I am installing new electrical receptacles thoroughout the house, this go around will be all 15A 120V. I will need about 75 of them, they need to be Decora style. Which is better, Leviton or Cooper? Lutron is a bit more than what I am willing to pay and too fancy for my taste.
Thanks,
MC
Hi, There are consumer, commercial, indusrial grade.
check out the following ebay auctions
LEVITON 5325-WH DECORA OUTLET 15AMP 125VOLT (50 PACK) Ebay Item number: 390027268935 Buy It Now price: US $79.95 free shipping
LEVITON 5325-WH DECORA OUTLET 15AMP 125VOLT (50 PACK) Ebay Item number: 390027268935 Buy It Now price: US $60.00 plus $15 shipping
I dont know which mfr is better or which item is better but check out the part numbers
cheers Bob
Buy a box of Leviton 20A electrical receptacles. The "heavy duty" or commercial types won't break and fail like the 50-cent kinds.
Yes, and it's most economical to select the grade of the device based on the location that it will be installed in. For locations where for example a table lamp will be plugged in and the receptacle isn't likely to see any other activity all year, the consumer/residential grade is fine. For locations like in a hallway where a vacuum will be frequently plugged in, etc. the commercial/spec grade is appropriate. For kitchens and workshops with constant plugging and unplugging use commercial/spec grade as the minimum.
Pass & Seymour also makes the Decora style receptacle and is an excellent brand. You would need to go to certain electrical supply company's for them. If you buy 75 at one time you could probably ask for a good price.
Someone else suggested using 20 amp receptacles. Those are only approved for use on 20 amp circuits.
That might lead to a problem if a high current device is plugged into a 14 ga circuit which OP apparently has. Might be a code issue.
Joe
P&S is available in our area at my local distributor and Menards. Prices are quite reasonable, especially the small contractor packs of ten. I particularly like the screw tightened back connections which makes life easier for installing those whopping big GFCI's. Over all quality IMO ranks close to the top.
Joe
Generally speaking, the contact quality will be the same between 15 and 20a receptacl;es in the same grade. The only difference is the plug configurations it will accept. The cheaper grades will only come in 15a and that is why they have the bad rep.
Not if the breaker is sized for the wire. However, you may get some irritated people, when they find out their 20 amp socket only delivers 15 amps.
I am a dummy when it comes to electrical.
When you say 20 amps versus 15 amps sockets. I have two electrical panels, one for each wing of the house. The circuit breakers are all 20A and above and the wirings are all 12 gauge. Of course the big appliances have higher amps and bigger wires. I just checked I only have one breaker that is 15A which is a dedicated circuit to a single outlet in a hallway - which is strange...
Here is a picture of Panel A:
Should I change out the lone 15A circuit breaker?
Thanks,
MC
A 20 Amp outlet has the extra horizontal slot. -|| and will accept either the standard plug || or the 20A plug -| . You can install these outlet if you want but not needed in most residential applications. Some older AC/heater units or shop equipment may have 20A plugs but kinda rare.
On 20A circuits you can use either the 15A or 20A outlets. You should not install the 20A outlets on a 15A circuit.
If your hallway circuit has 12ga wire then you can change the breaker to
20A if you want or leave it. If 14ga then it must remain 15A.An outlet does not have to be 20A to be better quality. You can get good and/or commercial grade 15A outlets. Kevin
"MiamiCuse" wrote in news:bYSdndnwb8SLlRTUnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@dsli.com:
Providing the wire is truly 12ga, you could install 20A receptacles with or without the extra leg.
20A receptacle needed for a 20A plug has an extra leg so it can't be plugged into a 15A outlet. 20A receptacleHaving at least one 20A extra leg receptacle is not a bad thing. Since GFCI's often are on 20A lines anyway, they are available with the extra leg.
I think the last time I saw a 20A plug was on a heat gun in a shop long ago.
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