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If your load takes 20 Amps then: * a breaker with a smaller rating - say 15 Amps - would always switch off the current because it is too high for the breaker to carry

* a breaker with a 20 Amp rating could be safe to use with this load, but it is so close to its rated limit it may keep tripping to switch off the current.

If that happens it may be better to use a breaker with a slightly higher rating - say 25 or 30 Amps - but do not decide to change it yourself unless you are an experienced electrical technician.

* A breaker with a higher rating - say 40 Amps - may not switch off the current if a fault develops in the 20 Amp load so it could be unsafe to use.

The likely overall current - and the kinds of loads (whether they are include any motors or if they are only heating and lighting) - from all appliances that are likely to be plugged into the circuit which the breaker has been installed to protect must be properly considered and any Fire or other safety hazards must always be assessed. ALWAYS CHECK WITH YOUR LOCAL WIRING SAFETY OFFICE BEFORE YOU ATTEMPT TO CHANGE ANYTHING - BREAKERS, CABLES OR OUTLETS -

ON A POWER MAINS CIRCUIT

IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB

SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY

REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.

If you do this work yourself, always turn off the power

at the breaker box/fuse panel BEFORE you attempt to do any work

AND

always use an electricians test meter having metal-tipped probes

(not a simple proximity voltage indicator)

to insure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.

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Q: If your load is 20a at 230v do you need a 20a breaker?
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SMy Breaker box is tripping one of my 20A's How many times can I just reset it before I have to shut it down?

If you have contineous tripping on a breaker then there is a fault on the load of that breaker. Don't reset it any more. What is the breaker connected to?


What size amp circuit breaker should be used for a geyser?

Depends on how many amps it pulls and the size of the wire in the circuit.


Can you run a double pole 30 amp breaker to two 110 recepticles?

No, A double pole breaker is going to give you 220 volts. 220 Volts is too much voltage for a 110 Volt outlet to handle. == Answer== Better to pull the duplex 30a and install to single-pole 20a breakers...if one kicks out, you will know which side the problem's on. And there's no problem with running a 20a circuit over 10awg wire.


What is full load current of 20 HP induction motor in delta?

480V about 20A 240V about 40A look at the nameplate duty cycle and efficiencies vary


What is the selection procedure for fuse wire for motor load?

An easy way to do this is to get yourself an "Ugly's" book. Its a small electrical reference guide for circuit protection, (sold at Home Depot & some electrical supply houses). Buss, and other fuse makers usually can supply you with a similar guide.You will also need to find the right size Motor Starter & Overload Heater within the Motor Starter. But to answer your question;To select wire, or fuse/breakers for a Motor Load, you need to look at the Motor's FLA (Full Load Amps), take that number and multiply it by 1.25 (this is a 'rule of thumb' & not Absolutely necessary),-Now you have the maximum amperage that the motor will draw under NORMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS. Go to the NEC section on conductors (i.e. wires) and find a suitable gage wire (in the 75 deg column) and find a wire that will handle the amount of current the your load requires.Now find a fuse or breaker that is permitted for the WIRE, not the load.For example: if you have a motor that draws 10 amps (full load), you might use 16 gage wire, 16 gage wire may be rated for 20A, use a breaker, or fuse rated for 20A.Its always best to use the lowest temperature column in the NEC book because you have to account for all connections in the circuit (i.e. lugs, crimps, spades, terminal blocks, etc.)YOU NEED TO SELECT A FUSE, OR BREAKER BASED ON THE WIRE SIZE, NOT THE LOAD ! !

Related questions

SMy Breaker box is tripping one of my 20A's How many times can I just reset it before I have to shut it down?

If you have contineous tripping on a breaker then there is a fault on the load of that breaker. Don't reset it any more. What is the breaker connected to?


20 amp breaker power verse 15amp breaker power?

A 20 amp breaker can handle up to 20 amps of current before tripping, while a 15 amp breaker can handle up to 15 amps. This means the 20 amp breaker can support heavier electrical loads without tripping compared to the 15 amp breaker. It's important to match the breaker size to the electrical load to prevent overloading and potential hazards.


Will a 20A 240V breaker be sufficient for a 240V 22A input welder or do you need to go to a 30A?

It would have to be a 30 amp breaker to use the full power of the welder. I'd say go with the 30A. The general rule is that your planned load should only be 80% of the circuit capacity. That means a 30A circuit should have a maximum load of of (30*0.8) = 24A. With the 30 amp breaker you must have at least #10 wires feeding the circuit.


You have an equipment rated for 230V 14 FLA and you have it connected to a 20A circuit breaker. you just noticed that is now connected to a 30A circuit breaker. how would this affect your equipment?

If the motor starts without tripping the breaker and when the motor picks up the load and the breaker doesn't trip, just leave it. Code states that motors should be protected by 2.5 times the FLA to allow for start up inrush current which can go as high as 300%. In this case 14 x 2.5 = 35 amps. There not being a breaker of that size go to the next highest, that being a 40 amp breaker. The motor should have additional overload protection on the circuit set to the FLA of the motor and not depend on the breaker to provide overload protection.


What does 20A CB stand for in a car fuse?

20 amp circuit breaker


Do you have a 15 0r 20 amp circuit?

Go to your distribution panel and shut off the breaker that you think is the circuit in question. If the circuit becomes de-energized then the breaker you just turned off feeds that circuit. Look on the handle of the breaker and the number you see is the amperage of that circuit. <<>> Determination of a 15 or 20 Ampere circuit is normally indicated by a combination of a 20A breaker and a 20A dedicated outlet. A 15A circuit normally has multiple outlets; not typical in a 20A circuit.


Can you safely change a 30 amp breaker to 20 amps?

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.


What minimum number of 150 W light bulbs must be connected in parallel to a single 240 V household circuit to trip a 20.0 A circuit breaker?

150W = 240 volts * .625Amps. Assuming the 20A breaker trips at exactly 20A, 20/.625 = 32 lights.


How do you calculate amp of circuit breaker to use on a 4800w oven?

For a 4800W oven, you can calculate the amperage by dividing the wattage by the voltage. Assuming a standard voltage of 240V for residential ovens, the amperage would then be 4800W / 240V = 20A. Therefore, you would need a 20A circuit breaker for the oven.


What size wire to feed a panel with 50A breaker for hot tub and 20A branch circuit?

#6 3 conducter


What formula do you use to tell if you'll overload a breaker?

Use the Watts = Amps x Volts formula. Most appliances will have the wattage on the nameplate. Nameplates that have the amperage on them will be the size of the breaker that should protect that device. There is an exception for motor loads, breaker size is 250% of full load amps. Divide the watts by the voltage and you will get the amperage of the device. This amperage will govern the size of the breaker to use. Breakers start at 15A, then 20A,30A,and 40A for most branch circuits in a house.


How many watts will a 20 amp douple pole breaker handle?

The formulae for calculating watts to amps is Watts divided by Voltage. Therefore to get from Amps to Watts the calculation is Amps × Voltage. Therefore if you are working on a 240 volt supply the calculation is 20 (Amps) × 240 (Volts) which = 4800 watts.