I am changing a 50-amp breaker to a 30-amp one to install an oven that draws less current than the old one did. I have seen information here about testing a bad circuit breaker, but how do you test a good one? In other words, if I install a new breaker, how do I know it will trip if the load exceeds 30 amps?
Other than shorting both legs of the 220 line and creating an impressive spark, you just assume, as the rest of us, that the breaker works, and chances are that it will.
What is the current draw on your new oven at full load?
Put a >30 amp load on the circuit?
The breaker is there to protect the wiring, not the appliance. And there's no need to check them.
There is no need to change the breaker to match the load, as long as all the associated wiring is rated for 50A.
Dave
Will the plug go in a 50A recpt? If it does then I see no reason to change it.
You would only have to change the breaker if you changed the outlet.
I think most receptacles are keyed somehow to keep you from using an incorrect appliance.
You can plug a 15A device in a 20 Amp recpt, but you can not plug a
20A plug into a 15A recpt.I'd like to see a 20a plug. They're so few and far between, they might as well obsolete them.
Connect it to a load that exceeds 30 amps.
Some heaters and lots of airconditioners use 20 amp plugs. They are sold in our local hardware stores.
Don Young
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