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What is the danger if you replace a 15 amp circuit breaker with a 25 ampere breaker?
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
If the wire used on the circuit is sized for 15 amps (usually 14 gauge) you run a very serious risk of fire.
If the wire used on the circuit is sized for 25 amps (usually 10 gauge, good for 30 amps) there is no increased danger.
Additional InformationIf you don't know if the wire is sized for 25 amps, DON'T DO IT!A 25 amp circuit would require 10 AWG wire. The fire hazard mentioned above is real and you shouldn't ignore that advice.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
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Why does your central heat keep tripping the circuit breaker?
This is an interesting question with unfortunately not quite enough information for a good answer. But I'll give you a few things that could cause this situation and the conditions in which they will occur.1. This problem has always occurred: The wiring/circuit breaker that controls the unit are not rated high enough to accommodate the unit. Make sure that both are rated for the draw listed on a tag somewhere on the unit.2. This is a recent problem that is getting worse with time: The wiring going to the unit degrades with time, as does the circuit breaker itself, limiting their ability to carry current to the unit causing it to try and draw more amperes than the breaker will allow. Replace the wiring and/or breaker with the appropriate size needed for your application.3. This happens at times when there are a large amount of electrical items on in your dwelling. This means that the circuit may be being used to power other devices as well, and combined they are overloading the breaker. This is unlikely as the unit should have a dedicated circuit. Remove all other devices from the circuit, or run a new circuit to the unit of the appropriate rating.4. This is a recent problem and is consistent in the time it takes for the breaker to trip. The wiring may have been damaged in some way, such as a mouse chewing on the wire, or a nail/screw being driven through it. This is the most dangerous of the options as it could cause a fire when you reset the breaker. Check the wiring for damage, and replace it with the appropriate size for your application.I highly recommend that you seek out an electrician to rectify this problem. Not a Handyman, or someone of that nature, but a true licensed Electrician. This could be a serious problem that puts you, your home, and your family in danger.
When live neutral wires in a domestic circui t come in contact with each other what occurs?
If the live and neutral wires come into contact the circuit is completed and a current will flow. Since there is no appliance in the circuit and the resistance in the wires is low the current will rapidly rise to high levels. Typically a safety device, a fuse or circuit breaker, will then react and stop the current flowing. The reaction speed of the safety devices is normally not quick enough to prevent a shower of sparks (molten metal) and melt damage to the wires where they touched.
Can 10 gauge wire be used on a 20 amp breaker?
NO! The circuit is being overloaded. Danger of fire will result from just changing the size of the fuse or breaker. A 30 amp breaker may be used with #10 wiring. #10 is rated for 30 amps. I would be hesitant to do this if the tripping problem is something new though.
Can a 15 amp breaker be replaced with a 20 amp?
Please be more specific....simply replacing the breaker with a 20 amp may cause a fire; if the cable is sized for 15 amp and is overloaded. Your 15 amp breaker is probably feeding #14 wire. The use of a 20 amp breaker requires at least a #12 wire be used. Fire hazard if breakers and wiring are not sized correctly.
How many gfci outlets can you have on one circuit?
This question requires answering by a VERY knowledgable electrician, or an electrical engineer. I am neither, but until the right answer comes along, I will attempt to provide some information which hopefully will allow a better understanding of the issues involved. A GFCI [ground fault circuit interrupter] is much different from, although similar to, a circuit breaker. The DIFFERENCE is WHAT they are designed to detect and react to. The purpose of a fuse or circuit breaker is to detect excess or MASSIVE current flow [ie. a SHORT CIRCUIT, a direct short to ground], and then very quickly turn off the electrical current to the circuit, in order TO PREVENT a FIRE. This is the only thing the breaker is designed and intended to do. This limited capability will not prevent a person from being electrocuted when a fault occurs within an electrical device, if the current flow happens to be low. Voltage and current faults which can kill a person usually will not be detected by a circuit breaker. A ground fault circuit interrupter [GFCI], on the other hand, is designed to, and will, detect those low level currents which can kill a person, BUT which are not great enough to trip a breaker. When a GFCI detects potentially dangerous current it, like a breaker, trips in order to open the circuit. Now as to WHY, when you placed two GFCIs in series [one in the breaker panel feeding one in an electrical receptacle], the first GFCI tripped when the second GFCI is "tested." When you press the TEST BUTTON on a GFCI it puts a high resistance load on the circuit, which simulates a "small" ground fault, and I think both GFCIs "see" the same fault and react as designed and intended. Again, a true professional should "bless" my comments, but I think that there is no danger or hazard in placing two GFCIs in series. On the contrary, I think there is redundant capability in the pairing, with the first GFCI functioning with, and as a backup to, the second. I suggest you contact your local electrial inspection department regarding what the code(s) say about this issue, and also call the tech support people at the 800 number on the packaging for the GFCIs. Another source of information is a local electrical engineer, if you know someone who can help you make contact. Until a more informed answer comes along, I hope this helps you to understand the issues involved.
Why does your central heat keep tripping the circuit breaker?
This is an interesting question with unfortunately not quite enough information for a good answer. But I'll give you a few things that could cause this situation and the conditions in which they will occur.1. This problem has always occurred: The wiring/circuit breaker that controls the unit are not rated high enough to accommodate the unit. Make sure that both are rated for the draw listed on a tag somewhere on the unit.2. This is a recent problem that is getting worse with time: The wiring going to the unit degrades with time, as does the circuit breaker itself, limiting their ability to carry current to the unit causing it to try and draw more amperes than the breaker will allow. Replace the wiring and/or breaker with the appropriate size needed for your application.3. This happens at times when there are a large amount of electrical items on in your dwelling. This means that the circuit may be being used to power other devices as well, and combined they are overloading the breaker. This is unlikely as the unit should have a dedicated circuit. Remove all other devices from the circuit, or run a new circuit to the unit of the appropriate rating.4. This is a recent problem and is consistent in the time it takes for the breaker to trip. The wiring may have been damaged in some way, such as a mouse chewing on the wire, or a nail/screw being driven through it. This is the most dangerous of the options as it could cause a fire when you reset the breaker. Check the wiring for damage, and replace it with the appropriate size for your application.I highly recommend that you seek out an electrician to rectify this problem. Not a Handyman, or someone of that nature, but a true licensed Electrician. This could be a serious problem that puts you, your home, and your family in danger.
What is a bare bright wire?
The bare wire is the equipment grounding conductor. Its purpose is to ground the metal parts of equipment that are not part of the circuit. This assures the proper function of the breaker in the event of a fault. It exists for your safety and disregarding it exposes you to potential danger, even death.
When live neutral wires in a domestic circui t come in contact with each other what occurs?
If the live and neutral wires come into contact the circuit is completed and a current will flow. Since there is no appliance in the circuit and the resistance in the wires is low the current will rapidly rise to high levels. Typically a safety device, a fuse or circuit breaker, will then react and stop the current flowing. The reaction speed of the safety devices is normally not quick enough to prevent a shower of sparks (molten metal) and melt damage to the wires where they touched.
Can you downgrade from a 125amp main breaker to 100 amp breaker using the same box?
You can reduce the breaker size because that limits the current that can reach the main panel. There is no safety issue other than the significant danger in an unskilled person changing out a main breaker.
What will be happen if you use earthing in place of neutral in any circuit?
* * * DANGER * * * DANGER * * * DANGER * * *Do not, under any circumstances, use earth ground instead of neutral in a circuit. Besides being a violation of the US National Electrical Code, and probably the applicable electrical code for any country that has an existing neutral system in place, it constitutes a hazard because the earth ground conductor is not rated to carry operational current. It is only there to carry momentary fault current so as to trip the protective device (fuse or circuit breaker) in the distribution panel. Also, placing operational current on protective earth ground can raise the voltage on that conductor, creating the potential for an electrocution hazard.
Can 10 gauge wire be used on a 20 amp breaker?
NO! The circuit is being overloaded. Danger of fire will result from just changing the size of the fuse or breaker. A 30 amp breaker may be used with #10 wiring. #10 is rated for 30 amps. I would be hesitant to do this if the tripping problem is something new though.
Why is a short circuit dangerous?
A short circuit will draw a lot of current and produce heat so there is great danger of damage and even fire
Is it possible to convert 220 v wiring to two 110 v wiring?
You will need a 220 volt primary isolation transformer with a split, center taped, secondary 220 volt winding.-------------------Answer for USAIf you live in the United States and your 220v circuit is a 2-pole circuit, you replace the 2-pole breaker with 2 individual 110v breakers and **PRESTO** you are now ready to run 2 individual 110v circuits.If you wish to use existing wiring, and you have 3 wires plus ground, you have all you need. These 2 circuits can share the same neutral without any electrical danger.Before you do any work yourselfon circuits, equipment or appliances,ensure the circuit is, in fact, OFF.IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOBSAFELY AND COMPETENTLYREFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
Can a 15 amp breaker be replaced with a 20 amp?
Please be more specific....simply replacing the breaker with a 20 amp may cause a fire; if the cable is sized for 15 amp and is overloaded. Your 15 amp breaker is probably feeding #14 wire. The use of a 20 amp breaker requires at least a #12 wire be used. Fire hazard if breakers and wiring are not sized correctly.
Why circuit breakers do not trip even though there is a fault?
1. Maybe you are using more than you think. Hair dryers really suck a lot of juice. 2. You may have a low-amp breaker with a lot of outlets wired to it. 3. It really depends on how many amps are being pulled vs how many amps the breaker can handle. What you need to do is identify every light and outlet that is wired to that breaker. Next time the breaker trips, leave it off and start figuring this out. Identify every light that is no longer working. Then carry a lamp (better yet, a night-light) around your house and try it in every outlet, identifying the ones that don't work. Before you flip the breaker switch, look at the switch. It should tell you how many amps it can handle before it trips. Overhead light fixture generally suck about 2-3 amps. A celing fan another 2-3 (a combination ceiling fan with light kit, around 5). Add up all the fixtures you identified as being on that circuit, and that's how many amps you are pulling, even when nothing is plugged into an outlet on that circuit. Now, a general rule in electrical wiring is that you're not supposed to have fixtures and outlets on the same circuit. I don't think there's any real danger in doing that, but it just kind of makes it easier to keep everything organized. So it may or may not be true in your house. So you may not have any fixtures at all on the circuit. If you don't, then ignore the lights and ceiling fans. Your load on that circuit is whatever appliances you have plugged in and running at the time. If you DO have fixtures on the circuit, then you can add the amps from those fixtures. Growing up, I lived in a house where the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room were all on the same circuit. That circuit must have been a huge number of amps to support all that. But nevertheless, if you turned on the hair dryer while the clothes dryer and bathroom vent were both on, it tripped the breaker every time. And the lights went out in all three rooms. Solutions? Well, if turning on your hair dryer is what causes the breaker to trip, you can try drying your hair when other things on that circuit are not operating. Or just plug your hair dryer in to an outlet that is not on that breaker. That's the easiest thing to do. You might also think about putting a bigger (more amps) breaker on that circuit in your breaker box (I suggest you don't do this yourself - hire an electrician). Another option is to change some of the outlets and/or fixtures to another circuit, one that doesnt have as much load on it. This will require some re-wiring, which, with a little bit of knowledge, you can do yourself. But if you are not comfortable with that, then again, hire an electrician. Overhead fixtures aren't so bad because the wiring is usually up in your attic. You just need to identify which wires are on which circuits and divert another circuit to include your fixtures. Also, you need to make sure that the old circuit is still continuous (if there was a fixture in between the breaker and an outlet, or between two outlets, and you took that fixture off the circuit, then you have to complete the circuit between the breaker and outlet, or between the two outlets, directly - make sense?). The thing that you have to keep in mind is that, while you are decreasing the load on one circuit, you are increasing the load on the other circuit, and you don't want to put so much on the other circuit that it starts to trip. Oh one warning. Anything that draw a LOT of amps, like a hair dryer or clothes dryer or chop saw, should never be plugged into any outlet that is on the same circuit with electronic devices (TVs, stereos, computers, DVD players). Even if it doesn't trip the breaker (a potential disaster for some electronics), the current change created by turning the high-amp appliance on and off can damage the sensitive components of such electronics. So-called "surge protectors" are not sufficient for protecting your electronic equipment from this - they only protect against minor fluctuations caused by slight changes in the current coming into your house.
What does it mean if me peugeot 407 says Coolant circuit level too low?
it means that your in great danger.
Compare and contrast a circuit breaker and a fuse?
A circuit breaker is something you can reset. When the switch "trips", the position of the switch goes to the middle. To reset it, move to Off, then On.When a fuse blows, its two external contacts are no longer connected by the internal piece of fuse wire and an electrical current can no longer flow.More technical details about fusesIn all types of disposable fuse, two contacts which are on the body of the fuse are connected to a piece of fuse wire inside. The material used to make the fuse wire, and its thickness, designed to melt - and thus break the circuit - if the current flowing through it exceeds a certain amperage, which is known as the fuse's "maximum rated current".There are many different types of disposable fuse: some are screwed into what looks like a light bulb socket.Other types are small tubes - made of glass or ceramic - with a metal contact at each end. They are held in a fuse holder that has contacts, clips or springs which make contact with each of the fuse's end contacts.Some commonly used automotive fuses are made of plastic and have two flat metal "pins" which plug into a pair of contacts in the fuse box.
