4 ms·
Yes, but if all the wires are rated 15A, and the breaker is 15A or less, there's no issue. The problem case is putting equipment onto a 20A breaker using 15A w
by kaetemi 6y ago
Yes, but if all the wires are rated 15A, and the breaker is 15A or less, there's no issue.
The problem case is putting equipment onto a 20A breaker using 15A wires and plugs.
Or putting 20A equipment on a 15A breaker and wiring. The breaker won't trip immediately. Things will heat up slowly until the breaker trips, and you will have damage.
- theamk 6y agoIf you follow the link I showed, you'd see that the wires are actually rated 13 amperes, less than maximum capacity of the outlet. So it is not that uncommon to have unsafe wiring combinations -- be it 20A equipment on 15A wiring, or 15A equipment on 13A wiring. Neither is illegal, for better of for worse. Know the specs of your equipment if you deal with non-trivial electrical power.
- XorNot 6y agoWires are generally not rated for any specific current - the insulation is rated for a certain thermal load, and then electricians have a bunch of look up tables for the environment, run length and current to determine what gauge to use.