15A outlet on 20A circuit (washer, Air Conditioner, heater, vacuum)
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A laundry room & powder room outlets are being wired on a 20A circuit. Washer and dryer are, of course on dedicated circuits.
Is there any reason that I can't use 15 amp outlets for the rest instead of going for 20A outlets? I'm not aware of any appliance likely to be plugged in that would overload the outlet.
OTOH, one can envision that the total circuit load could might exceed 15A - say, a space heater, an iron, a vacuum, who knows what else. Thanks muchly in advancing.
Go by the wiring in your house. If you have #14 wire at your outlets use 15amp. If you have #12 wire, use 20amp.
The house wiring is a hodgepodge - 60 years old and has had 2 additions spaced 15 years apart with several remodels/updates as well. There are even a couple original 2-prong outlets, so there's no clear "model" to follow. Anyway, most of the outlets are 15A on 14. A few are 20A on 12, but there aren't any 20A outlets anyplace regardless of what's on the panel and the wire itself.
Can I run 14 ga romex to the lights and then 12 ga to the outlets?
Go by the wiring in your house. If you have #14 wire at your outlets use 15amp. If you have #12 wire, use 20amp.
Yup... Never put 20amp outlet on #14 wire. You can put 15amp outlet on #12 wire if it's a duplex receptacle. It's not necessary to run 20amp outlet (expensive) unless you expect high amp usages such as air conditioner.
The house wiring is a hodgepodge - 60 years old and has had 2 additions spaced 15 years apart with several remodels/updates as well. There are even a couple original 2-prong outlets, so there's no clear "model" to follow. Anyway, most of the outlets are 15A on 14. A few are 20A on 12, but there aren't any 20A outlets anyplace regardless of what's on the panel and the wire itself.
Can I run 14 ga romex to the lights and then 12 ga to the outlets?
If you are going through the trouble of pulling new wires, go with #12 wires and run 15amp outlets. Some prefer to just run all #12.
I agree that if you're going to take the time just run all 12 ga wire. You can use 14 for the lighting as loads are typically less. The one thing that hasn't been said is if you use a 15 amp receptacle the circuit better have a 15 amp breaker servicing it. Also, make sure to "make up" all your multi wire circuit, so if a receptacle goes bad the others down line don't lose power. Code only address's the white (grounded conductor) wire, but I just do it for all while I'm there.
I'm pretty sure NEC allows 15 amp rated duplex outlets on a 20 amp circuit using 12 awg wire. I certainly see plenty of circuits wired that way pass inspection.
It is common for "15 Amp" NEMA 5-15R receptacles to be rated for 20A feed-through when using the screw terminals. Better brands (Hubbell) will say this on the packaging or spec sheet.
I'm pretty sure NEC allows 15 amp rated duplex outlets on a 20 amp circuit using 12 awg wire. I certainly see plenty of circuits wired that way pass inspection.
It is common for "15 Amp" NEMA 5-15R receptacles to be rated for 20A feed-through when using the screw terminals. Better brands (Hubbell) will say this on the packaging or spec sheet.
You are correct ! Code says that a 15 amp receptacle may be installed on a 20 amp circuit. It does NOT need to be protected by a 15 amp breaker, the 20 amp breaker is legal. You cannot install a 20 amp receptacle on a 15 amp circuit however.
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