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Can a 20 amp gfci receptacle be replaced with a 15 amp gfci receptacle?
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Circuit breakers are sized to protect the wires behind the wall from overheating and burning down your house.
If the original electricians put in a 20 amp GFCI breaker, the wires are PROBABLY 12 GA and they should easily handle the 20 amp peak that the breaker will allow.
Those wires will also handle the lower current allowed by a 15 amp breaker.
Simple answer, "yes, you can put a 15 amp GFCI where you previously had 20 amp GFCI"
But the next question is, "why would you want to?" They're within pennies of the same price.
Most electricians will be hesitant to ever install a 15 amp on that circuit. That change will just cause confusion in the future and you're wasting the original efforts that went in to making that a 20 amp circuit.
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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 JOB
SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY
REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Yes, a 20 amp GFCI receptacle can be replaced with a 15 amp GFCI receptacle. However, it's important to ensure that the wiring matches the new receptacle's amp rating, and that the circuit breaker protecting the circuit is also rated correctly.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoYes, you can go down in current protection, but not up. With 15 Amps you just won't have as much capacity to power connected devices. If that isn't a problem you can make the replacement, but turn off the power supplying the GFCI first.
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How many outlets can run off 1 gfi outlet?
Eight on a 15 amp circuit, tweleve on a 20 amp circuit, including the gfci receptacle itself.
How do you know if you need a 20 amp gfi or 15 amp gfi?
The choice between a 20 amp GFCI and a 15 amp GFCI depends on the ampacity of the circuit you are protecting. A 20 amp GFCI can handle up to 20 amps of current and is typically used for circuits rated at 20 amps or less. A 15 amp GFCI is suitable for circuits rated up to 15 amps. It is important to match the GFCI to the ampacity of the circuit to ensure proper protection.
Do both the breakers and the outlets need to be GFI if you are running two 15 amp GFI circuits?
If you're using a GFCI breaker then the entire circuit will be protected by just the breaker alone. Every receptacle, switch, etc on that breaker will utilise the GFCI protection. You may have problems with it tripping if you plug in a motor (vacuum, etc) on the circuit.
Duplex receptacle circuit given 15 amp breaker 225 amp load?
A 15 amp breaker is not sufficient for a 225 amp load. You would need a breaker that matches the load current, such as a 225 amp breaker. Using a 15 amp breaker for a 225 amp load would cause the breaker to trip immediately due to overcurrent.
Does anyone make a 100 amp GFCI breaker?
GFCI breakers are typically available in lower amperage ratings, such as 15 or 20 amps. 100 amp GFCI breakers are not common due to the high level of current they need to interrupt. It is more common to use GFCI protection at the branch circuit level for smaller circuits.
How many outlets can run off 1 gfi outlet?
Eight on a 15 amp circuit, tweleve on a 20 amp circuit, including the gfci receptacle itself.
Can you change a 50 amp receptacle to a 15 amp receptacle?
Yes as long as you change the 50 amp breaker to a 15 amp breaker. You will be hard pressed to get the 50 amp #6 wire under the terminals of the 15 amp receptacle.
How do you know if you need a 20 amp gfi or 15 amp gfi?
The choice between a 20 amp GFCI and a 15 amp GFCI depends on the ampacity of the circuit you are protecting. A 20 amp GFCI can handle up to 20 amps of current and is typically used for circuits rated at 20 amps or less. A 15 amp GFCI is suitable for circuits rated up to 15 amps. It is important to match the GFCI to the ampacity of the circuit to ensure proper protection.
Do both the breakers and the outlets need to be GFI if you are running two 15 amp GFI circuits?
If you're using a GFCI breaker then the entire circuit will be protected by just the breaker alone. Every receptacle, switch, etc on that breaker will utilise the GFCI protection. You may have problems with it tripping if you plug in a motor (vacuum, etc) on the circuit.
Duplex receptacle circuit given 15 amp breaker 225 amp load?
A 15 amp breaker is not sufficient for a 225 amp load. You would need a breaker that matches the load current, such as a 225 amp breaker. Using a 15 amp breaker for a 225 amp load would cause the breaker to trip immediately due to overcurrent.
Can a 240 volt receptacle go on a 15 amp circut breaker?
In North America you would need two 15 amp breakers to obtain 240 volts. The wire for a 15 amp circuit would be #14 AWG. So to answer the question, yes a 240 volt receptacle can go on a 15 amp circuit.
Does anyone make a 100 amp GFCI breaker?
GFCI breakers are typically available in lower amperage ratings, such as 15 or 20 amps. 100 amp GFCI breakers are not common due to the high level of current they need to interrupt. It is more common to use GFCI protection at the branch circuit level for smaller circuits.
How many elec outlets can a GFCI detect?
A GFCI can detect ground faults on the specific circuit it is connected to. If multiple outlets are on the same circuit protected by a single GFCI outlet, the GFCI can protect all of them. However, if the outlets are on different circuits or not downstream from the GFCI, they would need their own GFCI protection.
Can you use 10 ga wire on a 15 amp receptacle?
No, it is not recommended to use 10 gauge wire with a 15 amp receptacle. The wire gauge should match the amperage rating of the receptacle to ensure safe and proper functioning of the electrical system. In this case, a 15 amp receptacle should be used with 14 gauge wire.
An ordinary outlet should be calculated what?
For a home, to calculate the amount of receptacle outlets on a 15 amp circuit, each receptacle outlet should be calculated as not drawing more than one amp each.
Is a 15 amp double tandem the same as a double pole 30 amp?
No the outlet holes are in parallel so the total ampacity of the receptacle is still 15 amps.
Can you use a 15amp outlet on a 20amp circuit?
No. You aren't allowed to install a device rated greater than the circuit is rated.The 20 amp receptacle would allow you to plug in 20 amp loads (which is why it is different than a 15 amp receptacle), and plugging a 20 amp load into a 15 amp circuit would cause an overload and the 15 amp circuit breaker would trip.ADDITIONThis may still be open for discussion. According an electrician from RKO Electric, you can in fact install a 20 Amp GFCI receptacle on a 15 Amp breaker. Apparently, the breaker will trip well before the receptacle is able to pull 20 Amps of current into the line. Please see the following link from another website: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Electrical-Wiring-Home-1734/20-amp-GFCI-outlets.htm2003 NEC Code Book says:210-21(b)(1), p.70-42: A single receptacle on an individual branch circuit shall have an ampere rating of not less than that of the branch circuit. To me this indicates that if there's only one receptacle on the circuit, you can't have an outlet rated for less than the circuit, but it neither mentions nor prohibits oversizing the receptacle.210-21(3), p.70-42: Where connected to a branch circuit supplying two or more receptacles or outlets, receptacle ratings shall conform to the values listed in table 210-21(b)(3)... which says: 15amp circuit, not over15amp receptacle (
