on a 20 amp circuit in my newly built home.
@@usipussi6647It sounds like you have a valid complaint to make to the builders and/or real estate agent. I would initially suspect some backstabbed receptacles. Does the home have AFCI breakers or receptacles?
No modern appliances that draw more than 15A would plug into a 15A outlet, because the neutral prong on their plug would be horizontal and not vertical. You could, however, exceed 15A total on a 15A outlet by plugging in two devices that combined drew more than 15A. This happens all the time, which is why I think it's fair to assume that properly made and UL-rated 15A outlets can handle well over 15A, even if it's not a good idea, because of how often this happens in the real world. For example, a typical space heater draws 1500W, which is 12A on a 125V circuit. Plug a 500W hot pot into it, which draws 4A, and you're up to 16A. This is even more likely if you attach an outlet extender or power strip and plug all sorts of devices into it. So I find it hard to believe that these things aren't intentionally overbuilt to handle such common scenarios.
Most people still misunderstand the point of the circuit breaker. It is NOT there to protect your devices or the outlet itself. You can see the outlet if it catches fire. The point of the circuit breakers is to protect the wires you can't see in the walls. Neither the wires nor the circuit breaker nor the outlet actually transmit current. The devices plugged or wired into a circuit take what they need. No more, no less. If a device only needs 15 amps it will only draw 15 amps even if plugged into a circuit capable of providing 100 amps. The circuit breaker simply limits the current that a device CAN draw to protect the wires from literally melting and catching for in your walls. That happened in my house when I was a little kid in the 80s in my parents house that still had a fuse box in the basement and sections of knob and tube circuits in the walls. Just one wire caught in the walls and the house was a total loss. We didn't lose everything but the house did have to be leveled and rebuilt.
We have a portable air conditioning with a 20amp (horizontal neutral prong) plug… we currently use the converter to plug into our standard 15amp receptacle. Can we change out the receptacle? The converter is bulky and does not provide a stable connection
It must be different where you are. Here a fifteen amp circuit has a fifteen amp breaker. And the cabling is 14 awg so there is a big difference. I am also older so maybe codes have changed. 🤗
Seems to me that what are now called 15 amp outlets were formerly considered 20 amp outlets, & that they can physically run 20 amps with no problem. & when I wired an addtion to my home, I used #10 wire from the breaker box to the outlet anyway.
I'm sorry, but the term outlet is already taken in the code book. It is in reference to any point in the wiring used to put a receptacle device, a switch decice, a luminaire, a smoke detector, etc. You will find in the older codes first requiring the bedroom "receptacles" to be AFCI protected, and then when expanded later, it read all Outlets to be AFCI protected. That meant everything in the bedroom. Now wiring in the bedroom walls was not included there if it had no "outlets" in the bedroom. A company may refer to a device as commercial grade, but there is no standard in the code book that differentiates Residential devices from commercial devices. It is onle the manufacturer that has made that determination. The thing to remember with a device rated 15 amps is that any equipment using that receptacle will also only be rated to use 12 amps maximum (80% of 15). If a device has the sideways prong, then that particular piece of equipment will take between 12 and 16 amps (80%of 20). Yes, you can buy the more expensive receptacles and switches, but as for myself, an electrician for 20 years and an electrical inspector for 20 years, I buy the cheapest Decora devices I can find. In my last house I had for 20 years after the remodel, not one device failed. Remember, these devices were not just thrown together, but had to meet certain safety criteria per UL standards. That being said, do not Ever use a device without a NRTL listing under any circumstances. Devices that are not listed are built to no standard except what the accountant thought was cheap enough to make a buck and fool the end user. In all my years as an electrical inspector, I learned one very valuable lesson. My opinion had nothing to do with it. It was the code and listing that dictated acceptance, not my opinion. I hope that there are some inspectors reading this that really look into the intent of the code and not a personal biased opinion. Call the manufacturer, UL, or any other National Recognized Testing Laboratory if you have a question. They would love to educate you as nobody can know everything unless they ask. Thank you.
maybe have someone update your previous videos with a pinned comment or edited description with your amazon shop... because I had a hard time finding it until I stumbled onto this video :-)
Question: so majority of appliances (refrigerators, ovens, stoves etc…) dont go over the 15A? During what scenario would a 20 A be appropriate, more than one appliance plugged into the outlet?
Residential refrigerators, and counter top appliances are not allowed to be manufactured to require a 20 amp cord and plug. Ovens, stoves etc are not counter top appliances. Those can be 30 to 60 amp 120/240 volt appliances. If you buy a commercial appliance like used in restaurants, many of those are 20 amp 120V. Those are typically on a dedicated circuit. Hope this helps you.
Key issue at the moment with most (all?) commercial grade, and the thing that makes both those receptacles you showed against code, is that they are not tamper resistant. TR is required for all 15 and 20 amp receptacles in residential.
TR is not required for all residential per NEC, but it’s pretty close. For example the garage door receptacle on the ceiling does not need to be TR. There are commercial grade TR, for Eaton look at TRBR20 or 15.
@@EverydayHomeRepairs You certainly should since it is 100% required by code in almost every area in residential and you don't want to be giving some code guidance while not discussing a part that will cause them to fail inspection if they don't have it. Was a issue when I was just rebuilding and rewiring my basement last year as I could not find any commercial grade outlets with TR (which is silly as there are a lot of commercial settings where they are required now). Flimsier consumer ones with no back wiring made it more painful to install and get flush (as for some reason all the leviton consumer ones sat too far back so I had to add the little bumpers to bring them out an 1/8th or so).
@@RJ-ej1nr Yeah, there are a few exceptions but for general audience videos like this it would probably be better for guidance just to assume TR and get them. Thanks for the heads up on Eaton ones. Not sure if I missed those or if they were released after I was looking for my project about a year and half ago, but I would have certainly liked those more than the leviton consumer grade ones I got.
I believe all electric boxes (used to connect devices) are called outlets or outlet boxes. The difference is you have specifically "lighting outlets" or "receptacle outlets" or others
If you use power tools, you gonna sometimes exceed 15 A on a outlet. I didnt know how similar they were electrically tho. That's probably a good idea because I would likely just look at the panel and say yeah 20 circuit. Good enough for this table saw. I would actually favor printing 15 A on the outside of those outlets. Can you tell without opening the thing?
The issue I run into is having an electric (oil) heater on a circuit, and also on it is a treadmill. Always pops the breaker - Set up as 15 amp, covering all outlets in the basement. Must be 15 plugs, no others under heavy load. I warn my family to turn off the heater before starting treadmill, or expect a walk to the breaker box. Considering running a separate 20 amp circuit to the work out area.
Great information! I’m in the process of checking all wiring on my outlets and switches since home builder electrician back stabbed most of them. I still don’t quite understand if you have a 15 amp outlet on 20 amp circuit will the outlet only ever draw a max of 15 amps? I don’t understand how outlet can limit the draw, or if that’s just a max rating on the outlet?
A typical cord cap/plug, the 2 blades are straight/parallel. That's a 15A configuration. A 20 amp configuration is where they're perpendicular, T shaped. If something is designed to draw more than 15 amps, it will have a 20 amp plug on the end of the cord and it will not fit into a 15 amp recep. The link between the two sides of a recep is rated for 20 amps, so on a 20 amp circuit the breaker will trip before any parts of the recep exceed their ratings.
Hi there!! First thanks for enlightening me on differences with 15a 20a receptacles and the wiring types and all. Very informative Quick question tho.. so when I plug in my vacuum in certain different sockets in my mobile home and the breaker kicks power off.. does that mean I have bad wiring is present somewhere or should I just purchase a new vacuum or call an electrician? The home is quite up in age as well as the vacuum and I’ve learned a lot from this video so if I do have to call electrician I can ATLEAST sound like a mechanic ha Any advice will be appreciated
It's easier if you think about the demand rather than the capacity. A 15 amp plug (the standard with 2 blades parallel) won't ever be wired to something that wants more than 15 amps. A 20 amp plug has blades perpendicular, hence the sideways slot in the outlet.
@7:11 - you stated that a higher current device could be connected as you still have a 20A breaker and 12 gauge wire on the 15A receipticals. My house was wired just two years ago and that's not the case. Most recepticals are on 15A dual function arc/ground fault breakers with 14/2 wiring (as are the lighting circuits, which are all LED lights). I wouldn't assume that 12/2 is run on a 20A breaker when I see a 15A rated receptical. The only place I have 20A w/ 12/2 is the kitchen, baths, and dedicated circuits (microwave and washing machine).
My Favorite 15 AMP Commercial Grade Outlet
Legrand (CRB5262): geni.us/q0k4D
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.
At 1:54 a few lines in the book above your finger it says "A duplex receptacle (with a space for two plugs) counts as two receptacles". This is an important detail for clarity that some viewers may not realize.
So you can have only one duplex 15 Amp outlet on a 20 Amp breaker as that counts as two receptacles.
@@leeoldershaw956
If you are running 15 amps continuously on a 20 amp wire the 20 amp wire will not get as warm because you are not tasking it to its limit. Safer that way.
The engine on regular cars and trucks can produce more horsepower than they do. They are made that way because they will last much longer if you do not task them to their limit. Race cars do and their engines are usually rebuilt after every long race or every time they run more than a certain amount of miles because of the stress that running to their limit causes on the engine.
See NEC 100 definitions. A single receptacle is a single plug only and it must be rated in accordance with its branch circuit. See NEC 210.21 for this. A two plug receptacle is a duplex receptacle or multiple receptacles sharing a single backstrap. The pass trough current on a 15 receptacle should be rated at 20 amps. Its possible to terminate multiple 15 amp receptacles on a 20 amp branch circuit. What is not so clear is using 20 amp receptacles on a 15 amp circuit. The 20 amp receptacle can handle the 15 amp load presented to it with ease and safety. If a 20 amp device attempts to draw 20 amps through said receptacle, the branch breaker will trip. The presence of a 20 amp receptacle on a 15 amp branch circuit is misleading as you can never get the full 20 amps. On the other hand, any device that has a nameplate rating exceeding 15 amps should be equipped with a 20 amp neutral spade which cannot plug into a 15 amp receptacle. But some branch circuits such as a mandated 20 amp kitchen counter branch circuit can have either receptacles. If you plug an electric jack hammer into your kitchen outlet with a 20 amp receptacle, it should be able to run fine as the branch circuit can provide the correct amount of amps.
So if the branch circuit has a 15 amp breaker, use only 15 amp devices. If the branch circuit has a 20 amp breaker, use either 15 or 20 amp devices knowing that you cannot plug in the heavy duty appliances without a spade adapter. Do not use a spade adapter on a 20 amp receptacle used on a 15 amp branch. Woun't burn you down but your whoopie will not run.
I agree with what you said. I only use commercial grade receptacles, mostly for the backwiring capability, but they also tend to have a larger plug cycle life.
When looking at the 15 vs 20 amp internals at 5:27 you can see that the hot side on the 20 amp is the same as both the hot and neutral on the 15 amp. The part that was removed from the previous model 15 amp would really only come into play when the connection is a horizonal prong. Since this isn't possible with a 15 amp receptacle, the part was probably only there so that both could be manufactured on the same line.
Same molds, different materials? Makes sense.
You really hit the nail on the head with this video. As a general rule, it is a waste of money to purchase 20-amp receptacles versus heavy duty 15-amp versions, especially given the innards are identical. The highest amperage device i have found is hair dryers, which are rated at 1875 watts. Divide that by the 125 volt nominal rating of receptacles and you get 15 amps. It's almost like the manufacturers designed the hair dryer to be at the maximum rating of a 15-amp receptacle.
As you showed, the reason NEMA specifies the perpendicular grounded terminal for 20-amp attachment plugs is so they can only be used on receptacles on 20-amp circuits and not potentially overload a 15-amp circuit.
An important point to make is that circuit breakers only protect the wiring, not the devices in use on the circuit. Ideally, all residential circuits would be wired with 12 awg wiring with 20-amp breakers, therefore making capacity moot. However, 12 awg wiring costs 50٪ more, uses more material, and is harder to work with than 14 awg. So, we're left with the compromise of 15 and 20-amp receptacles.
Related to this, I've learned it's better to wire dedicated circuits with 14 awg wiring when the device is rated 1440 watts or less, especially disposals, dishwashers, and air handlers. I also do this for refrigerators and microwaves/hoods when the inspector permits it (some think all kitchen circuits must be 20-amps, not just the two small appliance circuits mentioned in Code.) Why spend 50% more on wiring for literally no benefit?
"It's almost like the manufacturers designed the hair dryer to be at the maximum rating of a 15-amp receptacle" Of course, that is exactly what they did. Appliances are designed to be usable on common circuits. As for others, Canadian code stipulates that microwave should be on 20 amp AFCI protected circuit
@@dmitripogosian5084 Too bad my sarcasm didn't translate well in writing. But yes, that is absolutely why they did it. When I was a kid, I remember hair dryers were rated 1920 watts, which by sheer coincidence is the same as 80% of a 20 amp circuit...
I love your outlet videos. They helped me pick out the best (at least at the time) USB-C outlets that I still use in my living room and bedroom for my devices.
Thanks and I appreciate the support 👊
Which did you pick?
the simple answer is that a 15 amp device with the proper plug type installed can't draw enough amps to overload the circuit. Remember the breaker is there to protect the wiring within the building not the device plugged into the outlet.
That's right
I thought he was going to warn about installations down the line, using 20 A outlets feeding from the 15 A outlet, but that wasn't mentioned.
That like saying my ten amp led light can’t be plugged into a twenty amp breaker circuit
Technically you should not feed a 15 amp recptacle with a 20a breaker. Although his point is well taken, a 15a receptacle, cord and device could, in the event of a short circuit, pull more current thru those devices than they are designed to handle. This could result in a greater chance of deadly shock or fire. Best to keep apples with apples so as not confuse or endangef someone else who may come in behind you.
@@slipstreamvids7422 that's really not correct; most if not all 15 amp outlets are designed and tested to handle 20 amps of pass thru current. It's the contacts that are only designed for the 15 amps. it's a common practice ( in fact code) to wire two 20 amp circuits for kitchen outlets and install 15 amp outlets on those runs. Code allows this so that the circuit can allow many 15 amp devices plugged into each of those outlets to be drawing power from that 20 amp breaker. The 20 amp breaker combined with the proper wire size will take care of any overcurrent condition that might take place at the outlets.
🇨🇦 Electrician weighing in: I’ve always used the commercial spec grade outlets in kitchen areas, same with back when we used to do split receptacles. Lower resistance connection points which results in less heat especially for the heavy counter top loads running at or near 1500W. Well worth the extra $ in terms of user experience, safety and device longevity.
We just switched up to 20 amp outlets every single time. We don’t build track or spec-trac homes, so it’s easier to explain a several hundred dollar upgrade to a buyer.
@@thehimself4056 Multiple 20A outlets (NEMA 5-20s) on a circuit is NOT a good call. The few exceptions I can think of are very specific use cases like a workshop where you need devices to be mobile and then only when folks are informed to never have more than 1 20A device in operation on any outlet on that circuit. I can't tell if you mean you use NEMA 5-20s (the 20A receptacle) instead of NEMA 5-15s (the 15A receptacle) (BAD CALL) or if you mean you swap to commercial grade NEMA 5-15 outlets instead of residential every time (GOOD CALL).
@@stevefifield1207
Yes. The latter of the two. No way I would put the real 20A outlets throughout. Lol. For reasons you know. But I have found it to eliminate the pesky house calls for broken plastic cheapo .99 cent ones.
I'd go one step better and install unbreakable face 15A commercial grade receptacles for a kitchen counter, (except for the GFI, which I'd try to install away from the counter.) You never know how frequently portable loads like coffemakers and tabletop cookers will be removed and be reconnected. The physical stress to the bodies from cord-yankers is at least as much as to the contacts.
This guy is a jack of all trades and master of none.
One thing you failed to mention is that all of the commercial grade outlets you featured have a bonding jumper that holds the bottom screw in place. This is very handy if you use or encounter metal boxes because you can eliminate the need for a separate ground wire to bond the outlet with the box.
Both screws on the cheap outlets are held in place with a piece of cardboard and should only be used on plastic boxes where it doesn't matter.
I wondered what that was for, the bonding jumper. I thought we could just rely on the screw tightly holding the outlet onto the box, for the ground.
I would politely disagree. I am not an certified electrician but have worked with electricity for many years. On an outlet that I didn’t install in my house someone didn’t use a ground wire on the outlet and relied on the mounting screw for ground and was not fully tightened. For some reason the outlet shorted and tried to use the screw for ground. With that screw being so small and not a good connection it caused resistance which caused heat. As we all know with electricity once a connection gets hot the resistance goes up which causes the connection to get hotter still, it’s a self feeding cycle. The result was the vinyl face plate catching fire. Thankfully it was on drywall and not wood paneling. If the socket would have been grounded with a wire it probably would have tripped the circuit breaker. After that I always bond any sockets or switches to the ground wire and the box if it’s metal. Just my experience with it. 😮😮
Commercial Sparky, here, and we never rely on that bonding jumper. It's Pigtails all the way, Baby.
We also don't use those "Stab-Lok" connections on the back, to turn the 15A Receptacle into a fuse on a 20A circuit by _making the receptacle the splice!_.
@@TimeSurfer206 What do you think of WAGO connectors?
@@Roy-ij1wq I am not impressed with any Knife-Blade style of connector.
Additional information: As stated, you can put 15A outlets on a 20A circuit provided there's more than one outlet on that circuit. The code also specifically states that the double outlets, such as the ones he was taking apart, count as 2, so they count as more than one outlet. The outlets that count as only 1 outlet are the round ones with only a single set of holes in them and no other outlets on the circuit. This is usually only done on a dedicated outlet for a high amperage device, such as a window air conditioner or a large air compressor.
Normally one circuit line goes to 2-3 outlet in a room, not including the AC outlet.
@@jinbiaoma4808 th-cam.com/video/wLSe4LzK9b4/w-d-xo.html 15a outlet on 20a circuit will it be ok heres the answer in attached video
Agreed. Also note that most kitchens and baths require 20A circuits, yet use 15A receptacles. The idea is to limit what any one device may draw (15A, ~1800W), yet permit the circuit to handle 20A (~2400W)... mainly in case two devices are running at the same time on that same circuit and realizing those single devices would rarely, if ever, draw a full load of 15A each. 20A is typically plenty to handle a couple lower draw devices.
wm
thanks for that explanation ..."the outlet that only count"......
JUST STOP BACK STABBING THE OUTLETS!
Manufactured homes that I've seen use 14 gauge wire for most of the wireing. To make things more interesting they daisy chain plug to plug with back stab 15 amp plugs.
After your video I looked at one of my plugs and it had gotten hit enough that it melted the plastic in the back and the wires got hot enough that I had to cut off more than an inch just so I could strip the wire!
I'm replacing ALL my plugs in the house. Have found 2 more not plugs
at one time not too long ago, kitchens counter outlets were wired with a split 15a outlet on a 15 amp circuit. I guess the rationale being that kitchen counters are prone to being overloaded with appliances. That was changed in the past 15 years or so to install 20a (non split) outlet on a 20 amp circuit. That's the most common place I've seen 20a outlets.
What kitchen appliance require a 20a outlet? Every fridge, toaster, blender, microwave, air fryer I've ever seen are rated for 15a outlets...
@@joseph7105 some air fryers require a 20 amp circuit. But that's not why kitchen outlets were changed to 20 amp. It's because people would plug in multiple items to the outlet at the same time. For example if you had a toaster, kettle and blender going at the same time on the same circuit. That's why the outlets used to be split. Now they are 20 amp.
Another good vid. I have not been able to find commercial grade Decora-style receptacles. I buy the ones from Eaton. They are priced like commercial grade, but don't have back-wire capability, for example. Perhaps a video teardown comparing Decora-style receptacles would interest your viewers, since that style is so popular these days.
I believe you can order them from Home Depot.
Good video, I liked the outlet comparison. I have rewired quite a bit of our house, and have dropped more than a few 12/2 20 amp circuits, and have used the better quality Leviton 15 amp outlets, around $3 ea. I really do not operate anything in the house that would require commercial grade 20 amp outlets. Out in the garage, now that is a different story, commercial grade outlets there, on their own sub panel that I also installed.
Garage requires all receptacles GFCI protected
@@firebird77clonefirebird89 I have lost one to many freezer loads of food to those things, you can have them. I have lived 58 years without them and am still here. My grandparents went even longer.
Perfect timing. Its has been hard finding a video that references this info about outlets. Thanks bro!!
One thing I've noticed here in Canada is that the 120 volt, 20 amp receptacles of 40 years ago could only take 20 amp appliances plugged into them (the neutral slot was horizontal). Nowadays, the 20 amp receptacles have a "T" - shaped neutral, allowing for the connection of both 15 amp and 20 amp plugs.
Correct they changed things to be similar to the NEC way of doing things back in the 90's and a good thing they did as it allows more flexibility now with what you can plug in and where. The 20A 240v version in Canada are the same now as well, they will accept a 15 OR 20A 240v plug.
This may also be a side effect of older allowances or NEMA 1 (120v) and 2 (240v) outlets. When we did some renovations on an older house we had, there we 2 prong receptacles where both terminals had unpolarized "T" shaped slots, which could allow someone to plug in 15A and 20A devices at 120v, but ALSO allow someone to attempt a 220v device as well. It was a little unsettling because it also told us that the opposite situation could also exist, where a 220v circuit allowed 120v devices to be plugged into it.
@@REWYRED very interesting. You have to wonder if Canada changed the code regarding 15 and 20 amp receptacles to be more competitive with the US regarding importing goods. Because here in the US, 120V/20A plugs are rare, most equipment drawing currents higher than 15A are designed for 240V-15A or more.
@@ghammer9773 Yes, I've seen those T slot two prong outlets, the one's I came across were polarized although I would not assume the wider slot was the neutral, like is required in modern practice. Had the rating of 125V-15A/250V-10A. Particularly during the roaring 20s, when most cities and suburbs had electricity for the first time and a wide variety of electrical gadgets hit the market, there were two versions of 120V plugs, the horizontal prongs and vertical prongs, before the NEMA standards were widely adopted across the board both versions were used interchangeably with 120 and 240 volts and the end user had to know what voltage was being supplied before plugging in lamps and appliances.
@@Sparky-ww5re 20A plugs are rare on appliances here as well but they do exist... Not so much for resi applications but where I work, in a hospital 20A straight blade plugs both of the 120V and 240V configuration exist and are pretty common...
Dialysis machines and some I.T. equipment are some I can think of that have 20A plugs.
I think they adopted 20A circuits for kitchens and the respective receptacle because it's cheaper to GFI protect a 20A circuit vs a traditional 15A "split". And being Canada we are not allowed to put a 15A device on a 20A circuit........ Even though we all know nothing bad will likely happen.
Thanks for the great videos! Very informative! I'm no professional by any means. However I have always done all home and appliance repairs myself. Videos like yours have been very helpful. I appreciate the time you take to produce these videos! Thanks again!
Thanks Mark and I appreciate your support 👍
Hire a professional
@@thomasj2972 why?
@@markevans4645 the reason you hire a professional is because in some states if someone dies due to your electrical negligence you would be charged with involuntary manslaughter.
@@davealexander7930 you have a point...but..are you saying professionals don't make mistakes? Because I know for a fact they do...that's why I repair my own no matter what it is I can fix it and I'm sure as hell not gonna sue myself! Lol
Another common appliance with a 120 volt 20 amp plug, is a professional grade treadmill. In the kitchen, sometimes you see then on a professional grade toaster oven or heavy duty microwave oven. It's with noting that whenever an appliance or piece of equipment comes from the factory with a 20 amp plug on It's power cord, that means it draws more than 15A and close to 20A. It will probably mention in the instruction manual that the product is for use on individual branch circuit only, and technically you are required to follow the manufacturer's instructions on any product with a UL listing or a listing from another Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) . That said, most times 20 amp receptacles are installed so the occupants can tell at a glance it's a 20 amp circuit.
Good stuff Kyle, I appreciate the feedback 👍
The overcurrent protection on a 20 amp braker is 20 percent
Alot of what you said is correct, but a product with a 20 amp plug does not mean that it draws close to 20 amps. 16 amps would be the maximum recommended. Anything more would require a 30 amp 240v circuit, which would give a 24 amp safe maximum. It could also have a 20 amp 240v plug which would require only half the current for the same power (watts).
I have a stovetop range that came a 20 amp plug and is rated as 1630 watts or 13.6 amps. I verified this with a clamp meter. It requires a dedicated circuit as you mentioned. Some other products could use more power, but not more than 16 amps or 1920 watts. The safe maximum is based on 80% of the circuit rating and only applies for a continuous load (3 hours or more).
Appliance ratings are misleading. My vitamix (vm0197) blender is rated for 11.5 amps. It never actually draws that though. In fact, the current draw only gets close to that when the blender starts generating lots heat from an excessive amount of work which requires more energy for it operate. So in other words, I'd have to turn the speed dial up to 10 and put to full trays of ice in the carafe and let it go for 5 minutes before it even got close to drawing that much current.
Personally, I want to get a nema 6-15 or nema 6-20 in my kitchen one day so I can use a 3kW electric kettle like is available in Europe.
to make things perfectly clear, receptalces have two ratings: they have a device rating and they have a feed-through rating. nearly all receptacles with a 15 amp device rating have a 20 amp feed through rating. the ones that don't are the ones that don't have screw terminals. those shouldn't be used on a 20 amp circuit, and more conscientious electricians believe they shouldn't be used at all.
I agree that they shouldn't exist at all.. My mobile home had those and they were awful. Several were breaking apart physically at 22 years of age. God knows how long they were broken for. I replaced them all with spec grade parts and used pigtails instead of using the receptacle as a junction point. As a result, the lights don't go dim when using a vacuum cleaner now, when it did before. Big improvement. Those cheap parts were awful. My question is for what? To save 30 or 40 dollars on the cost of building an entire home? Even if it were a couple hundred, I feel it's not worth sacrificing the quality in my opinion.
If a vacuum cleaner causes lights to dim, you have a crummy wiring job. Glad you could fix that.
@@mikeholmstrom1899 yeah! It was really bad. That's the way mobile homes are built. As cheaply and quickly as possible, with little concern for quality.
@@Krankie_V I'll third that. Never ever use backstab outlets. I hate the sound of arcing inside my walls.
@@Krankie_V If it was made by Fleetwood, my brother would call it "Fleetshit". Close the door and the whole wall moves. I would guess the high line ones didn't have that issue.
The 15amp. Rating is because of the nema configuration , the gauge of the conductors inside is.the same as a 20amp outlet,it's the configuration that determines the amperage.
One seemingly minor problem with the several commercial or heavy duty grade outlets you recommend that people use instead of residential grade ones is the center nut that you install the faceplate bolt into.
On all the commercial or heavy duty grade outlets I've seen, they're not very strong and if you overtighten the bolt even a little, the "tube" that the nut is attached to that secures it to the backplate of of the outlet breaks off and now there's nothing to secure that bolt. Yet for some reason they're more secure on the residential outlets I've seen.
Now if you're only looking to attach a standard faceplate to the outlet then that's not a big problem, just go easy and it should be fine, just a few inch-pounds should do it.
But if you're attaching an outlet extender, the sort that have 4, 5, 6 or more outlets on them and maybe some USB ports, that are often the best way to connect more than a couple of devices to mains power, then you're going to need to tighten that down some more to secure it, since they're much heavier and bulkier than faceplates, and these higher-end outlets can't seem to handle that.
Any suggestions? Are there commercial or heavy duty grade outlets that can handle being tightened more than to faceplate spec? Sure, you can use a power strip instead of a plug-in outlet extender, but they're not always practical or feasible.
5:06 The receptacle in the middle is NOT just like the 5-20 on the right, the one in the middle is using the 'T' configuration grip on BOTH sides. So even the 5-20 had some cost-cutting measures done, once they designed a grip that was only for the vertical blade.
I think the outlet in the middle is the cost cut model. It is cheaper to make 1000 pieces of one part than it is to make 500 of one part and then 500 of another.
Using the T grip on both sides of both 15 and 20 amp outlets allows the manufacturer to shut down the machine that makes the vertical grip. And the casting for both types is the same,
The amount of brass saved is negligible.
Standardizing as much as possible saves production.
@@scottbc31h22 possibly, however, I used to work at an injection molding plant, and they would haggle for material discounts as small as a penny a ton. And this was making milk caps, barely two to three ounces of plastic per cap.
What I see in new residential are mixed circuits, with ceiling lights sharing circuits with wall receptacles on 14 gauge wire ln long runs. Not an electrician myself, but as a renovator my clients are asking me to look at electrical problems as a side issue. Lots of arc fault breakers not playing nice with bathrooms
I love every time you open up outlets and show us the guts. I’ve been wondering since your last string of outlet videos if commercial grade 15-amp would be safe for 20-amp use. Thanks for anticipating my question and making such a great video! My practices for outlet replacement have been completely changed for the better by your videos.
I am a long time DIY'er. One of my major regrets is not using commercial grade.
No. Only a 20 amp receptacle on a 20 amp breaker, 15 amp receptacle on a 15 amp breaker. You could put a 15 amp receptacle on a 20 amp breaker, but why? Never the other way. Why? The gage of the wiring.
Thanks John and appreciate your support over the years 🙌
@@robertmacdonald8447 The answer to John's question is yes, it would be safe as the pass through amps are 20, but in reality it would never happen because the face plate on a 15 amp receptacle will only allow a 15 amp plug to be used. Tens of millions of 15 amp receptacles are safely and legally in service on 20 amp circuits in America. The only difference in the receptacles are the faceplate slot configurations.
@@robertmacdonald8447 "You could put a 15 amp receptacle on a 20 amp breaker, but why?" Because a 15 amp is cheaper and the guts are identical.
You are obviously an encyclopedia of knowledge. Thanks for the great content.
I'm installing an outdoor 15 amp GFCI on a 20 amp breaker, using a grounded metal box. This box will be attached to a "bridged" 2x4, attached beetween two joists wthin a soffit. My goal is to have the GFCI recepticle protruding flush (or slightly below) the soffit, followed by a waterproof housing. Can you advise how high to place my 2x4 inside the soffit to meet my need?
Love your videos...
I do applications for an x-ray company and our products are 20amp plugs... Even the lower energy systems (2.4kW). But we almost always have to use that little converter for small clinics and stuff. I have 3 in my bag.
Thanks for the feedback and support!
Are you saying that you use adapters to run your devices that can draw 20 amps (they have 20 amp plugs) on circuits designed to only provide 15 amps (14g wire and a 15a breaker)? That seems like a bad idea.
@@learnMax no, the system can and does run in 15 amps, but the factory saves money by using the same 20 amp plug on every model.
But even for the bigger unit, it comes in 2 pieces, running a monitor cart only requires 15amps but if the other part is connected, then the 20amp is necessary.
@@TheOldBlackCrow I wonder if they factored in that you'd have to put in an adapter when they "saved money" by using the wrong plug on the 15 amp models.
@@learnMax that's a reasonable point but they are actually trying to keep with code compliance in the States.... So I guess it's not just about saving money. The vast majority of small clinics that buy the system in the US are too cheap to hire an electrician to put in a proper outlet, let alone the correct amperage at the breaker box. Since electrical code for medical facilities (for *most* local governments) do specify that there should be at least one 20amp outlet /breaker in each room, it's on the facility to upgrade their rooms and not for the company to comply with the facilities preference.
My wife and I just bought a house built in 1980, and it's getting really close to us needing to upgrade our electrical package to bring everything up to code. It's old enough where none of the outlets close to water sources are GFCI when they should be. I've added one to the hall bathroom, but have yet to do the same to the kitchen, and master bathroom. We have big plans to renovate part of the house, and that would most likely cover a full plumbing gut/replacement. Once we get to that point, in about 200 yrs, we'll do most of it in one shot, lol.
My house was built in 1971 and I don’t have GFCI’s in kitchen or bath but I do have them in damp locations. Just use common sense. No one ever shocked.
I just subscribed to your channel even though I learned electrical wiring when I was in the 9th grade and I'm 70. What I learned back then is so antiquated, I desperately need upgrading myself! 🤣 Seriously though, I have really enjoyed your video's and the new information you give me. Just from this video alone, I will never buy anything but commercial grade outlets from now on. Especially since the contractor was very cheap, and used 14ga. wire instead of 12ga., and wired the house himself instead of getting an electrician to do the work back in 1988. Just back in June of this year that cost me and my wife over $2300 to have the electrical panel replaced by a professional electrical company. That fixed more problems we were having than I can count. The old panel had several breakers that were not connecting because the connection strip was burned out!
Welcome to the channel and thanks for providing the story showing saving a few bucks today can cost many more dollars in the future.
Thanks to utube - I'm just learning about electrical wiring at 56 - good medicine
As a retired electronic and electrical eng.. Yes you can (not a biggy) circuit should break if you overload just be careful in the kitchen and bathroom. Wiring is the key also look how easy you can reset your circuit braker.
Great teacher! Thanks for producing this valuable information!
You bet!
Perfect timing! A house we’re looking to buy has this exact scenario. Thanks for the info!
Very interesting. Now I can tell the difference between a 20A receptacle and a 15A. Thanks.
I implore electricians to also pay attention to how and where the NM cable (aka ROMEX) is being used.
Example, I have seen ROMEX run through an open attic where the summer temperatures are 140 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, not including the temperature of the wire.
In short, pay attention to NEC article 334 (NM cable) and table 310-15 for ampacity.
I typically downsize my breaker to a 15A with 12Awg NM-B (ROMEX) in hot attic situations. I have not had customers complain about tripping breakers by doing it this way.
If a circuit requires a 20A breaker or outlet, and running through a hot attic, consider running dedicated circuits with NEMA 5-20 receptacles.
Note, it is an easy up-sell for an attic or gable fan in these situations. $$
Follow the NEC, but sprinkle some common sense in there too. 😊
If I run 12/2, I use 20A outlets. That way, I have the extra capability if needed, and it's easy to identify the circuit capacity. I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't just go with the full boat if it's available.
Honestly it's probably almost allways due to cost especially when it's basically unnecessary in the living space of a residential house where almost nothing we use is going to even draw close to 20 amps and so installing a bunch of 15-amp outlets is fine. Not only that, unless everything else is off on the circuit, you won't be capable of drawing 20 amps anyways, so there's that.
@@scottbitz5222 True. My problem isn't from a single outlet, rather from multiple appliances on the same 20 A circuit in the kitchen, like an Air Fryer (12 A) and Microwave (12 A). Using both trips the breaker (a good test), so have to plug them into different circuits. Fortunately, code requires at least 2 circuits to kitchen outlets.
I love your videos. I am now a new subscriber. I just purchased an older home that needs several upgrades. I ran across you videos that are easy to follow and very understandable. Thanks. I will hit the notified bell to see more of your videos. Again, Thanks.
Two quick things from an electrician:
1. Take the time to find the amperage on everything you plug in and be aware not to use multiple high-amperage items at the same time on the same circuit.
2. I appreciate the research and presentation of this channel. Good job.
Yeah no one is doing that. You think a 25 year old women is going to calculate the amperage and total load on everything in the house that they will plug into each outlet? It's not even realistic to say something like that. Anyone that would even think along those lines, would intuitively know how much you can plug into each receptacle. The way people learn this is by resetting the breaker three times before figuring it out. All this new practice does is make it more dangerous while you are learning by trial and error.
@@msromike123 you mean YOU'RE not doing that and you have a very low opinion of women. It's very simple but I see it's too hard for you to add single digit numbers. Everyone I told this to instantly understood and don't trip any breakers anymore.
I prefer using commercial grade receptacles as well but don't necessarily see the need for 20A receptacles throughout the house. However, it' s really tough to find Decora style commercial grade 15A receptacles that are tamper resistant as code dictates for living spaces.
Back when I was a kid, My Grandma had Time Life Books for the basics of different trades. I read the electrical cover to cover, multiple times. Then I would ride my bike to the library and get all I could find about electrical.
Cool- that's great knowledge at an early age for career development
And you're an Electrician now ?
@@williamevans7932 I'm a cripple now. Haven't been an electrician since 2 years after graduating trade school and becoming a cripple.
I’ve found that 15 amp GFCI outlets are sensitive at the upper limit. The electrical contractor installed all 15 amp outlets with GFCI protection at an industrial facility that used pumps and power tools. I finally had to draw a picture of a 20 amp outlet, so they could install the correct outlets for my people could use power tools to do their job.
Where I'm at it's illegal to run a 15 amp circuit in any commercial building. Everything has to be 20 amp.
3:25 "For an extra dollar or $1.50 per outlet it's worth it." I agree. What most people don't get is that $1.50 per outlet more is a 500%+ increase from 30 cents to over $2.00 per outlet for commercial grade. That adds up fast when you wire a neighborhood.
If your prout margins are that tight maybe your bidding your jobs to low
If you install $0.30 receptacles in a residence you are not providing a product to the consumer that is worth what you charge them to install it.
For the safety involved, I'd go with the stronger receptacle. How many outlets are there in a 2br/2ba house? Even if you were wiring up 100 outlets, that is only a $150 increase in cost. In the United states Electricians start at $50 per hour. So for roughly 3 hours of an electrician's work you get a much safer outlet setup.
"That adds up fast when you wire a neighborhood"
You are wiring up a house per customer and should factor in the costs per house not by the neighborhood since very few neighborhoods would need all brand new outlets in every house at the same time!
Squabbling over $2 per outlet when the cost for a house that burned down will be way more than the outlets!
There was a house down the street from me a few years ago that around 2am burned to the ground, they figured out the cause was a ceiling lamp whose power wire plugged into the wall outlet behind a hideabed, and that one of the children folded the thing up at bed time and accidentally caught that lamp cord in the mechanism of the folding bed, they all went upstairs to bed and around 2 am the cord which was caught in the mechanism started the fire in the foam/upholstery.
They had NO smoke alarms, and walls were open for renovation, so insulation was all exposed. Mom and 3 children never made it out
"Family members sat in their cars close by as fire trucks continued to put out hot spots. Firefighters say a ceiling lamp cord caught fire, after being jammed inside a pull out couch.
"They dug long enough to where they finally found it. And unfortunately it had put an overload on two plug-ins and that got the wall on fire."
@@HobbyOrganist For a lot of neighborhoods, all of the houses were built by a single developer. Building every thing just to code (no more and no less) allows them to price competitively while maximiIng profit. The consumer assumes that the local building codes are satisfactory and the homes were all built to code. Taking the cheapest route for receptacles might only save the developer a few thousand for the whole development but going the cheapest route on everything adds up.
To my thinking, if those low price outlets pose a danger, that should be regulated at the point of code/inspection rather than leaving it up to the discretion of the builder.
5:13 Interesting thing about the older one is it has the sideways metal slots for 20A plugs on both sides, top and bottom.
That would imply that they also put 20amp 220v covers on that hardware. The production line builds three varietions of receptacles simply by changing out the covers.
Yep, each brand handles it a bit differently but you can get an outlet with "guts" made for a much more demanding application if you play it right. I was a bit surprised to see the design change to the 15 Amp since the last time I opened one up.
Greetings Folks - Remember, multiple receptacles include "Duplex" receptacles which are (2) receptacles on a single yoke or strap. Also, the use of the term "outlet" for the device is incorrect based on the definition of devices and outlets. The "outlet" is the point where you would install the device, such as in an "outlet" box.
That's pretty petty. If you want to get technical, Ford motor company general motors are misnamed because the vehicles run on engines not motors. A motorcycle should be called an engine cycle according to your logic. The electric receptacles in American homes are called outlets, and that's what they are.
@@davedammitt7691 it's not Petty...its in the NEC. Now, your reference to General Motors is NOT the same and is quite petty in itself to compare the two. If you don't desire to learn, turn off the computer.
@@davedammitt7691 If you were in a position in your job that you do electrical design or installation for a company, you would know what he is talking about. For us that do, it is extremely important to know and use words and terms correctly because not doing that can cause non compliant installs, sometimes very very expensive re-work. For someone like you that has nothing to do with electrical work, it may seem petty.
also read the manufacturer's labeling/instructions. Some 15A receptacles say on them "only use on 15A circuit"
5:10 that older 15 uncovered is definitely different than the new 20.
That older one looks like it might be 5-20R or 5-20P ready.
The horizontal is on both side.
The funny thing is I've taken apart 15 amp plugs in 20 amp plugs. There is no difference internally it really depends on the grade and quality of the plug. Commercial plugs or more expensive and are made to be used over and over.
Of course, it shouldn't be a hazard to put a 15A receptacle on a 20A circuit.
A 15A outlet means that you can't plug a 20A device into it, In other words unless you are deliberately trying to overload the receptacle (e.g. with power strips that have the circuit breakers defeated), the outlet will be limiting you to a 15A load. There's never a problem using a smaller load than the circuit is rated for.
The only theoretical way that this could be a problem would be if the receptacle would be wired in series with a higher current load. For example, the hot line into the receptacle, and its neutral line going to the hot side of another device. This could cause more than 15A to flow through the receptacle. But that kind of wiring would massively violate code and be practically useless (because a device would have to be plugged into the receptacle for the downstream device to have any power).
The way circuits are actually wired (in parallel), means that the load carried by a receptacle is not affected loads elsewhere on that circuit. So no problem.
Yea I thought the question was sort of silly. And now you'll be limited to using adapters when taking advantage of the circuit rating. Odd.
What if I plug two 9.5A devices into each socket of a 15A twin outlet? If the outlet is on a 15A breaker, the breaker will trip. If it's on a 20A breaker, the outlet will be overloaded without tripping the breaker.
@@Adam1nToronto It shouldn't be. The rating for a duplex receptacle should be for each plug, not for the entire unit.
Very good explanation and helpful. Though I have a modern breaker panel (2005) for my condo, the main breaker is only 125 amps, so it would be extremely expensive for me to upgrade for an electric car for a Level 2 charger. But for me, my charging needs are minimal and I have considered instead upgrading a 15 amp style outlet that is on a 20 amp circuit in my garage to a 20 amp outlet that can handle a special adapter that Tesla has optionally available to allow their cars to charge at a 15 amp (3/4 capacity draw) instead at the usual 12 amp draw used for a 120 volt circuit. This would allow the car to charge at a 6 miles per hour recharge instead of 4 miles per hour. So, this is another scenario outside of a window AC or jackhammer that would be able to take advantage of a 20 amp outlet. In any case, even if I decide to charge at the lower default power draw, I think that upgrading to a commercial grade outlet for an EV might be wise for anyone using a 120 volt circuit.
Since code allows 15A receptacles on a 20A circuit, at least the part of the outlet that transfers power through the daisy chaining must support 20A. As you found in looking at the internals, the only thing that is really 15A is the plug configuration blocks the 20A plug. Having seen an outlet that failed with sparks flying and nearly lost the building to another similar failure, the weak point seems to be the connection of the internal wiring ot the receptacle. In the cases where we had problems, they used the cheap backstabbing method in an ocean-front property prone to rust, which was a recipe for disaster. Likewise, when using the screw terminals, be sure they're really tight. (Disclaimer: I'm not an electrician; if you are and I said something wrong, please correct me.)
Using side screws is the best termination method on outlets. I go on a lot of service calls fixing backstabbed outlets and switches. Source: service electrician.
A Harvest Right Freeze Dryer is required a dedicated 20 amp circuit. When I shop for an electrician, what should I ask them, and what should I watch out for?
I subbed and rang that bell.
You should say you want a 20 amp branch circuit with a dedicated 20 amp receptacle. Single or duplex is up to you. Either will work.
Amazing how manufacturers squeeze every last penny out of the manufacturing process by eliminating a tiny bit of metal.
it adds up when times by millions of outlets made every year
thank you for the info i had a feeling that the house i bought had the wrong outlets for the washer and dryer they both had a 15 amp outlet and it was on a 20 amp breaker and it was the only thing on the breaker the washer and dryer have their own breakers so i was thinking that can't be safe so i upgraded them to the 20 amp outlet found your video very helpful im looking at the books now thank you for all the help
Another major negative for using a 20 Amp Adapter is that it only adds to the risk of overheating in two ways. The contacts will have some resistive properties with some heat being produced. The Adapter will also extend out, adding weight; increasing the chances of it coming loose during operation.
It can also be bad if you also consider an extension cord. Some extension cords, even some that are tough-looking, actually only have 16AWG wires or even 18AWG, especially ones with NEMA 5-15 receptacles. There's now a possibility of even more current being passed through this extension cord before the 20A circuit breaker trips instead of the earlier tripping point for a 15A breaker. Imagine what'll happen if the 20A adapter is then plugged into such an underrated extension cord
You will be my preferred reference to this information. I like everything about the way you present this information to knuckleheads like myself. Thank you for clear, concise delivery of the things I need to know.
actually, the most common wiring technique uses mostly 15 amp circuits for receptacles, and then when the homeowner has trouble with the breaker tripping when they try to use their Hoover Wind Tunnel Vacuum, they ask a handyman to fix it and he bootlegs in a 20 amp breaker.
Wow, I've never known that you could tell a 15 amp receptacle from a 20 by visual inspection and I never knew why some outlets have that T-shaped hole for one prong. Thanks!
You bet 👍
While its allowed by code to use 15amp receptacles the code also says that the maximum cord connected load cannot exceed 12 amps so knowing what people sometimes do its best practice to use a 20 amp receptacle on 20 amp circuits.
120 volts 12 amp= 1440 watts.
Space heaters,blow dryers,ect
Exactly why I think code is incorrect in this scenario. Yeah it is safe for the vast majority of cases but there are edge cases where it might not be. You can't expect a homeowner to even think about calculating the load much less actually doing it. It is such a tiny amount of savings on a new home, I think it is just not worth the degradation in safety. If the builder even saves $50 per house by putting 15A receptacles on 20a circuits I would be surprised.
I have been upgrading to commercial outlets, makes sense they are a lot less than a Big Mac and safety first
It's odd that people who question using a 15A receptacle on a 20A line or multiple 20A receptacles on a 20A line never seem to question using multiple 15A receptacles on a 15A line, despite it happening all over their house ... the underlying concepts and restrictions remain the same: Pay attention to both single and total load.
The reason is perhaps 15 amp is a catch all case, which mostly powers low power devices in your house. While if you think of 20 amp circuit, you think about a particular device that requires it, for which 15 is not enough. And after that device is plugged in, there is not much spare capacity left. So with 20 amp you are more often in a situation when only one device can be powered.
I asked the same thing but some one just explained it to me. The reason actually makes sense. 15A plugs are on all sorts of devices. Those devices may use 12A, they may use 3A, they may use 0.5A, they may use 0.01A. 20A plugs, on the other hand, are almost exclusively used on devices that are going to be pulling more power than a 15A plug is rated for or else they would have just been made with a 15A plug to begin with. That's why it's different using multiple 20A outlets VS multiple 15A outlets. I've watched like 5 videos on this topic so far and none of them really explained this which left me puzzled but it all makes sense now.
@@Spinelli__. Have you noticed the difference in the cord of a 15 amp table lamp, a 15 amp kitchen appliance, and a 20 amp piece of equipment?
@@KevinCoop1 No as I don't own any 20-amp cord devices. A 20 A cord should definitely be of larger gauge if that's what you're asking since it obviously needs to be able to handle a higher current (20A instead of 15A).
I SAW ANOTHER OF YOUR VIDEOS EXPLAINING SOMETHING ABOUT OUTLETS AND RIGHT OF WAY I SUBSCRIBED. I LIKE THE INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM YOUR VIDEOS. I DO HAVE A PLAN FOR A FUTURE ADD ON OUTLESTS IN MY SON'S SHOP AND YOUR VIDEO INFO AS BEEN ON POINT.
Thanks David!
😂
I know a guy who put 15 amp receptacles on a 20 amp breaker and 19 people were killed. They were swept away by an avalanche, but I believe it was caused by the wiring.
Thankyou for the book recommendation, sir! I shamefully admit I have scrolled past your channel quite a few times. Been picking away at some of your videos and I dont subscribe very often, however, earned my sub 🙏
Nice, welcome to the channel!
When I see a 15-amp outlet, I assume 15-amp circuit and breaker. When I see a 20-amp outlet, I assume 20-amp circuit and breaker. If I ever wanted to upgrade a 15-amp outlet on a 20-amp circuit, I would have to trace the wire back to the panel to make sure it's 12 gauge the entire run, or assume that the entire run is 12 gauge if it terminates at a 20-amp breaker. The cost difference is not that great in the long run to not just simply use 20-amp outlets on a 20-amp circuit. Personally, I prefer knowing what I see is what I get. ;)
I like it the same way, guess we have something in common;) In a home or apartment equipment with 120 volt, 20 amp plug are rarely encountered. The few times they are, they are typical on commercial or professional grade kitchen countertop appliances, such as microwave ovens, toaster ovens, and expresso machines, like the style you'd find in a restaurant or café. Because such devices pull large currents, they usually will require it's own circuit, so when you walk into a kitchen and see 20 amp outlets along the countertop, for example, that's often done so the occupants can see they have a 20 amp circuit at a glance. That's how I'd build my own home.
Go to your kitchen. Look at the outlets. They are 15a outlets. However, they are on 20a circuits unless your house is really old.
@@dracula3811 - you're most likely right. Without opening up each outlet and tracing the circuit back to the panel, better to go to your panel, find the kitchen breaker, and verify that it's 20 amps. Better still to remove the panel cover and verify that the wire it's attached to is 20 amps. In fact, our electrician DID put all 15-amp outlets in our kitchen on 20-amp circuits.
I've seen too many non-inspected DYI electrical modifications to assume anything. Here's a good one. House was wired with 30-amp 220v (correctly on 10-gauge wire) going to the garage on a 30-amp breaker. At the garage, the sub-panel had been removed (why?) and the two hot feeding legs had been split into two 110v circuits on a shared neutral (no breakers). One leg was populated with 20-amp outlets and the other 15-amp outlets and misc garage lighting. But the 220v breaker in the main panel had never been changed. Ouch! One garage leg had shorted out internally and was flipping the breaker intermittently when the ground was intact, but otherwise buzzing!
@@BrucePappas that's the way 99% of electricians wire kitchens. It's code compliant and safe to do.
Add a 20 amp Uninterruptable Power Supply to the list of possible 20 amp devices. Or in a modern home wherever your AV/networking rack or nice computers are.
The electrician upgraded some receptacles on the already 20 amp circuits to handle the 20 amp plugs.
We have none of this nonsense in the UK where all our wall sockets (or plugs as called colloquially) are concerned. Ring mains in domestic premisses with a 30 amp fuse (or 32a MCB) in the fusebox with each appliance plug containing it's own dedicated cartridge fuse max 13 amp. There is no limit on the amount of sockets we can wire onto an individual ring main (max100 sq m floor area) though the maximum load at any one time shouldn't exceed 7,500 watts i.e. 30 amps. Current regulations require separate ring mains for up/down stairs with a separate ring for the kitchen.
thank you I'm buying a house and I need miner electrical done this video nails it Thank you very much !!
His eyes are so loud, I have trouble hearing him.
😂
Holy shit, I thought I was the only one
Ive long wondered if eye liner is used, particularly in older videos.
@@JimYeats More than likely he’s like me, and has long, thick eyelashes. Girls in school used to accuse me of wearing whatever makeup it is they use on them, then hated me when they realized they’re 100% natural (“It’s not fair!”). They really started standing out when I started shaving my head 20+ years ago. It was a pain when I wore hard gas permeable contact lenses; the lenses would stick to or get tangled in my lashes when I removed them. But now I find they’re a real plus in dusty environments, kind of like a filter.
@@infin1ty850 Same here. The blue really shows up in these videos. I had a friend whose eyes were like that “in real life.”
Good info, and you reminded me that I need to buy an updated Black & Decker guide.
You can always breaker down relative to wire size and outlet rating.
Personally I would use a 15 amp breaker with awg12 wire and 15amp outlet, regardless of the number of outlets on the circuit.
Only time I use awg 14 is for a ceiling light or dedicated outlet for a refrigerator.
That is your “Rule of Thumb”. Not an NEC compliance comment.
@@KevinCoop1 NEC compliance - you can ALWAYS breaker down for a given wire size and outlet.
NEC states maximum breaker size, not minimum for safety reasons.
Heck, you can put a single outlet on a single circuit on a single breaker if you wanted. But panel might have 100 breakers in it...
You just cannot 'put a penny in it when you keep blowing fuses' scenario.
Then your breaker may commence tripping for no good reason. There’s a lot of margin built into the code.
Common 15A rated 14-2 will actually endure 30A no problem even in a fiberglass insulated wall and passing through wooden studs. 12-2 likely good for 33% more, so 40A easy. Point being the margin that is built-in. Never actually load over rated circuit capacity though.
Copper ain’t cheap.
@@Blake4Truth I saw a chart one time that showed how many amps a wire was rated for.
You can overload wire depending on the amps over time.
I think 14/2 was rated 20 amps for 2 hours.
Or 15 amps continuously.
IMHO it is not worth the risk to over-breaker outlets.
People are insane and will plug in far too much on the same circuit.
@@crazysquirrel9425
Rated means huge factor of safety. That’s what you’re missing. Wire is also rated for temperature at rated ampacity. It’s all already covered. You never need a 15A breaker on a 14-2 circuit.
Wish you discussed in more depth how home loads with breaker rated at 20amp can be used with duplex 15amp plug style.
The plugs on the power cords of tools and appliances are rated for 125% of their ampacity for safety. If you do the math it means that the appliance or tool will not load the circuit by more than 80% when running. On a 15 amp circuit that's 12 amps or 1440 watts and on a 20 amp circuit that's 16 amps. A 15 amp plug is used on everything from a few milliamps to a maximum of 12 amps. A 20 amp plug indicates a current draw of something like 14 to 16 amps. 20 amp plugs are rare and you'd be hard pressed to find equipment with that. What's more is that because of the high current draw this equipment will likely require or at least recommend a dedicated circuit which means only a simplex (single) receptacle would be permitted, not a duplex. You could make the inference that a 20 amp duplex receptacle is never required, but just an option for a 20 amp circuit. So, as long as you avoid residential grade 15 amp receptacles, there's no difference between 15 amp and 20 amp receptacles internally, as Scott pointed out. Keep in mind, it's the wire gauge that determines the circuit rating, not the receptacle. This is in the US for 120v circuits, Canada has different rules. BTW, you can find appliances such as hair dryers for example that have a standard 15 amp plug, but advertise 1800 or 1875 watt output. That could be a momentary upon start up load and/or simple marketing pitch.
As you know the circuit breaker takes into account the accumulated load from all appliances on that circuit and can exceed the safety margins and if the load is high enough, it should trip if it exceeds its actual rating and becomes overloaded, it's usually not immediate unless it's a dead short. Anyway, whether the receptacle is 15 or 20 amp would make no difference.
Edit: There is an exception. In a 20 amp multi wire branch circuit or a split receptacle with 2 completely separate circuits that have no receptacles upstream (dedicated circuits) then I believe that a 20 amp duplex receptacle must be used.
Your link for a 15 amp outlet Legrand actually links to a 20 amp outlet by Pass and Seymore.
Appreciate the video. Very helpful. Question: A 15 amp outlet Does the top handle 15 amps. And the bottom 15amps? Or is it a toral combined 15 amps. Thanks.
this is all good in the US... but here in Canada due to $ difference.. a standard outlet is about $380 at Home Depot... The pro versions run around $8 each. Can get a bit costly when you need a lot of them.
What the heck is home depot doing with a 47x markup? :p
I'm going to assume that you meant $3.80, which is still way high. A 15 amp receptacle in the US is less than a dollar.
@@davedammitt7691 yea.. woops
I use 20 amp commercial rated outlets in my house. Once in, I never have changed same one again. Those cheap ones that are 15 amp rated I don't use, plus they don't hold up either over time.
Like your Xtreme Garage shelving! Wish it was still sold!
I used to deliver copiers. One day I was swapping out a machine with a 20 amp plug for another with the same. I unplugged the old copier and found they had twisted the horizontal prong to make it fit into the 15 amp outlet.
@1:37, “...Wago nut, which you know I highly recommend...” , nice stealthy ‘plug’ for for Wago connector.
Are those Tamper Resistant pricing?
Fine, indeed 20A receptacles are quite rare. I made the mistake of spending $$$ for 20 A GFCI outlets on my 20 A circuits years ago, thinking required since they feed-thru to other outlets. In a remodel, I found that at least newer 15 A GFCI outlets have a stamped note "20 A for feed-thru". It is only the receptacle on the GFCI which is limited to 15 A.
They're not rare at all. Every supply house has thousands of them in stock.
@@pld8993 I didn't say you can't find them. But how many bins of 20A receptacles at Home Depot vs 15 A receptacles?
I ran 10 ga in all my grandparents complete 1950 home rebuild in NJ and it was only about $100 more for the wire, can that ever be unsafe?
The big problem with the converter plug is that people may use these with small gage extension cords. That can damage the tool or cause a fire when the cord heats up.
The reason why I still do not agree to put 15 amp outlets on 20 amp circuit breakers because if a appliance is drawing 17A on a 15 amp outlet on a 20 amp circuit, the breaker would not trip and the outlet will melt and possibly cause a fire, this has happened to me on a 15 amp outlet that was on a 20 amp circuit when I used to live in a apartment. Great video though!
That's incorrect. If the receptacle is in good condition it would not be the problem. A spec grade 15 amp receptacle is identical to a 20 amp receptacle internally. The connections and wire gauge and condition are problematic. If you're consistently drawing 17 amps on a 20 amp circuit with 12 gauge wire you need to have a 30 amp circuit with 10 gauge wire. There's an 80% safety margin for all wire, meaning 16 amps is the maximum here.
@@surferdude642 First of all, it was a old apartment and we cant just go in and modify the wiring. Second of all, i've seen 4 15A receptacles melt on a 20 amp circuit in my newly built home.
@@usipussi6647It sounds like you have a valid complaint to make to the builders and/or real estate agent. I would initially suspect some backstabbed receptacles. Does the home have AFCI breakers or receptacles?
No modern appliances that draw more than 15A would plug into a 15A outlet, because the neutral prong on their plug would be horizontal and not vertical.
You could, however, exceed 15A total on a 15A outlet by plugging in two devices that combined drew more than 15A. This happens all the time, which is why I think it's fair to assume that properly made and UL-rated 15A outlets can handle well over 15A, even if it's not a good idea, because of how often this happens in the real world.
For example, a typical space heater draws 1500W, which is 12A on a 125V circuit. Plug a 500W hot pot into it, which draws 4A, and you're up to 16A. This is even more likely if you attach an outlet extender or power strip and plug all sorts of devices into it. So I find it hard to believe that these things aren't intentionally overbuilt to handle such common scenarios.
Most people still misunderstand the point of the circuit breaker. It is NOT there to protect your devices or the outlet itself. You can see the outlet if it catches fire. The point of the circuit breakers is to protect the wires you can't see in the walls. Neither the wires nor the circuit breaker nor the outlet actually transmit current. The devices plugged or wired into a circuit take what they need. No more, no less. If a device only needs 15 amps it will only draw 15 amps even if plugged into a circuit capable of providing 100 amps. The circuit breaker simply limits the current that a device CAN draw to protect the wires from literally melting and catching for in your walls. That happened in my house when I was a little kid in the 80s in my parents house that still had a fuse box in the basement and sections of knob and tube circuits in the walls. Just one wire caught in the walls and the house was a total loss. We didn't lose everything but the house did have to be leveled and rebuilt.
We have a portable air conditioning with a 20amp (horizontal neutral prong) plug… we currently use the converter to plug into our standard 15amp receptacle. Can we change out the receptacle? The converter is bulky and does not provide a stable connection
If this is a 20 circuit with 12 gauge wire, then yes.
in the kitchen there are many instances where people are running coffee machine and toaster on the same outlet, at the same time so 20 amp is needed
It must be different where you are. Here a fifteen amp circuit has a fifteen amp breaker. And the cabling is 14 awg so there is a big difference. I am also older so maybe codes have changed. 🤗
Seems to me that what are now called 15 amp outlets were formerly considered 20 amp outlets, & that they can physically run 20 amps with no problem. & when I wired an addtion to my home, I used #10 wire from the breaker box to the outlet anyway.
The most common thing continuously pulling 15 or more is resistance space heaters. The microwave and big screen tv have big iñrush current spikes
I'm sorry, but the term outlet is already taken in the code book. It is in reference to any point in the wiring used to put a receptacle device, a switch decice, a luminaire, a smoke detector, etc. You will find in the older codes first requiring the bedroom "receptacles" to be AFCI protected, and then when expanded later, it read all Outlets to be AFCI protected. That meant everything in the bedroom. Now wiring in the bedroom walls was not included there if it had no "outlets" in the bedroom.
A company may refer to a device as commercial grade, but there is no standard in the code book that differentiates Residential devices from commercial devices. It is onle the manufacturer that has made that determination.
The thing to remember with a device rated 15 amps is that any equipment using that receptacle will also only be rated to use 12 amps maximum (80% of 15). If a device has the sideways prong, then that particular piece of equipment will take between 12 and 16 amps (80%of 20).
Yes, you can buy the more expensive receptacles and switches, but as for myself, an electrician for 20 years and an electrical inspector for 20 years, I buy the cheapest Decora devices I can find. In my last house I had for 20 years after the remodel, not one device failed. Remember, these devices were not just thrown together, but had to meet certain safety criteria per UL standards. That being said, do not Ever use a device without a NRTL listing under any circumstances. Devices that are not listed are built to no standard except what the accountant thought was cheap enough to make a buck and fool the end user.
In all my years as an electrical inspector, I learned one very valuable lesson. My opinion had nothing to do with it. It was the code and listing that dictated acceptance, not my opinion. I hope that there are some inspectors reading this that really look into the intent of the code and not a personal biased opinion. Call the manufacturer, UL, or any other National Recognized Testing Laboratory if you have a question. They would love to educate you as nobody can know everything unless they ask.
Thank you.
Thanks for all the feedback Bryan. I always appreciate people sharing their experience 👍
Wow! That was very deep!
maybe have someone update your previous videos with a pinned comment or edited description with your amazon shop... because I had a hard time finding it until I stumbled onto this video :-)
Question: so majority of appliances (refrigerators, ovens, stoves etc…) dont go over the 15A? During what scenario would a 20 A be appropriate, more than one appliance plugged into the outlet?
Residential refrigerators, and counter top appliances are not allowed to be manufactured to require a 20 amp cord and plug. Ovens, stoves etc are not counter top appliances. Those can be 30 to 60 amp 120/240 volt appliances. If you buy a commercial appliance like used in restaurants, many of those are 20 amp 120V. Those are typically on a dedicated circuit. Hope this helps you.
Key issue at the moment with most (all?) commercial grade, and the thing that makes both those receptacles you showed against code, is that they are not tamper resistant. TR is required for all 15 and 20 amp receptacles in residential.
TR is not required for all residential per NEC, but it’s pretty close. For example the garage door receptacle on the ceiling does not need to be TR. There are commercial grade TR, for Eaton look at TRBR20 or 15.
Yeah, I was debating wether or not to at least mention TR. thanks for calling it out.
@@EverydayHomeRepairs You certainly should since it is 100% required by code in almost every area in residential and you don't want to be giving some code guidance while not discussing a part that will cause them to fail inspection if they don't have it.
Was a issue when I was just rebuilding and rewiring my basement last year as I could not find any commercial grade outlets with TR (which is silly as there are a lot of commercial settings where they are required now). Flimsier consumer ones with no back wiring made it more painful to install and get flush (as for some reason all the leviton consumer ones sat too far back so I had to add the little bumpers to bring them out an 1/8th or so).
Execptions are mostly for receps out of reach of children: 5.5 feet from the floor or in enclosed spaces.
@@RJ-ej1nr Yeah, there are a few exceptions but for general audience videos like this it would probably be better for guidance just to assume TR and get them.
Thanks for the heads up on Eaton ones. Not sure if I missed those or if they were released after I was looking for my project about a year and half ago, but I would have certainly liked those more than the leviton consumer grade ones I got.
Thanks for the video, sorry I missed the live ✌👍
No problem, we will catch you on the next one. 🙌
What I have found is 14 gauge wire and 20 amp breakers and 15 amp receptacles!! You need to highlight this problem.
I believe all electric boxes (used to connect devices) are called outlets or outlet boxes. The difference is you have specifically "lighting outlets" or "receptacle outlets" or others
Not quite. Boxes that contain switches, for example, are not outlets.
If you use power tools, you gonna sometimes exceed 15 A on a outlet. I didnt know how similar they were electrically tho. That's probably a good idea because I would likely just look at the panel and say yeah 20 circuit. Good enough for this table saw. I would actually favor printing 15 A on the outside of those outlets. Can you tell without opening the thing?
The issue I run into is having an electric (oil) heater on a circuit, and also on it is a treadmill. Always pops the breaker - Set up as 15 amp, covering all outlets in the basement. Must be 15 plugs, no others under heavy load. I warn my family to turn off the heater before starting treadmill, or expect a walk to the breaker box. Considering running a separate 20 amp circuit to the work out area.
Run two. One for each appliance. You might want to start playing video games very heavily!
So 20amp everything, you got it 👍
Great information! I’m in the process of checking all wiring on my outlets and switches since home builder electrician back stabbed most of them.
I still don’t quite understand if you have a 15 amp outlet on 20 amp circuit will the outlet only ever draw a max of 15 amps? I don’t understand how outlet can limit the draw, or if that’s just a max rating on the outlet?
A typical cord cap/plug, the 2 blades are straight/parallel. That's a 15A configuration. A 20 amp configuration is where they're perpendicular, T shaped. If something is designed to draw more than 15 amps, it will have a 20 amp plug on the end of the cord and it will not fit into a 15 amp recep. The link between the two sides of a recep is rated for 20 amps, so on a 20 amp circuit the breaker will trip before any parts of the recep exceed their ratings.
Hi there!!
First thanks for enlightening me on differences with 15a 20a receptacles and the wiring types and all. Very informative
Quick question tho.. so when I plug in my vacuum in certain different sockets in my mobile home and the breaker kicks power off.. does that mean I have bad wiring is present somewhere or should I just purchase a new vacuum or call an electrician?
The home is quite up in age as well as the vacuum and I’ve learned a lot from this video so if I do have to call electrician I can ATLEAST sound like a mechanic ha
Any advice will be appreciated
It's easier if you think about the demand rather than the capacity. A 15 amp plug (the standard with 2 blades parallel) won't ever be wired to something that wants more than 15 amps. A 20 amp plug has blades perpendicular, hence the sideways slot in the outlet.
@7:11 - you stated that a higher current device could be connected as you still have a 20A breaker and 12 gauge wire on the 15A receipticals. My house was wired just two years ago and that's not the case. Most recepticals are on 15A dual function arc/ground fault breakers with 14/2 wiring (as are the lighting circuits, which are all LED lights). I wouldn't assume that 12/2 is run on a 20A breaker when I see a 15A rated receptical. The only place I have 20A w/ 12/2 is the kitchen, baths, and dedicated circuits (microwave and washing machine).