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Can you replace a 20 amp circuit breaker with a 25 amp circuit breaker?
Never upgrade the circuit breaker's amperage unless you have first upgraded the circuit. A 20-amp breaker will pop before a 12-AWG wire will melt. A 25-amp breaker cannot be relied upon to protect that same 12-AWG circuit.
When do you know if you need an electrical service upgrade?
1) If you are tripping the main breaker and you do not have an electrical fault in the home. 2) If you are installing additional circuits or appliances and you expect to exceed 80% of the load capacity of the existing service panel.
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.
Can you upgrade a 100A main circuit breaker to a higher amp?
It depends on a number of factors. The size of the service wires, the meter rating, the main breaker panel rating, etc. will have to be rated for the amperage you want to go up to.
Christmas light are causing the 15amp circuit breaker to trip and Circuit Panel is full Can I upgrade to a twin circuit breaker without installing a subpanel?
Your only hope is that someone wired the box not to code and that there are two wires going into the offending breaker. If you can't separate wires you can't distribute the load.
How do you increase the power output in your home?
The "power" or amperage can only be increased by changing the service entrance. This includes the service cable outside, the meter socket, the cable coming into the house, and the circuit breaker panel. By example you could go from a 100 amp service to a 200 amp service. But you need to understand the reason why you think you need to upgrade. If your main breaker is tripping you may be pulling too many amps for the entire household. This can be determined by using an amprobe. But more likely you would have an individual circuit breaker tripping. Increasing your service amperage would not help this situation. This is an overload on a single circuit. You would need to lighten the load on that circuit itself.
Do you need to upgrade the 100A service in your house to run power to a detached garage?
All depends on what type of equipment you are going to operate in the garage. I would suggest you call an electrician. You can connect to your existing 100 amp circuit if there is an empty spot for a breaker.
Can you change a 100 amp main breaker to a 200 amp main breaker if you also upgrade the service wire from the meter outside and your electrical panel itself is a brand new 100A box?
Your main breaker cannot exceed the rating of your panel.
In a new house with only the standard outlets in the garage on a 20 amp breaker what is the biggest breaker you can put on the circuit?
Could you clarify the question please. You can't just upgrade the breaker. Its calculated on wire size and other things. You'll have to run different wire if you want to up your amps.
Can you upgrade a 100 amp main with a 125 amp main breaker?
No, you must upgrade the feeder wire as well.
Why have I always been told not to load up an electrical circuit or equipment more than 80 percent and where is this stated?
The 80% ideal is from the NEC. Let's say you have a standard 15A circuit. This circuit is rated to carry a maximum of 15A, no more. If you try to draw more than 15A, the breaker will pop. Now, you can put 15A worth of appliances on this circuit, but then you are running it at its maximum all the time. If you add anything else to this circuit, you will pop the breaker. If you have something that draws surge current, it can opo the breaker under normal use. You have no "wiggle room" when you load it at its maximum. Also, as touched on above, if you run your circuit at the maximum you cannot add anything else. This is generally a sign that you need to upgrade your wiring. Furthermore, the breaker can handle 15A indefinitly under standard test conditions, which are close to ideal. Your breaker box may not be ideal. Breakers are thermal devices, so self heating and heating from other breakers can be a problem. If your breaker is hot, it will pop sooner than if it is cold. The more current that flows through it, the hotter it will get. If you are overloading circuits the easiest thing to do is to break the circuit up into multiple circuits. The exact implementation will depend on the situation.
How hard is it to upgrade if you have a 100 Amp service and want to change to 200 Amp with a new breaker panel?
=== === == == The process of replacing the equipment that comprises your service is simple and straightforward.1. Get a permit.2. A trained person cuts the service conductors so that they don't interfere with the utility company lines [so they can splice back in]!3. Remove the circuit conductors from the old panel.4. Demolish the old service.5. Install the new service.6. Reconnect the circuit conductors.7. Tie the new service cable back into the utility lines.8. Call for inspection.As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.Before you do any work yourself,on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOBSAFELY AND COMPETENTLYREFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
