Hi,
I have a 20 amp circuit in my kitchen which feeds several outlets. None of these outlets are rated at 20 amps, however. They're rated for
- Thanks,
Todd
Not a problem in the US.
It used to be a problem in Canada; I think it's OK there too now if duplex outlets.
Best regards, Bob
According to code, you only need one 20A outlet on a 20A circuit. The rest can be regular 15A outlets. In my opinion, it's a poor practice to do this, but it is acceptable. I only use 20A outlets on a 20A circuit.
Where does it say in the Code that you need *any* 20A outlets on a 20A circuit? Using 15A outlets on a 20A circuit is explicitly permitted.
scott snipped-for-privacy@my-deja.com wrote in news:1119966641.470809.5340 @f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:
You may be thinking of the requirement that if a 20 amp circuit only has a single receptacle then it must be a 20 amp receptacle. If there's more than one then 15 amp receptacles are OK. The packaging for 15 amp units usually says something like 15 amp plug, 20 amp feed through.
Doug
In case it isn't obvious, a duplex receptacle is not a single receptacle. A 15 amp duplex receptacle can be installed as the only device on a 20 amp circuit.
Bud--
The only difference between a 20a and a 15a is that you CANNOT plug a 20a device into a 15a outlet, so you can't overload the 15a circuit. (well, at least not that way)
Since you probably don't have any 20a devices, it makes no difference what you use; as long as you don't have 20a outlets on a 15a circuit.
The only exception is that if you have only one outlet on a 20a circuit, it has to be a 20a outlet. I haven't any idea why.
It goes without saying that you still have to use #12 wire with 20a breaker, regardless of the outlets.
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