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No, this is not a recommended procedure. The breakers main job is to protect the wire that is connected to it. A 20A breaker will have a #12 wire (rated 20A) connected to it. A 30A breaker will have a #10 wire (rated 30A) connected to it. As you can see if you use a 30A breaker on a #12 wire you could overload the wire by 10 amps. I have seen an incident where the insulation has melted off of an overloaded wire, the wire short out and a fire start before the bigger size breaker tripped. DON'T DO IT.
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoYes, the #10 wire that should be connected to the 30 amp breaker will be more than large enough to handle a 20 amp load.
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What size wire and breaker do you need for a 5000 watt garage heater?
Look on the heater and see what amps it is pulling. That will determine the wire size and breaker size. It must be on a dedicated circuit. 15 amps = AWG # 14 wire with 15 amp breaker 20 amps = AWG # 12 wire with 20 amp breaker 30 amps = AWG # 10 wire with 30 amp breaker 40 amps = AWG # 8 wire with 40 amp breaker
How many volts can you draw off of a 15amp breaker?
It's the amps that are controlled by the breaker not the volts. You can have a 600 volt 15 amp breaker, you can have a 347 volt 15 amp breaker. The breaker will trip when you exceed 15 AMPS.
What is the difference between a 30 amp and a 40 amp breaker?
10 amps
Can you safely use a 15 amp circuit for a microwave rated at 12 amps?
Yes, the microwave draws less that the circuits protective rating and will not trip the breaker if used on a 15 amp circuit.
Could you use a 12gauge wire for a 25 amp breaker single pole?
No a #12 wire is only rated for 20 amps. The 40 amp breaker will not protect the #12 wire. A 40 amp breaker should have a #8 wire connected to it which is rated at 45 amps. The only time that a breaker is allowed to be bigger that the wire size rating according to the electrical code is when a motor is connected to the breaker. This is to stop the 300 percent inrush of the motor full load amps from nuisance tripping a smaller sized breaker.
What size wire and breaker do you need for a 5000 watt garage heater?
Look on the heater and see what amps it is pulling. That will determine the wire size and breaker size. It must be on a dedicated circuit. 15 amps = AWG # 14 wire with 15 amp breaker 20 amps = AWG # 12 wire with 20 amp breaker 30 amps = AWG # 10 wire with 30 amp breaker 40 amps = AWG # 8 wire with 40 amp breaker
Can you upgrade a 15 Amps circuit breaker for a 40 Amp for a 8.5 Watt shower?
Not unless you change the wiring for that circuit. The breaker protects the wiring and if you install a 40 amp breaker on a 15 amp wire circuit you will have a fire in your home.
How many volts can you draw off of a 15amp breaker?
It's the amps that are controlled by the breaker not the volts. You can have a 600 volt 15 amp breaker, you can have a 347 volt 15 amp breaker. The breaker will trip when you exceed 15 AMPS.
What is the difference between a 30 amp and a 40 amp breaker?
10 amps
Can you safely use a 15 amp circuit for a microwave rated at 12 amps?
Yes, the microwave draws less that the circuits protective rating and will not trip the breaker if used on a 15 amp circuit.
Could you use a 12gauge wire for a 25 amp breaker single pole?
No a #12 wire is only rated for 20 amps. The 40 amp breaker will not protect the #12 wire. A 40 amp breaker should have a #8 wire connected to it which is rated at 45 amps. The only time that a breaker is allowed to be bigger that the wire size rating according to the electrical code is when a motor is connected to the breaker. This is to stop the 300 percent inrush of the motor full load amps from nuisance tripping a smaller sized breaker.
Can you use a double pole 15 amp breaker in place of a 20 amp single pole breaker for a 12000 BTU air conditioner?
If the 12,000 BTU A/C only requires 20 amps to run then yes you can use the same 12 gauge wire but you cannot change it to a 15 amp breaker. You will need to install a 20 amp double pole breaker. If it requires more than 20 amps you will have to replace the wiring and breaker.
What breaker for 17.3 amps?
I would suggest a 20 amp breaker. * Added - I would suggest a 25 amp breaker. A slight surge, depending upon what equipment is the source of the 17.3 amp load, should not result in circuit breaker opening. <<>> In North America, the electrical code only allows circuit loading up to 80% on a continuous load. A 20 amp breaker can be legally loaded to 16 amps. A 25 amp breaker can be legally loaded to 20 amps.
Should 25 amps breaker be replaced by 20 amps?
For typical residential house wiring 12 AWG wire is required for a 20 Amp breaker. If you change out the breaker for a 25 A breaker you would have to rewire the circuit with 10 AWG. In that case you could up the breaker to 30 Amps. All outlets and switches should be rated at the same voltage and current as the breaker.
What does the ka rating of a circuit breaker mean?
Most times it is the surge current the breaker can withstand in kilo-amps. A normal breaker will see several thousand amps in a short condition. The breaker must be able to withstand and break that current safely.
I have a 15 amp tool hooked up to a 15 amp breaker- This trips the breaker even with nothing else running- There is also a GFCI outlet on the same circuit- Is the breaker or GFCI bad?
A 15 amp breaker will trip at 15 amps at an ambient temperature of 104 degree F. If the ambient temperature is higher the breaker will trip before 15 amps and if the ambient temperature is lower the breaker will trip after 15 amps. I would suspect the circuit is overloaded. But, you can change the breaker and see what happens. Just swap it with another one.
What breaker to use in a bedroom that holds up to 15 amps with 120v?
15 amp breaker.
