Greetings,
Can I switch a load of < 15A (say a baseboard heater) on 20A circuit with a 15A rated switch or does the switch need to be rated at 20A because that is the rating of the circuit?
Thank you for your time, William
oh hell yeah
that's like saying, I used to put gas in a 15 gallon tank.. but my fifteen gallon tank caught a hole in it.. but I have a 20 gallon tank.. do you think the 20 gallon tank will hold 15 gallons...
oh hell yeah
don't worry, you won't burn the house down
#2... if you were to say.. can I put a 20A rated appliance on a 15A circuit I would be worried
Greetings,
I am sorry but I do not follow your logic. What I am saying is not crazy. I have several lamps with 18 AWG cord plugged into 20A circuits. Some of these lamp cords even have inline switches which appear to be rated at only 6A ( Please see
Thanks again, William
I don't understand the gas tank story either. No, you can't use the 15a switch. If you have a 20a breaker, everything on the circuit must be 20a. Either get a 20a switch or a 15a breaker.
It is probably one of the more trivial code violations; after all, what would happen if you actually put 20a through the switch? But it is still a violation.
I'm not sure I followed their logic. However, the Canadian Electrical Code-2002 does state that you must be providing currect carrying conductors that can handle the maximum possible load requirement available.
In your case since you have 15a breaker switch the total maximum carrying capacity is 15a. This requires a 14AWG conductor.
Your question is a little confusing though. You say a "20A circuit"? Is it your intent to carry a full 20amps? (I don't think it is as you also mention "can I switch a load of
Per Code, switches are to be rated for the loads they control -- so if you're switching a load of less than 15A, it's ok to use a 15A rated switch. Even on a 20A circuit.
just look at the charge-flow you got there
source
15A 20A 15A - switchyou actually cannot deliver more than 15A to the 20A circuit
yule be fine
I am sure you are right... but it doesn't make sense. Can you document that?
2005 NEC, Art. 410.14
404.14 Rating and Use of Snap Switches. Snap switches shall be used within their ratings and as indicated in 404.14(A) through (D).
(A) Alternating Current General-Use Snap Switch. A form of general-use snap switch suitable only for use on ac circuits for controlling the following: (1) Resistive and inductive loads, including electric-discharge lamps, not exceeding the ampere rating of the switch at the voltage involved .
Thank you very much Doug. Your responses are always of the highest quality.
Don't mean to be argumentative... Switches must be as large as their loads. Couldn't possibly disagree with that. But isn't there a general rule that all components must be as large as the breaker that protects them? There is no contradiction between the two; just because the switch must be as large as the load doesn't mean is shouldn't also be as large as the breaker. Certainly the breaker will be at least as large as the load.
No. For example, the NEC explicitly permits the use of 15A receptacles on a
20A circuit. And, as we were discussing here, switches need to be rated only for the loads they control, not the rest of the circuit.
You can plug a table lamp into a 20a circuit but you certainly could not switch a 20a load with that little switch in the lamp holder. Another example would be the 18 ga wiring in a light fixture which could be on a 15 or 20a circuit. The load (a couple light bulbs) controls the amount of current that flows in normal operation. They only size the wire to deal with a short and an 18ga wire would sustain a dead short until a 20a breaker could trip.
You missed some dean
the circuit breaker protects the equiptment your feeding. it also protects the wires supplying the power from being over loaded and melting, the breaker rating must not be greater than the wire rating. the wire rating can be greater than the breaker rating.
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