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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.

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18y ago
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16y ago

in most circumstances #12 AWG wire is suitable for 20 amps Changing a 15 amp breaker to a 20 amp breaker even if the wiring is #12 can create a violation and or a danger depending on the circumstances of the circuit and loads involved. This topic is discussed at length in the National Electrical Code

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13y ago

Breaker size is dependent on the wire size used for the electrical circuit, for example a 15 amp breaker would protect a 14awg circuit and trip when a load of approximately 1800 watts is exceeded. A 20 amp breaker would protect a 12awg circuit and trip when the load exceeds approximately 2400 watts. These examples assume a voltage of 120vac.

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13y ago

No!

A circuit that has been designed to handle 15 amps will be pushed beyond it's limits if you install a 20 amp breaker. The risk of fire is far too great.

I agree with the above but if you find the circuit was wired with 12 gauge wire it will work just fine. It is probably wired with 14 gauge wire, however, which is too small for 20 amps.

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14y ago

Physically you could, but I would not recommend it. A Breaker is designed to sense current flow. If it senses too much flow, or more than it is designed to handle, then it will "break" the circuit and prevent anymore current to flow. But a breaker goes hand in hand with the current carrying capability of the wire connected to it. Wiring is designed by "gauge", or how much current it can safely carry before the heat generated by current flow, causes the insulation to melt and potentially cause a fire.

The smaller the number, the bigger the copper wire, the more current it can safely carry. For example: 6ga wire is far larger than 14ga wiring used in most homes.

So if you have a 15amp breaker, it must be connected to wiring that has a 15 amp current carrying capability. That way, in the event of runaway current (short circuit), the breaker will open, before the insulation on the wire began to break down.

If you replace a 15 amp breaker with a 20 amp breaker, you could now have a situation where your wiring is good to lets say 17 amps of current max. So if an "overload" occurred, and let's say it was at 19 amps, your wire's insulation would begin to overheat and or melt away, exposing the live copper. Meanwhile, your breaker won't see a problem, because it's not designed to sense a problem unless you exceed 20 amps. So in normal circumstances, it would be a very bad idea.

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14y ago

You do four things:

make sure there's enough excess capacity in the box to handle the extra load--normally there is
change the wire from 14 gauge to 12 gauge.
change the breaker from 15 amp to 20 amp
if the circuit has one outlet, change it from 15 amp to 20 amp.

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13y ago

Not a good idea. The only safe way it can be done is if by chance the wire from the 15 amp breaker is a #12 wire which is rated for 20 amps. The #14 wire which is most likely connected to the 15 amp breaker is only rated at 15 amps. By connecting a 20 amp possible load to a 15 amp rated circuit there is the possibility of heat being generated by the wire resulting in insulation failure and then circuit failure.

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Q: Can a 15 amp breaker be replaced with a 20 amp?
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Does square D make a circuit breaker with a 15 amp and 20 amp breaker in the same breaker?

No tandem breakers are of the same value.


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.


Can you run a 20 amp machine on a 15 amp plug?

A 15 amp receptacle is protected by a 15 amp breaker. The 15 amp breaker will trip on any current over 15 amps. So if the 20 amp machine draws a full 20 amps, then the answer is no. Due to some operations of machines they will not draw the full nameplate amperage until they reach a certain point in there cycling. The machine may run at the start but when it reaches that point it could trip the breaker. If the machine is not hardwired but plugged in, you could not run a 20 amp machine on a 15 amp receptacle, due to the different pin configurations on the plug cap.


Can you hook a 15 amp and 20 amp breaker to a breaker box using 20 amp wire?

If the full load amps rating of the motor on the name plate is exactly 15 amps you need to use # 12 wire. If it is a longer run you may have to go up one more wire size. The breaker size you need is 30 amps.


Can a 15 amp extension cord be plugged into a 20 amp breaker?

A 15 Amp extension cord can be plugged into a 20 Amp circuit. It is important that what you're extending does not require more then 10-12 Amps.

Related questions

Can a 20 amp breaker be replaced with a 15 amp?

Yes, provided that you don't really need 20 A on the circuit.


Does square D make a circuit breaker with a 15 amp and 20 amp breaker in the same breaker?

No tandem breakers are of the same value.


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.


Can you run a 20 amp machine on a 15 amp plug?

A 15 amp receptacle is protected by a 15 amp breaker. The 15 amp breaker will trip on any current over 15 amps. So if the 20 amp machine draws a full 20 amps, then the answer is no. Due to some operations of machines they will not draw the full nameplate amperage until they reach a certain point in there cycling. The machine may run at the start but when it reaches that point it could trip the breaker. If the machine is not hardwired but plugged in, you could not run a 20 amp machine on a 15 amp receptacle, due to the different pin configurations on the plug cap.


Can you hook a 15 amp and 20 amp breaker to a breaker box using 20 amp wire?

If the full load amps rating of the motor on the name plate is exactly 15 amps you need to use # 12 wire. If it is a longer run you may have to go up one more wire size. The breaker size you need is 30 amps.


Can a 15 amp extension cord be plugged into a 20 amp breaker?

A 15 Amp extension cord can be plugged into a 20 Amp circuit. It is important that what you're extending does not require more then 10-12 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 size breaker is needed for a 1100 watt microwave?

A minimum of 15-amp breaker is "needed", but a 20-amp is often required by electrical code for that situation.


What is the wire size required for 1800 watts for lamps?

14 gauge will handle it with a 15 amp breaker. If you use 12 gauge use a 20 amp 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 tap into a 40 amp electric range outlet for a 15 or 20 amp wall outlet?

no. the breaker is 40amps.fire hazard


Can a circuit breaker be tripped by using 20 amp sockets instead of 15 amp sockets?

A circuit breaker protects the wires that the devices are connected to. If the devices that are connected to the circuit are 20 amps the wire size should be #12 wire fed from a 20 amp breaker. This breaker should not trip unless the circuit is overloaded or a fault occurs on the circuit. If the devices that are connected to the circuit are15 amps the wire size should be #14 wire fed from a15 amp breaker. This breaker should not trip unless the circuit is overloaded or a fault occurs on the circuit. Putting 20 amp sockets on this 15 amp circuit will work but the circuit is limited to the amount of load that can be plugged in. You will not get the full capacity of the 20 socket because the breaker will trip at 15 amps.