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Youcan butyou shouldn't. A #12 copper conductor's rating is20 amps.


The overcurrent protection on the branch should be LESS than the ampacity of the smallest conductor. That way, the breaker will blow before the wire gets red hot, damages its insulation, or causes a structure fire.

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11y ago
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9y ago

No, the ampacity rating of a #12 conductor is only 20 amps and the breaker would not protect the conductor at a rating of 30 amps before trip. The only time a breaker can be larger that the conductor rating is when connecting a motor load to the breaker. This is to allow the inrush current of the motor, on start up, to prevent the breaker from tripping due to the large current flow.

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10y ago

No. 12 awg wire is rated at 20 amps maximum.

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Q: Can you use a 30 amp breaker on 12 awg wire?
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Depends on the wire size used in the circuit. If you use AWG # 14 wire you must use a 15 amp breaker. If it is wired with AWG # 12 wire then you use a 20 amp breaker. If a AWG # 10 wire is used then a 30 amp breaker is required. The breaker protects the wiring from overheating so you must use the proper size breaker for the wire used.


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