What is the difference between a 15 amp and 20 amp

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Changes will take effect once you reload the page. July 29, Cristina Dinulescu. The Bottom Line The greatest number of household electric networks use outlets with a 15 amp rating, basically because they are cheaper than the 20 amp ones and they can also connect to 20 amp circuits.

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Otherwise you will be prompted again when opening a new browser window or new a tab. Google Analytics Cookies. Other external services. Other cookies. Privacy Policy. Apart from this, there are numerous differences between these two because of their attributes and purposes. The amp electric outlet happens to be very common all across the world, and it is widely used in places where the utilization happens to be minimal to moderate. This outlet can be recognized very easily as the electric holes in this outlet appear as rectangles.

A very unique feature of this outlet is that this is not just compatible with a amp outlet but a amp outlet also. But on the other hand, the amp outlet happens to be very popular due to the fact that it can easily make itself compatible with large electrical appliances. This outlet can easily be found in places where the utilization of electricity is very high such as washing machines and refrigerators. A unique feature that helps to recognize this outlet is that it contains a pin on the left of its corner with the shape of the letter T.

The only drawback is that this outlet happens to be compatible with only a amp outlet and not with a amp outlet. A amp outlet, also known as the ampere outlet, happens to be a very prominent type among all the electric outlets available in the public domain. Usually, this outlet comes in two major types.

One happens to be a two-prong outlet, and the other happens to be a three-prong outlet. So if you put 3 outlets on a 20A circuit with a 12 gauge wire and 20 amp breaker, put regular 15 amp outlets on it. Then you can only plug in W worth of appliances on all 3 outlets and turn them all on at the same time before the breaker trips. If you have a 15 amp curcuit, with a 14 gauge wire and a 15a breaker, it can only handle W before it trips. One other thing to remember, that I didn't see mentioned, is that sinking feeling you'll have when you discover your homeowners insurance wont cover the fire damage caused by non-compliant wiring modifications.

Okay, there's some good info and bad info on the responses. He needed to verify his code and provide evidence. NEC , So by its nature, Table And he's also wrong about lighting only being on 15A circuits. It can be on 20A circuits, nothing in the NEC prohibits this. In fact, NEC , An exception to this is There are plenty of 20A swtiches. Great info My question: I have a 20a circuit connected to a 20a outlet, can i use it to connect a small window ac and another plug for desktop computer?

Electrician here. If it were my house, I would run all my outlets with 12 wire 20 amp and all my lights with 14 wire 15 amp.

The newer led lights are so efficient that 20 amp circuits are overkill. Each standard led recess or puck light I count as 1 amp load, and so I can put 12 lights on each one without worrying about coming close to overloading it. With how bright leds are, you can light up an entire floor of a house on just two 15 amp circuits. My house was built in The kitchen outlets are on a 20A circuit breaker. There are a total of 9 outlets on the circuit: 3 outlets are wired directly to the circuit, 1 outlet is a 20A GFCI to which the other 5 other outlets are connected.

One of the 5 outlets is an exterior outlet. Does this sound safe and to code? I was trying to calculate actual amps when various appliances were in use. I calculated 2, Watts would be 20Amps.

Can 20 amps be exceeded for short periods of time? For example my coffee maker is w but only takes a few minutes to brew the coffee. If I made 4 slices of toast at the same time w I'd be pulling Is that okay to do occasionally or to be avoided? Some people asked if they can just change a 15A outlet to a 20A outlet.

If this is the ONLY appliance on the circuit, it's likely fine but not legal many places. Also, if you read the wattage of wire and the distance it has to travel, a shorter circuit is going to work MUCH better. The longer the run the higher the losses. Also HEAT! If you live in a cold climate it's less likely to give you issues than say Houston TX F sometimes. AND - what size wire did they run? In a lot of older homes years I come across, they actually ran larger wire which is rated for 20A.

And to answer the above question most appliances that use a lot of power are when they kick on and off fridge, AC, etc. A hairdryer is a definite exception. Under most circumstances you're probably not going to have issues, but running the coffee maker AND the toaster oven at the same time will likely trip the circuit.

I had a microwave, tea maker, toaster oven, and coffee maker all hooked up on one circuit - run the microwave and toaster oven at the same time pop goes the circuit. Here you may want an electrician to "split" the circuit.